Interview with Ramona Pearce, Yoga for Life~

Interview with Ramona Pearce,

 teacher at Many Rivers, located in Homer Alaska.  

Interviewed by Kayla Spaan  3/1/15

Kayla:

“Ramona, Did you just come back from travels?”



Ramona:


"I did!”





Kayla:

“What were you doing?”

Ramona:

"I was finishing up my 200 hour teacher training for a Yoga Alliance registration and certification.”

Kayla:

“Ramona, what kind of Yoga Teacher training were you just at?”

Ramona:

"The name of the studio is called,  A Gentle Way.  It’s located in La Mesa California, near San Diego. It was a training for M. I. M. S. Y.    Standing for: Mediation In Movement Style Yoga. It is a very soft, easy and gentle type of practice. (Teaching this kind of yoga) has been something i’ve been wanting to mainly teach for quite a long time.”

Kayla:

"In general, who would benefit from this kind of yoga practice the most?”

Ramona:

"It was originally designed for people who are plus sized and for students that have not done a lot of movement with their bodies. It developed into a very deep practice because it is very slow, very meditative.  I teach this practice in my Thursday (5:30-6:45 pm) class, Yoga For Round and Aging Bodies at Many Rivers. I do teach some of the M. I. M. S. Y.  poses in the Monday (5:30-6:45 pm) Yoga for Absolute Beginners class, towards the end.”

Kayla:

"Ramona, you also teach another yoga class in Anchor Point. Can you tell us a little bit about that?”

Ramona:


“I do! At the Anchor Point Senior Center.  It’s basically just like the Yoga For Round and Aging Bodies class. But we also do some standing poses.  I have been teaching there for a couple months and it's a lot of fun. We use a lot of props: bolsters, blocks, blankets, straps, the walls and the floor for support. The Yoga For Round and Aging Bodies class I teach at Many Rivers on Thursday night does not have any Standing poses, We are on the floor and a lot of it is laying down, some is sitting.  Once in a great while we may do something standing, but is not a posture, it’s usually rolling a tennis ball underneath our feet or something like that!

It’s very relaxing, it’s very meditative, it’s very deep. People who come to class really seem to of enjoyed it.  And they can really learn how to relax and breathe.  These postures you can use anywhere but once you add the meditation and add the breath, that makes yoga.”

Kayla:

“Are there any misconceptions about yoga that you like to help cleanup?"

Ramona:

“One thing for people who have never taking yoga, or for people who are curious about yoga is that there are some misconceptions. I think that people think, “ You have to be flexible to take yoga” That’s not necessarily the case. I have students who have scoliosis, I have students who have M.S., students who have high blood pressure problems, people who can’t sleep at night, All that kind of stuff.  And yoga helps them. Yoga postures can be adapted, modified and supported to help anybody who feels like they’re struggling or who feels like they would like to get more out of the class.”

Kayla:

“These classes are really here to help people become comfortable in their bodies and relax.  Thank you for this service Ramona. What are your plans for the future?”

Ramona:

"I definitely intend to keep teaching this kind of practice. I have been teaching for a long time, my yoga practice and my yoga teaching has changed over the last 17 years.  As I’ve gotten older, my practice has become more meditative with slower movements and it’s more quiet.

Kayla:

“Now that you're back from your 200 Hour certification, Do you have any interest in going to another  training anytime soon?”

Ramona:

"Not out of state anytime soon. I am going to a workshop in Anchorage in a couple weeks. It is a Svaroopa Yoga Training, which is somewhat that M. I. M. S. Y.  is based off of. It kind of just adds to the practice. I might go out of state for another training another year or so.  I’ll consider it.”

Kayla:

“Thank you so much Ramona.”

Ramona:

“You're welcome. Thank you”

Ramona Has Been Teaching as, Yoga For Life, in Homer since 2007.  She is currently teaching at Many Rivers, Mondays 5:30-6:45 pm Yoga for Absolute Beginners and Thursdays: 5:30-6:45 pm, Yoga For Round and Aging Bodies, All are welcome and invited.  She also teaches private classes and at the Anchor Point Senior Center.