Every time I’d check out a yoga teacher’s website over the past decade that I’ve been practicing yoga, they would talk about how yoga had transformed their lives.

Truth be told, I would kinda roll my eyes. It seemed a little silly to me, and it was the same theme I saw on every yoga teacher’s website. “How can contorting your body into random yoga positions transform your entire life?” I was perplexed.

And then my life fell apart.

In 2011, I picked up my broken heart, moved to San Francisco, and found Urban Flow a few days later. I walked into my first class only to be greeted by over 150 yogis about to get their groove on. Rusty led us through a ritualistic drum-filled chant and prayer before we started to move. I thought to myself, “How do all these people know this weird language? Chanting? What’s happening here?”.

I didn’t understand what I was attempting to sing, but I loved it! This was definitely NOT the fitness-based yoga I had been exposed to in the past.

It was heart based. Devotional. Grounded in yogic philosophy. And while the asana practice was extremely challenging and based on Vinyasa Flow, I appreciated that it wasn’t focused around “getting a yoga butt”.

In my seemingly broken state, there wasn’t a class I didn’t cry my eyes out. Luckily at Urban flow, because there’s a lot of sweat involved, my tear-covered face looked the same as my wet sweaty body! I spent the next 3 years showing up to my mat whether I wanted to or not. That small space on my mat in the midst of hundreds of people became my sanctuary. It’s where I healed my broken heart. It’s where I go to slow down the crazy in my head and feel grounded.

So I can’t believe I’m saying it, but yes… yoga freaking transformed my life!

The process heals my body, quiets my mind, and cracks my heart wide open. It course-corrected my life from teaching fitness to teaching yoga. My absolute bliss is incorporating Eating Psychology and yoga to transform women’s relationship to the food they eat and to their body.

I don’t think you’re life has to fall apart for yoga to work it’s magic. Since I have a fitness background and know my style of teaching is a bit athletic, I’m sure to attract students who want a “yoga butt”. And that’s okay.

Because all you need is a little crack in your consciousness for the light to come flooding in.

I teach Vinyasa flow, prefer it to be warm in the room, and my style is steeped with yogic philosophy and dharma. (Yes we will chant, om, and pray… and maybe dance).

So come for the “yoga butt” and leave with a lighter, more open heart. I’m cool with that.

San Francisco schedule coming soon!

• Tuesday nights: Assistant to my teacher Stephanie Snyder at Urban Flow.

Audra is a 20+ year fitness expert, Eating Psychology coach, and 500-hour Yoga Teacher.