Team
Michelle Barnes
Teaching Credentials
200 RYT
Favorite Pose
It is hard to choose just one, but I have always loved Warrior 2 pose. It makes me feel powerful, and it is a pose that can take you to so many places in your Warrior dance: to Reverse Warrior, Humble Warrior, Side Angle- just to name a few. It is also deceptively challenging, especially if you hold yourself in the pose for several breaths. Warrior 2 reminds me that as long as I start from a solid foundation, my possibilities are boundless.
Biography
I walked into my first yoga class in 2001, desperately seeking relief from hip and sciatica pain that I developed during my second pregnancy. I found so much more! At that time there were very few yoga classes offered in our community. When the yoga teacher I was practicing with moved away I did everything I could to find ways to continue practicing, from DVDs to traveling when I found classes within driving distance. About three years ago I found Janice’s Power yoga class at a local fitness center and I quickly became a regular. I was overjoyed when my friend Christine began teaching and decided to open her own studio dedicated to Power yoga. I have been honored to be a part of the SPY Altoona community from Day One. Becoming a teacher has been on my bucket list for quite some time, and one of the silver linings of the COVID pandemic has been that I was able to devote time to begin the next part of my yoga journey by completing the 200-hour teacher training.
Off of my mat, I am a wife and mom. I’m also a Doctor of Optometry in private practice in Hollidaysburg.