In 1990 when I began teaching a yoga class for the City of Plano Parks and Recreation Department, there was one other yoga teacher offering classes in Plano.&nbsp; In addition to teaching group yoga classes, people came to me for bodywork, energetic healing and private yoga lessons. My business earned a small profit in the first year and has sustained profitability ever since. The freedom of&nbsp; being in charge of my own schedule as a small business owner offered exactly what I needed at the time to take my yoga practice to a deeper level.<br />
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It was my search for inner peace that led me to Yoga. I soon learned that inner peace was not something I could earn by practicing but something that came naturally and incrementally as a result of the practice. I noticed fairly early that even though my focus was mostly on postures and breathing, I was already experiencing fewer reactive impulses, a quieter mind, and calmer emotional states. Greater strength and flexibility, increased energy, improved immunity, and better balance also became apparent.

The physical, mental, and emotional effects of my first yoga class were immediately noticeable, although I had no real language at that point for describing them, even to myself. What became completely apparent, though, was that I had become so disconnected from my body that I was mostly unaware of it. My daily life and focus were almost totally intellectual.

When people ask me whether I've been to India, I always answer, "Not in this lifetime." That is not a lame attempt at humor but comes from inner knowing that my connection with India was there before I was born. I see Yoga as India's crown jewel and her greatest gift to the world.<br />
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