Dawn Austin-Liddle (CYA-RYT 200 Member)

  • Location: Newmarket, Ontario Canada
  • Website: N/A
  • E-mail: Private
  • Service Offered: Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative
  • Certified: Ananda Yoga Studios Inc. CYA-RYS200
  • Years of Practice: 20
  • Teaching Experience: 2
  • Professor, Guru or Teachers: Melissa Williams, Director of Teacher Training
  • Date Joined: January 13, 2017
  • CYA Insurance: No

About Me

I turned to yoga at a time in my life when I felt lost. A time when I was completely disconnected from my body, and afraid to delve into the intricacy of the mind and spirit. It was a time when negative self-talk and self-harm consumed me. A time when I felt un-loveable by others and especially myself. Yoga allowed me to develop a new and a more positive conversation with myself. It helped me to rediscover a feeling of being at home in my body and self-acceptance. Over the past 20 years I have seen my practice evolve. I have come to embrace the idea that the physical poses are not the main event; that the subtle practices are the deepest and most fulfilling. I love that yoga is for everyone…if you can breath, you can do yoga. I love that yoga encompasses the idea that at the heart of it all, we are all the same, yet encourages us to follow our own unique journey to discover that. For me, yoga is not about changing who you are, but is about discovering who you are at your core. It is about facing physical, mental and emotional resistance on your mat and learning how to translate that to your everyday reality. It is about cultivating qualities such as patience, determination, flexibility and kindness, and drawing on them as you navigate your way through this life.
As I have explored the practice of yoga over the past two years with a small group of women, of various backgrounds and physical limitations, I have come to appreciate even more that yoga is about kindness and self care. These women don’t care about how the poses look, they are more focused on how they feel while they are in them. It is my hope that the practice of yoga throughout North America moves away from viewing yoga as just an exercise program where people use the physical practice to perfect their bodies rather than develop a more compassionate relationship with their body. It is because of this that I am constantly striving to use language that is supportive and promotes self-acceptance when I guide a group through asana practice.
I was told by yogi Danny Paradise that the first time someone asks you to show them how to do something in yoga, you become a teacher. I doubt I will ever consider myself to be a yoga teacher. Instead I will always consider myself to be a student with a beginner’s mind; learning from those around me, and doing my best to relay the wisdom of others passed on to me, to those exploring their own practice.
‘Breath in love, Breath out gratitude’

About My Service

Gentle Flow

Continued Education

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