Meet Sheryl McGourty | Yoga Studio Owner, Teacher and Ayurvedic Health Practitioner

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

Hi Sheryl, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I view the attainment of a work/life balance as slightly flawed. Often when we think of achieving a work/life balance we are coming from a recognition of imbalance. For example, our work is causing so much stress that we must take a vacation or our families and relationships are demanding too much of our attention that we then require a break. To me these are the trappings of reaction and often temporary solutions. As a Yoga and Ayurvedic Practitioner, though we use the intelligence of opposite qualities to balance, we also notice that extreme shifts and reactions can cause one to create excess or deficiency. Meaning we want to avoid robbing from one to give to another. When I think of Vrikshasana (Tree) it is the awareness of the central axis that keeps us balanced. If we excessively teeter from left to right, we can expend unnecessary energy. We move from macro movements of teetering left right, to micromovements that hover around the center.

In my life, I strive to look at all the parts as a whole in an attempt to integrate work, life, parenting, relationships and community.

I feel guided to see the intersection and interplay of all of it. Part of being human is understanding imbalance as a wonderful teacher. We can observe the natural world respond to imbalance, sometimes the consequences are dramatic and sometimes it is a slow evolution over hundreds of years.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have never been driven by money or status but rather by experience, meaning and purpose. I have always been interested in challenge, risk and adventure. I consider myself to be a seeker-unconventional, creative and an out of the box thinker. What is my career? I’m not sure how to answer that, as I believe it will be forever unfolding. What I do know is that I have a knack for bringing people together, making connections and communicating.
What I have learned is that we have to show up, that life is one big piece of art and we are the artist. I am learning that I can not delude myself into thinking I can control most things, that people have their own experiences and we can not take things personally, otherwise we will become exhausted. I am learning to listen to my true nature.

What can be challenging? As a culture, we monetize careers, we place a value system that feels inherently flawed. I used to be a middle and high school teacher and people would often say intirations of a similar expression, “Bless you, ’cause you’re not doing it for the money.” Though I understood what they were saying, I still grapple with a value system that allows a lawyer to make more than a school teacher and a doctor to make more than a social worker. I am not undermining the work of lawyers and doctors but simply stating a general example of discrepancy and inequity, a deep rabbit hole worth exploring. Additionally, as women, in all work arenas, there are additional hurdles. For example, we know that women were hit harder through the recent pandemic. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released new data on the effect of COVID-19 on women-owned businesses. Pre-pandemic, 60% of female business owners ranked their overall business health as good. By July 2020, this dropped to 47%. We found ourselves working harder than ever the past two years to keep our business open.

I believe we all deserve to earn and have our basic needs met.

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?
Great question. As someone who has lived in Durango since ’97, I’d love to highlight some unique aspects of our town. I  believe in supporting all things local as well as activities and experiences that support greater sustainability. I would suggest experiences that center on health/wellness, local farming and breathtaking immersions in our San Juan Mountains.

Yogadurango- obvious, shameless promotion
Durango Natural Foods Co-op-sweet neighborhood grocery
Amaya Natural Therapeutics-massage and soaking
Durango Farmers Market
Himalayan Kitchen-Nepalese, family owned and doing wonderful work
Maria’s Bookstore-independent bookstore
Studio &-featuring all local artists
Durango Telegraph-read local
Roll E-bikes- electric bike rental/ a way to tour our town and minimize downtown traffic

Go up North- Coal Bank or Molas Pass, check out the mountains, breath the fresh air, connect with Nature

And, honestly there is a small part of me that wants to tell you that there is nothing going on here in hopes that it stays
small and less populated. With that said, I imagine people were feeling the same way when I moved here 25 years ago!

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?
Our brick and mortar studio is as vibrant as our community contributes to the collective experience. We are coming upon our 16th year in operation and are grateful to have staff and clients that have been with us from the beginning. Small businesses such as ours are reciprocal, we hold the container and provide the content, the people fill the space and add their spirit.

Website: www.yogadurango.com www.threepillarswellbeing.com

Instagram: yogadurango

Facebook: Yogadurango

Image Credits
JOSHUA HOFFMAN (pic of me) Jennifer Manganello (class photo)