A Yogi Relisher

Hi, my name is Nicole Turnbull. Im a 19 year old student who endeavors in a lot of sleep and “meditation”. When I’m actually feeling motivated to do something good for my body, I like to go to a local Zen Yoga class. Followed by a smoothie that reassures my mind “I’m being healthy.”

I went to my first Zen Yoga class about 2 years ago almost to this day. It was senior year, finals were approaching and I needed a break from studying. I figured a yoga class would be the perfect fit and to my success I found a class taking place that night at the gym I held a membership at, Gold’s Gym. Now, I had never been to an actual yoga studio, but I was excited to go.

Zen Yoga contains slow paced movements and incorporates a vast amount of mental awareness. It felt the closest thing to meditation that I had ever felt. Along with the whole connecting to the tissues in my body as well as the tissues in the earth. The instructor walked us through it, putting the class into poses that didn’t hurt, but weren’t exactly easy. Oh, did I mention it was HOT yoga? I enjoy heat so it was calming, and not to strenuous. I enjoyed the amount of connectedness I felt with my own body and the earth. Through this 45 minute class I also learned a couple of my favorite poses: Child’s pose and Corpse Pose. They’re very exhilarating…LOL.

To end the peaceful class we ended in the corpse pose while the instructor spoke to us soothingly. Telling us to lay with our eyes closed and completely empty our minds. She walked around with a bottle of lavender and water to mist along our faces as we emptied our minds. Now that, sent me over the top. A nice peaceful getaway from finals that includes lavender, heck yeah!

Then sadly a couple months later I moved from my hometown after finishing senior year finals and graduating. I moved to Vancouver, WA. where I live now and have yet to find another yoga studio. I still do practice it occasionally in the morning when I’m looking for a relaxer to benefit my mind and body. I wouldn’t say my passion is yoga, but I can tell you that it was an awesome experience and I hope to find more things that help me connect with myself and free my mind from stress. Yoga is amazing especially Zen Yoga. I encourage you to try it, at least once in your life!

Some of the influencers/yogies I like to keep up with are Sara Mandel, who goes by @lightfulyogini2.0 on Instagram, and Yoga Kylan. Sara Mandel has 8.6k followers and primarily posts on Instagram. It doesn’t seem that she uses her platform to make money, but to express her passion. She influences others to experiment with yoga and create their own poses through craft.

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You do not need to become. You are. . . Remember that through the ups and downs and the suffering you go through you are still perfect inside. Life’s hardships do not make you less than, they reveal the strength and beauty and love that is inside you always. You do not need to add on, or to become anyone different than you have always been. You were born a perfect being full of joy and love and trust. and maybe you have been taught incorrectly by those who refuse to do their own work, that you are not OK the way you are. But you are. The work is to let go of the limiting beliefs we accumulate through experience and get back in touch with that radiant amazing you that is love!! . . #sundayfunday #sunday #memorialdayweekend #yoga #yogagirl #ashtanga #yogagram #yogashapes #yogaphotography #love #liveauthentic #positivevibes #vibratehigher

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Kylan is a yoga and health coach. She often hosts meet ups for yogis around the world. Kylan is also completely plant based and is an advocate for veganism. Her posts consist of meaningful ideas and experiences through her passion of yoga. Kylan is sponsored by a popular yoga clothing brand called Alo Yoga. They provide her with fashionable clothing to wear around the world preforming different yoga poses and posting them on Instagram to spread brand awareness. Kylan also posts many different videos demonstrating her yoga poses which seem to get the most amount of interaction.

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I recently moved again! Same area, but a bit of a bigger space but with a fireplace which is my favorite spot ever. 🔥 Every morning I wake up, make my coffee, and lay in front of the fireplace as a plan out my day, touch base with ya’ll, and then get my body moving 🙌🏼 Day 7: Tiger pose for #LoveIsTheAnswerChallenge 🌺 Hosts: @yoga_ky @alexzandrapeters @aleksic_twins @gabriella.dondero @aria.official @rebekahletch List of sponsors: @aloyoga @alo.moves LoveIsTheAnswer mantra album by our amazing host @aria.official 💖 . Have fun and do what is comfortable in YOUR practice. 🤗 . POSES: 1. Camel 2. Malasana 3. Dancer 4. Baby Grasshopper 5. King or Mermaid Pigeon 6. Funky Compass 7. Tiger 8. Crane 9. Half Bow 10. Hanumanasana/ Split 11. King Cobra 12. Scorpion Forearmstand 🌸🌸🌸🌸 Outfit @aloyoga #yoga #yogachallenge #aloyoga 🎶 @kevinparismusic

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Another Yogi that is follow is named Adriene Mishler. She is a YouTuber who posts instructional videos of her yoga routines. The videos can be anywhere from 45 minutes to a 5 minute short morning routine.

Adriene’s follower base is mostly on YouTube because she primarily posts there. I first discovered Adriene when I was searching YouTube for a yoga video to follow along with. Adriene is the first person to pop up on YouTube for yoga videos. She has a very large follower base on YouTube of 5 million and 500k on her Instagram. Adriene does not post instructional yoga videos on her Instagram and it is primarily filled with her new business ideas and personal life with a few yoga pictures, so her main focus and business is YouTube.

One thing that i really enjoy about Adriene is that her dog is almost always in her videos just laying in the background, how cute!

Those are just a few of my favorite yoga influencers who I enjoy following and learning from! They push me to be a better influencer myself!