Meet Stacie Wyatt | Yoga Teacher and Wellness Practitioner

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

Hi Stacie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I believe that the most important factor behind my success is the foundation of service I built from the beginning. I began my business with the mindset that serving others is the priority and I trusted that the profits would come. My mantra became–As long as I stay in the heart of service, I will always be provided for.

When I first began offering adaptive yoga in my community, I did so as a volunteer. Knowing that the majority of people living with disabilities are on limited income, I knew that I needed to overlook the common practice of earning money for a service provided. Instead I chose to share yoga from the place in my heart that was not attached to an income. By doing this for over the first four years, not only did I learn and grow as a teacher, but I was able to truly give and be of service rather than be focused on profit. I relied on my “typical” yoga classes where the cost to the student is a donation based model, I was able to earn a small income in the beginning. As my business grew and more agencies learned of my offerings, I moved from a volunteer status to an affordable group rate that the facility or agency paid for. I always have one pro bono private student that I work with and my paying private student rate is incredibly affordable.

With the generosity of those who are blessed with abundance and chose to donate and give generously for my traditional yoga, I am able to keep my rates low for those less fortunate. By always sharing yoga from the place of service, I am able to continue to give without the attachment to income. I have learned over the years that staying in the space of service, my business has thrived and the validity of my offerings have multiplied into solid and very fulfilling business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The main aspect of my work is bringing adaptive yoga and wellness practices into assisted living, long term care and group home settings for adults with disabilities, specifically brain injuries. I also have a small studio for more traditional yoga classes and wellness offerings, but the majority of my work is serving those with disabilities.

What I believe sets me apart from others is my ability to see the whole person rather than the injury or disability, and in turn, offer holistic practices that touch the mind, body and the spirit. So often when a person sustains a traumatic brain injury, there is a tremendous amount of focus on the physical body regaining function. The trauma and the effects on the spirit are often overlooked. Many of my students have lost their livelihood, their career, their families and friends and there is so much grief that is not being addressed. By bringing to them a new and sometimes different awareness of their mind, body and spirit there is an opening for healing. I help them to discover a new relationship with themselves in the present and this brings confidence, self-love and acceptance to their life. By adding a focus of mindfulness and awareness of their spirit, they find a sense of wholeness that perhaps they may have never experienced. I am most excited about my method of bringing this type of modality into settings that typically do not offer such services. By eliminating the barrier of not being able to attend a yoga class in a traditional setting, I find that my services bring something to the students that they would not be able to otherwise access.

I got to this place professionally by believing in myself and the practice of yoga with every part of my being. I believe that the most important factor behind my success is the foundation of service I built from the beginning. I began my business with the mindset that serving others is the priority and I trusted that the profits would come. My mantra became–As long as I stay in the heart of service, I will always be provided for. With my tenacious sense of high-ethics and responsibility as as person, and as an adaptive yoga teacher success for me is not defined by money or prestige, but instead by serving others and being the best person that I can be for my students. I believe so strongly in showing up in the world and being of service to others that my life purpose to bring yoga into assisted living facilities has become a deeply satisfying personal journey as well as a profitable business.

The lesson that I learned in my business is that if you believe in yourself and come from a place of the heart, you will be successful. Belief is my number one strength and according to the Clifton Strengths people who are especially talented in belief, have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values, emerges a defined purpose in life. Sharing yoga in the community in assisted living facilities for adults with disabilities, I am living my purpose. I knew that I wanted my business to reflect a desire to be of service and not focused on profits. By having a strong sense of belief for this, it has allowed me to offer my services this way and be a successful business owner.

The end goal for my business is to have known that I did my best at helping individuals who may have never had access to yoga and wellness practices. I want to be able to teach other yoga teachers my method and reach people all over the world who are living with disabilities, specifically brain injuries. Professionally by the end of my career I want to have a solid, reputable yoga training program that can influence and make the lives better for both the student and the teacher. I want my story of overcoming personal challenges in my own life raising three children and using the challenge of a daughter with a disability to better myself and the world to be an inspiration. I wont people to see that even in what appears to be a big disappointment or hurdle, there may be a golden nugget within that can bring a rich life if you are willing to say yes.

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?
Ahhh….my friend is visiting and our plans are set! We would explore some of my favorite surroundings near me like the Garden of the Gods, Ute Valley Park, Palmer Park, Red Rocks Canyon and Manitou Springs. After we have eaten at all of my favorite local spots such as Amanda’s, The Skirted Heifer, Pikes Perk Coffee House, EIM Thai, Wyatt’s Pub and Grill (my brothers sports bar!) and Rico’s we would take off to the mountains and enjoy a few days in the forest. Of course on the way to the mountains we would stop at the famous Donut Mill in Woodland Park because not only are the donuts amazing, this little building was the house my mom grew up in and the family photograph on the wall near the door is worth seeing. The generations of my family in black and white!

Stopping in Beuna Vista Colorado for the Mt. Princeton hot springs, my friend and I would enjoy hiking trails, soaking in the amazing healing waters and enjoying local food. A few days to reset our spirit, we would be ready to head back to Colorado Springs to close out our time together.

A quick stop in downtown Denver 16th street mall is a must to take in the big city feel. Our visit would end with a candlelight yoga practice in my studio to celebrate the friendship we have and the reflection of light that we give the world.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to my daughter. She is the person who opened the door that I was once very hesitant to walk through. When she was diagnosed at age 4 with multiple developmental disabilities, I was both angry and sad. For years I felt those heavy emotions, but once I said yes to who she is, my life opened up in amazing ways. She is what has inspired me and my work. I also would love to credit my brave students whose life took a tragic turn in an instant, and yet they willingly show up to better themselves and grow in fantastic ways. I am honored to be part of their path.

Website: www.embracingspirityoga.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embracingspirityoga/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacie-wyatt-4ab7a3120/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/embracingspirit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embracingspirityoga

Other: https://express.adobe.com/page/ZiAaMAsu3WGrp/