Natasha Mendez

Yoga Instructor

Topeka Yoga Network

My first introduction to yoga was in my mid 20's. My job at the time, offered yoga and thought I  would try it out. Midway through the class, I just knew it wasn’t for me and never went back. I thought it was too slow and felt I needed to be doing some sort of cardio to really feel like I was doing something good for my body. Fast forward about 10 years, 2016, a friend of mine asked me to go to a hot yogaclass with her. I decided I would give it another shot and fell in love after the first class. I loved the heat and how motivated and focused I felt afterwards. As the years went by I continued to do the hot classes off and on, but probably not as much as I should have been.In 2020, I found myself at home not being able to work for 3 months d/t Covid, so I decided Iwould try to start working out again. I did my usual cardio videos and then the next day I went to put lotion on my legs and my back went out. Ive always struggled with hip and low back pain, but this was the worst it had ever been. I couldn’t walk and could barely even crawl. From that moment on, I decided that I wasn’t going to do anymore workouts that required jumping and was going to focus more on yoga and walking. Once I was able to move better, I started taking more yoga classes and felt that my low back was becoming stronger and was having less pain and tightness.As time went on I began to think more about taking the teacher training. I didn’t see myselfteaching at first, but thought it would be beneficial to learn more about yoga and see how it would help my practice. I decided to sign up for the teacher training at the studio that I was attending. However, the training ended up getting cancelled and I was referred to Topeka Yoga Network to sign up for their training. I tried, but it was too late to take off the days from work, so I decided to try again at the next training. I knew that Topeka Yoga Network didn’t have a hot class, but I was really wanting to get into a training and was open to new experiences. I was also thinking more about teaching. I am a registered nurse and was starting to feel some burn out. I thought that maybe teaching yoga would put some passion back in my healer heart. I signed up a year later with Topeka Yoga Network.Before the training, I started practicing at TYN to familiarize myself with the studio and teachers.During my first class, I noticed the teacher was providing more cues to get into different positions and realized I had been doing a lot of the positions wrong over the years. The cues help you to get into a position easily and correctly. I really enjoyed the class and was excited to learn more! During my practices and training with Topeka Yoga Network, I realized that it was really changing my body. I had more muscle tone than I had had in a long time. I was also having more energy, especially in the evenings. I usually take evening classes and it is a good break in the day. I always leave feeling energized enough to get some things done in the evening, but not enough that it prevents me from getting good sleep.The teacher training was such an amazing experience. I really enjoyed learning not only aboutthe physical aspect of yoga , but also the different philosophies that can help you in day to day life. I am truly grateful that I was able to train with two amazing instructors that really care and made it such a positive experience. I am excited for this opportunity to share my experience and knowledge with others in the next chapter of my yoga journey.