Meet Valerie Sypula
When did you first become interested in yoga and who was your first teacher?
About
8 years ago I took a 4-week beginner class with a friend
and I was immediately hooked. It just felt so good. My teacher
was, Mary Beth Markus in Phoenix, AZ. My sons still live
there and whenever I go out for a visit I like to take a
class at Desert Song, home of my yoga roots.
You have an interesting eclectic background in yoga. Can you say a bit more about that?
I have studied with lots of different teachers, lots of different styles, and my practice is truly an integration of that; alignment, flow, meditative awareness, observation and exploration of the physical, emotional and spiritual. It continually fascinates me.
Would you talk a bit about your interest in meditation and how you came to be a meditation teacher.
Meditation came about a year before I discovered yoga. My meditation practice has really helped to keep me on a pretty even keel emotionally. Mindfulness works well for me and if it can help other people deal with their personal challenges, then I think it is worth sharing
I understand that you are in love with the Eastern Shore of Maryland and have a house out there and spend the weekends there. What is it about the Eastern Shore that draws you?
The sky!
What is your favorite pastime (besides yoga or meditation)?
Reading or being outside in nature.
Tell us your favorite book.
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I reread it almost every year. I consider it the book that made me aware of my own spiritual journey. It is poetry, so beautifully written.
What gives you the greatest joy in teaching?
When someone tells me how their practice has helped them deal with pain or discomfort of a physical ailment or helped them make it through a difficult time in their life. I especially enjoy private sessions because my clients often share with me their challenges, observations, awareness, and insights. This offers an opportunity for both of us to learn and to grow.
What has been your greatest inspiration for your teaching- and your personal practice
Every class, every workshop, every retreat I have participated in–books and articles I have read, my relationships, observing nature, challenges in my life_ the list goes on and on. I would say everything is my teacher and that "everything" is woven into what I teach.