Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Purcell
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have chronic back pain due to a congenital anomaly in my spine. By the time I found yoga in 2021, I had been to several doctors, gone to physical therapy and wasnt seeing or feeling any relief. I was feeling defeated and hopeless. One day I saw a sign at the beach for a yoga class and decided to join. An hour later, I felt better than I had in as long as I could remember. My pain was better and I felt a calmness I hadn’t ever felt. So I went back every week. I had finally found something that helped me physically but also mentally in ways I didn’t even know I needed. At the beginning of 2022 I enrolled in yoga teacher training and received my certification and have been teaching ever since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, yes, it has been a smooth road. Before completing teacher training, I wasn’t sure how I could possibly get in front of a group of people and lead them or hold space for others. I have never been comfortable in front of crowds or public speaking.
But, when I come to my mat, I feel at home, like I’m exactly where I was always meant to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a yoga teacher, my goal is to hold space for people to feel safe to connect with themselves. My classes don’t focus on “fancy” poses. Everybody can do yoga, and I believe everybody can benefit from yoga. There is so much more than the physical practice, and I don’t want anyone to ever feel intimated or that they “can’t “. My classes focus on appreciating the body you are in and meeting yourself exactly where you are.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think that the biggest risk we can take is believing in ourselves. I wouldn’t say that teaching yoga is a big risk, but it was certainly way out of my comfort zone. I felt called to take yoga teacher training, even though the voice in my head was screaming that I was crazy, telling me that I couldn’t and shouldn’t. I felt like an imposter, I hadn’t been practicing for very long, I wasn’t flexible or athletic and I didn’t know the names of the poses. But my gut said yes, and I’m forever grateful that I trusted my gut.
Contact Info:
- Other: AUMber.yoga@gmail.com
