Misha H.
Instagram ID: mishayoga
Growing up Misha's father was in the FBI serving with Joint Terrorism Task Force which gave her an incredibly unique perspective on life. She has carried a passion for law with her throughout her entire life thus far and in 2013, graduated from Montclair State University Pre-Law. For fun she reads Supreme Court dockets for any major cases that are coming down the pipe line. She finds it incredibly interesting to see the process that these laws which govern our very livelihood take. In addition to reading law related texts, she is an avid reader of fiction novels. Misha is currently undergoing the Rory Gilmore 339 booklist challenge, which is a list of books read by the character Rory Gilmore in the show Gilmore Girls. The list features primarily classic texts and she has just completed all of Jane Austen’s novels and currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. She LOVES to be in nature and try to go to the beach at least twice a week when the weather permits.
Music is also another passion of hers, specifically live music. She goes to at least 10 concerts a year by herself because she loves the feeling of being in a new place and not knowing anyone. It provides the perfect foundation to meet new people and connect with someone who the only initial commonality you have is similar taste in music. She loves how liberated she feels during the show dancing to the music and closing her eyes not caring how she looks to anyone else but just feeling the music in her soul and moving because it just feel so damn good.
Growing up Misha's father was in the FBI serving with Joint Terrorism Task Force which gave her an incredibly unique perspective on life. She has carried a passion for law with her throughout her entire life thus far and in 2013, graduated from Montclair State University Pre-Law. For fun she reads Supreme Court dockets for any major cases that are coming down the pipe line. She finds it incredibly interesting to see the process that these laws which govern our very livelihood take. In addition to reading law related texts, she is an avid reader of fiction novels. Misha is currently undergoing the Rory Gilmore 339 booklist challenge, which is a list of books read by the character Rory Gilmore in the show Gilmore Girls. The list features primarily classic texts and she has just completed all of Jane Austen’s novels and currently reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. She LOVES to be in nature and try to go to the beach at least twice a week when the weather permits.
Music is also another passion of hers, specifically live music. She goes to at least 10 concerts a year by herself because she loves the feeling of being in a new place and not knowing anyone. It provides the perfect foundation to meet new people and connect with someone who the only initial commonality you have is similar taste in music. She loves how liberated she feels during the show dancing to the music and closing her eyes not caring how she looks to anyone else but just feeling the music in her soul and moving because it just feel so damn good.
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Yoga is Exhilarating, Dynamic, and Liberating. ~Misha
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How long have you been been on your journey?
Five years, Since June 13, 2011.
How did you discover
yoga?
When I was 12
years old I went to Barnes and Noble with my dad and wandered into the physical
fitness isle. I picked up an Ashtanga yoga book and began attempting the
primary series in my room. I had no idea what I was doing and I'm sure my
little chicken legs were all out of alignment but I knew that it felt good. In
2011 my best friend took me to my first hot yoga class and I cried throughout
the entire class because I felt such an emotional release from all of the
different things I was dealing with at the time. I remember thinking "This
chick is in bathing suit bottoms and a crop top dropping the realist truth on
me and she's getting paid to do this?!" Literally I knew then that I
wanted to become a yoga teacher and began my regular yoga practice.
How often do you
practice?
Literally every
single day sometimes multiple times a day. On Saturday and Sunday's I have a 4
hour practice consisting of 2 hours of vinyasa followed by 2 hours of iyengar.
What type of yoga do you
practice?
Vinyasa
Iyengar
Aerial
Restorative
I teach vinyasa,
aerial, and restorative yoga.
What have you learned
from your practice?
From my yoga
practice I have learned the importance of doing what you love regardless of the
opinion of anyone else. When I graduated from college I worked in a law firm
because I thought that was what I was "suppose" to do and it made my
parents proud of me. However, I was incredibly unhappy and lived a life looking
through the lense of of someone other than myself. It wasn't until I decided to
put my metaphorical life jacket one first and take care of my needs that I was
truly able to make those around me happy. Yoga has taught me to listen to my
gut and most importantly listen to my heart.
Do you feel yoga is more
mental or physical?
Yoga is neither
a more mental nor is it a more physical practice. It is a combination of the
two. Asana is only one of the eight limbs of yoga and therefore not the main
focus. In traditional yoga practices students would not be allowed to practice
any asana until they were deeply immersed in the yamas and niyamas. For me,
yoga is not just a physical practice but it is a mental, emotional, and
spiritual practice as well. Focusing purely on asana and having the
"perfect pose" only leads to ego and a lack on inner development.
What keeps you motivated
throughout your practice?
To keep me
motivated throughout my practice I have a mantra that I say usually to Ganesh
or Lakshimi that I say with each breath. I also pick a posture I know I want to
work on or a body part such as adho mukha vrikasana or opening my hips in
Malasana or scandasana and I try to focus on the alignment required for each
asana I am in. I also practice in the studio where I teach so seeing students
working hard on their mats keeps me going for them. Sometimes, depending on if
Ives eaten before class I am also motivated by knowing how amazing that my
brunch is going to be when I get out of the room lol.
What do you think about
the increase of black women getting into yoga?
The increase of
black women getting into yoga is incredible! There are not enough black women
represented in the yoga community as either teachers or practitioners. It is
important for black women to become prevalent in the yoga community because it
helps spread awareness to a life style that has deep benefits.
What would you say to
someone who says yoga is not for them?
I would first
ask them why do they believe that yoga is not for them. The usual response is
"I'm not flexible enough" to which internally I want to smash my head
on the wall for the amount of times I have heard that response. I would respond
by saying that you do not have to be flexible to begin a yoga practice. When I
first starting practicing yoga I could not touch my toes and I was afraid to do
a headstand. Everyone has to begin somewhere and by having negative thought
process about a practice you haven't even tried you are limiting yourself to a
world of possibilities. Try yoga consistently for a month, practicing at least
2-3 times a week. Most studios have amazing new student packages for their
first month. Try it first and try every teacher they offer at every time of the
day you can because the teach end time of class will always effect your
practice differently. After that is done then make a determination of whether
yoga is for you or not.
What is your favorite
quote?
"Slow
progress is still progress".
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