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Will Freeman

Will Freeman

When did you start practicing yoga?

I started the spring semester of 2013; I took Yoga I with Autumn Mist Belk teaching. From there I took Yoga II with her, and tried to either take her class, or drop in occasionally to a class or workshop every semester after.

Why? What brought you to the practice?

I’m not sure what exactly drew me to the class, but I’ve had surgery on my Achilles’ tendons twice, so I figured at the least a semester of stretching couldn’t hurt. I was surprised to not only find it much more than that, but something I would end up loving.

What surprised you the most about yoga?

How much more than just a fancy stretching class it was. Yoga not only changes your body, but it changes you mentally. For me, it made me a little more at peace with the world. Brahmacharya or moderation, really struck a chord with me. Good or bad, if you think about everything that happens, you can balance it out with moderation. Just thinking about a terrible day, you realize that the bad days just make your other days better, and everything just kind of falls into place as far as peace of mind goes.

Have you noticed other changes to yourself after you started practicing yoga?

As I said earlier, I’m just more at peace with whatever happens. You build confidence by being able to perform more complex asanas, but you also learn humility from knowing that even the best practicers have much to learn. You never really stop learning, and you’re more open to what your true self really is. To me, the ultimate goal of yoga is happiness, and you just start doing what makes you happy, and worry less about what the world thinks about it.

What is your favorite style of asana?

My favorite style isn’t really a style per say, but I love partner yoga. It’s a great way to get to know your yoga community a little bit better, and it’s always a more fun, carefree practice than a standard vinyasa. However Autumn’s musically-themed classes are also in my top favorite. (How can you not enjoy the Nutcracker Suite and Dark Side of the Moon to yoga?)

What are some of your favorite poses?

I’m a fan of arm balances in general, since I’ve got a lot to work on in the leg flexibility area, it gives me something a bit more challenging to practice while I work on my legs.

Do you have a favorite yama or niyama?

Santosha and Brahmacharya are my favorite Niyama and Yama respectively. Having contentment in your life, and helping regulate it with moderation has definitely improved my overall happiness, and continues to do so each day you take those ideas into practice.

Anything else you would like to share?

To anyone that’s on the fence if yoga is for you, or if you’re wondering if you can even practice, just remember it’s not all about the asanas. They’re just one of the eight limbs, and you can get so much more out of it. But at the same time, if you just want to work on strength and flexibility, you can choose to just focus on the one limb. That’s the beauty of yoga. You ultimately decide your practice, and how to live your life.

-Will Freeman, B.S. in Cellular Molecular and Development, Class of 2016