Alexis Aponte

Instructor

SHINE Power Yoga Medford

My yoga journey started in a very interesting way. While attending University of the Arts earning a BFA in Jazz Dance, I decided to take the practice of yoga for an elective. At first, I actually hated practicing yoga. I hated sitting with my thoughts. I'm an over thinker and too much would come up during my practice. I wanted to escape my thoughts; my mind. Practicing yoga in a room full of dancers, your ego fully shows up. Though my mind would tell me that I hated this, my soul knew better. I continued to practice. My soul was drawn to get to class- to shed my ego; my expectation of what I should or shouldn't be doing. Yoga helps make me aware of the inner dialogue that I have with myself. I've discovered that our lives mirror where we are in our level of consciousness at any given moment. When I continue to release expectations and judgments, I am freeing myself to the adventures of my life and become more open to what the Universe has in store for me. Unlike dance where it's external, something for others to look at, yoga is a deep internal practice; to be deep within our being. This soon intrigued me and I became obsessed with the practice because it wasn't for others but solely for myself. I became more aware of how sitting with the uncomfortable helps you understand yourself better and helps you leap into your growth and evolution; and practicing at SHINE helped feed this.In July 2017, I received my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher certification from Blue Osa Yoga School in Costa Rica. Since yoga taught me to face the uncomfortable to facilitate growth, I decided to travel alone to another country to learn a ton about myself and yoga for a 30 day yoga immersion. It was the best thing for me. Since then I've also received a certification in Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra (c) by Jennifer Reis. I have so much gratitude for the practice of yoga. It teaches me time and time again that I am my own healer. I can't wait to continue to further my learning of yoga. I'm so honored to be a part of the SHINE teaching staff and community. SHINE has given me a community; a tribe full of beautiful, badass warriors to connect with. If you've taken my class before or soon to experience, you know I love chanting sacred text and talking about la Luna, the moon. Join me on your mat to sweat, to sit with yourself and hear some dharma talk!