​Trina Williams 

How long have you practiced Yoga? How often per week?  I’ve been breathing fully and downdogging off and on for years, twice a week for the last three years and recently (since April), I’ve committed to practicing 4-6 days a week.

What made you decide to practice Yoga?  I’ve been drawn to Yoga for as long as I can remember. Growing up dancing and playing sports, the stretching and strengthening aspect is naturally what attracted me to yoga. We were practicing this ancient movement without even being told it was yoga as asanas often were incorporated in our warm up and cool down during practice. As an adult, I welcome the wellness benefits from focus to mental and physical balance, to oxygenating the cells, and invigorating the organs, to maintaining good circulation and metabolism and increasing energy and vitality.

What do you like about practicing Yoga at National Harbor?  I love that I can get an extra oxygen boost being outdoors, feeling the earth beneath me and seeing the sky above me. Plus with the water nearby, it’s so peaceful. Then there’s the drumming, the inspirational music, the fellow yogis and of course Cathy that all make it rewarding.

What is your favorite Yoga pose and why is it your favorite?  I can’t definitively choose one because they vary depending on how I’m feeling or how a particular asana inspires me while I’m doing it. Sometimes it’s adho mukha svanasana (down dog), sometimes uttanasana (forward fold/bend), or poschimottanasna (seated forward fold/bend) or salamba bhujangasana (sphinx); sometimes it’s one of the warrior poses or utkata konasana (goddess asana). This week it’s virabhadrasana III (warrior 3) because it reminds me of my fierceness, focus, and strength, yet how i can find softness through my breath and the juxtaposition of them to find balance and peace.Describe how Yoga has enhanced or changed your life.  Yoga helps me to find calm in the mist of calamity; it helps me to let go of trivial and petty thoughts and embrace others; it helps me to know that the wisdom we share with each other helps increase our collective knowledge, but I’m still a work in progress!

Namaste.
Peace, power, love, light & wellness,
Trina

PHOTOS BY GREG SCOTT,  THE FOREVER YOGI