Shavasana at South Beach

By Natalie Strom

natalie@coastalbreezenews.com

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu

In what direction are you headed? If you’re on your way to Marco’s South Beach for Tuesday night yoga, then where you’re ending up is a pretty good place to be. If you’re not, you may want to reconsider your path.

Dianne Saywell first changed her life’s direction after September 11. “I had to find some reasoning, some source of something within that was beyond the evil from that day. I just thought, I need to go to yoga. So the next day I went and that’s what started it.”

Over ten years later, she’s not just practicing yoga anymore, she’s teaching it. “The coolest part is

spreading healing around to people. Whether it’s just breathing through a situation or healing a body part, it’s just really cool to have that connection.” Sharing it also means living it for Dianne. After 20-plus years as a dental hygienist, she found that her body was “falling apart over my dental chair.” But over time, “yoga has healed everything that ever hurt me.”

Not only has it healed her body, but it’s also helped to heal her mind. “It’s not a work out, it’s a work in. It’s a whole different connection in life. You learn to live differently where life becomes less of a struggle.”

By learning to live in the moment and lose one’s ego, yoga teaches to not only accept discomfort in

life but to tap into it. Every pose and every movement is designed to not only work muscles and organs in the body, but to work the mind. As with life, it is a practice. There’s always room for improvement; ways to stretch the body and mind further than you ever thought possible.

“People often say, I’m not flexible so I can’t go to yoga, but that’s like saying, I’m hungry so I’m not going to eat. It’s something everyone can benefit from. Anyone and everyone at any age. It’s something you can grow into eternity with.”

Yoga offers all different levels and styles. Modifications within postures make it possible for the advanced and the beginner to easily practice together. Practicing the Baptiste method, Dianne’s classes encourage all levels.