Meet Taylor Pierce | Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Pierce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Honestly, I would say that yoga truly is accessible to anyone and everyone. There’s an unfortunate misconception that yoga is for people that can bend their bodies like pretzels, or have hulk like strength to hold a handstand for an impressive amount of minutes. That surely exists, but the point of yoga is that every class you attend is your own personal practice. The point isn’t to impress other people in the room, but rather stay tuned into yourself, your body, and your breath. Using each moment you enter a new posture to see if it feels right in your body. Modifications and props are the best! They are provided for a reason. A reminder, also, that each person has a different physical anatomy. For example, there are certain asanas (poses) that I cannot reach the full expression of, simply because my actual hip joints don’t open or rotate the way they would need to in order to do so. It’s all about greeting your body with love and grace. I don’t know a single person that can’t benefit from taking time out for themselves to connect to the breath, and quiet the mind. Sometimes it’s also a matter of finding a class/studio/instructor that you connect with! There should never be pain (difference between true pain and effort), and you should always feel comfortable and safe in the space. Again, anyone and everyone can take, and benefit, from yoga. It may just take a little to journey to find the exact right fit! But I would say it’s worth it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Something that a few of my students have told me, was that they were pleasantly surprised at how wonderful they felt through the class. This coming from a range of people. Some who frequent yoga, some who never take yoga and, in fact, said they never liked it. As an instructor, I make a point to offer every variation with props and modifications. My goal is for each of my students to feel optimal through each asana, to feel great in their bodies, and to keep them feeling grounded. Empathy is one of the biggest and most important factors in my teaching, as well as being intuitive. I had a student that had never taken a yoga class without leaving frustrated and agitated. She took my class, and she felt calm, relaxed, and accomplished. HUGE success in my book! I also like to keep some humor in there as well. It doesn’t always need to feel so heavy and serious! Business wise, I’ve actually had a few. All completely different areas of work. Before yoga I had a flower business. From each different business I learned so much (good and bad). Through all of them I’ve realized regardless of what I am doing, it needs to be creatively focused. That is exactly what yoga is for me. I’m creating classes and flows, and getting creative with my instruction and cueing. It’s so fun and rewarding to watch a class I have laid out on a piece of paper come to life through my students.
I had reached a point where I was really trying to figure out what I wanted to do. What was something that I could pursue as a career, that would also be fulfilling and bring me joy. I had been doing yoga for 10 years, and it was the one physical practice that I would always consistently find my way back to. I found so much healing in the practice, and the thought of providing that for other people made my heart swell. I initially talked myself out of it. The training is very expensive, and I found it terrifying to put myself out there taking such a big leap, to really invest in myself in such a big way. There was a lot of self doubt and worry/anxiety that I had to push through to finally say F it, I want and need to do this for myself. Thank God I did! I finally feel like I found my calling. It’s one of the best feelings of all time.
Some of the lessons I’ve learned…I mean, so many! I’m stronger than I even realized, it’s so worth investing in myself, each little hurdle that comes up is simply a lesson to learn and grow from…and to not settle.
I suppose if there was anything I would want people to take away from my story is that we only have one life. Find something that you are truly passionate about, even if it isn’t in your work. Something or maybe multiple things that bring that warmth into your heart space. That’s what is going to keep you going, especially on the days where s*** really hits the fan. Also, that carving out time for yourself, even if it’s 1 hour a week, to do a practice such as yoga and pranayama to ground into your inner self, to bring calmness in the mind, and to listen to what your heart wants you to here, is so important.
As far as what I would want the world to know about me and my work…if I ever have the honor to have you in a class, virtual or in-person, my biggest goal is for you to fill yourself up with compassion and love. For your physical body, your mind, and your heart. You are worthy, you are important, and you are capable. I promise to always do my best to bring people up, and to help them see the best versions of themselves. All the love you are craving is within yourself! If I can aid in helping anyone dig that up, and maybe provide a little burn along the way, I will be overjoyed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, we would probably start the morning with some Taylor Pierce Hatha Yoga and pranayama (shameless plug). I’m up in Nederland, so if we were staying around here we would grab bagels for breaky at Decent Bagels. We have some great hiking trails up here, so that’s almost always a must, especially if someone is visiting. For dinner my go-to’s are usually either Crosscut (killer pizza, which says a lot because I’m a dairy free gal) or Kathmandu (Nepalese food). Now, if we’re going into Boulder, my favorite place to grab Brunch is probably Leaf. I’m not a pancake fan, but they have these vegan/gluten free blueberry pancakes that are unreal. Also, their vegan ruben is insane. For lunch I really love The Boulder Dunshanbe Teahouse. Such a beautiful building, and awesome food. When it’s nice out I like to sit outside by the water. Clearly I’m very food driven…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely want to give a shout-out to Shoshoni Yoga Retreat. Their ashram in Rollinsville is where I did my training, and lived for 21 days. They taught me so much about truly honoring our bodies, leaving outside expectations or those that we have put on ourselves, at the door. I felt so supported, seen, heard, and cared for while I was there. Along with the physical teacher training, we did an immense amount of meditation and philosophy. I’ve never felt more connected to my heart space. They not only do the training courses, but they also have weekend retreats for anyone that wants to go and have a beautiful, immersive, yoga experience.

Website: Taylorpierceyoga.com

Instagram: Taylorpierceyoga