The Yoga Loft Storybook: Liv DeMont

Why/When/Where did you start practicing yoga?

I took my first yoga class about 20 years ago when I was student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I was completely unfamiliar with yoga, but you couldn’t swing a cat without hitting a yoga studio in Boulder. I remember being so lost and self conscious in my first class, and so sore afterwards I could barely sit down. At first it was more about strength and flexibility, but over the years the positive mental effects have joined the physical effects resulting in something I truly cant live without.

How has yoga changed/influenced your life?

With the exception of family, and a couple friends, yoga has been one of the longest relationships of my life. Like a friend that always knows what you need to hear, yoga has been a true constant in my life. Always there when I need it. I practiced through all the ups and downs, through love and loss and even through two pregnancies. In fact in 2011 my water broke with my first born in a prenatal class in Cambridge.

I have such fond memories of the various studios and instructors throughout the years. I can hear their voices and see the lights and feel the mat under my feet. From Root Down Yoga in Portland, Oregon, Down Under Yoga in Newton, but most especially at Rancho Santana on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. For years I was lucky enough to practice exclusively outdoors with a view of the ocean and the howl of the monkeys. Life in a developing nation with two small children wasn’t always easy and I found myself out of my comfort zone almost daily. I was able to find patience and clarity and strength through a regular practice. In those years I truly came to understand the idea behind practicing yoga 'off the mat'- and that you really can't underestimate the power of breathe.

What has been your experience practicing at The Yoga Loft?

I want to thank Larisa for introducing me to The Yoga Loft. I took her class religiously in Newton and remember being bummed to tell her I was moving to Marblehead. In the most fortunate coincidence she told me (with that twinkle in her eye) that she teaches in Marblehead too. I immediately felt at home at the Yoga Loft.

Yoga is an individual practice for me, but I truly love the community that it builds. The familiar faces, the moving together, the breathing, the sweating and laughing. There is a noticeable difference in the days I get to start with a class at The Yoga Loft- I always feel lighter, more focused, balanced and honestly more happy.

Anything else you wish to share about your yoga journey?

Its such a source of comfort to know I can always go to my mat and find whatever it is I'm looking for that day, be it strength, peace, joy or on this January 1st, a possible hangover cure.