I got started at Dragonfly in November 2016 when the intro month was on sale, my boss had told me to watch out for the sale around Thanksgiving (it’s apparently pretty easy to figure out that I like to buy things on sale whenever possible.) I moved to downtown Madison in September and wanted to find somewhere close to our apartment because I knew that there would be days where I wouldn’t want to go far to exercise. I’m frequently #lazy.
My yoga experience prior to Dragonfly was pretty minimal – just a few classes and only one hot yoga class where my hands slipped on my mat during a downward dog and decided that hot yoga and I weren’t going to happen for a while. I had been going to barre classes weekly for a few months up in Green Bay, so I knew the basics.
I enjoy almost everything about classes at Dragonfly, but I appreciate how nonjudgmental everyone is. There are some poses that I really struggle with (I’ve got horrible balance when I’m trying to stand on one leg), but no one ever looks annoyed that I can’t do the pose they have cued well. I am frequently a disgusting sweat monster during class and no one ever looks grossed out by me. I also like how every instructor has their own theory behind teaching class and everyone teaches class so differently – I love it! It’s also been great to be able to go to classes at different locations and see how they teach class there and take in the vibe of the other studios. I do not believe I will ever enjoy seated chair in BarreAmped class, I’ve tried to be positive about it but I can’t, I just hate it so much.
First of all, the other day my boyfriend told me my arms looked like Michelle Obama’s which really bumped up my confidence (even though he may have been exaggerating a bit on how great my arms looked.) I am more flexible than I have ever been AND I can do good push ups for the first time in my life!
After I leave class, I feel totally relaxed and happy – which is great when I have to go to work after class. One thing that they always talk about in Flow is just breathing, letting in the good and letting go of the bad, which I try to implement in my day-to-day life outside of Dragonfly. There’s stressful times at work (I’m a nurse) where I just need to step outside of my stress tornado and take some deep breaths to get back to being productive. I also feel a profound sense of confidence that carries over into the rest of my life when I am able to do something in class that I hadn’t been able to do before. I did a headstand inversion once in one of Suki’s class and I was Little Miss Confident the rest of the week at work.
I try to attend class at least 3 times a week and there are some weeks where I go 5 times and do great and feel great and there are weeks where I struggle through 1 class. My favorite class is either Yoga Up (preferably 45 minutes long) or BarreAmped, but I do enjoy a good Flow class.
Being yogi of the month may finally be enough to get my boyfriend to join me at a class – so thanks for this :)
Natalie Koberstein, Studio Manager and Instructor: “We see Kate everywhere! She shows up to Flow, BarreAmped, Yoga Up and Flyght classes! She is always ready to rock out whatever class she is attending, and is such a dedicated practitioner. Her eagerness, commitment and smile are just a few of my favorite things about her.”
