Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Young.
Hi Devon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started doing yoga in college as a form of exercise, but quickly realized that it helped me mentally in more ways than I could have hoped. I was not always the healthiest person, but I started choosing yoga instead of a night out, and I noticed my depression and anxiety waning. I started practicing regularly when I moved to LA and decided to take the leap into teacher training in 2012. I never thought I would be able to teach, but teacher training gave me the confidence to go after something I wanted and I started teaching right away. I quickly turned teaching into a full time job and I started leading trainings & retreats around 2016. My yoga bestie, Juliette Rossato and I, started our own retreat company, Colibri Yoga Retreats and have led 13 International retreats since!
The pandemic was a rough time for yoga and some of my favorite studios closed down within the year. My husband, dog and I decided to move closer to his family in Dallas, so we moved to Texas, which is where I found Black Swan Yoga. Black Swan is a donation based studio and the only place I have ever worked that is truly accessible. I am lucky enough to facilitate their teacher trainings in Dallas where we run 3 local trainings & 1 international training per year! I love seeing the transformation from people on the first day of training to the end, where they can teach an entire class. People find their voice, a group of forever friends, and themselves which is why I recommend our training to anyone!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Teaching yoga is not always an easy path to take. A lot of us go into it for our love of the practice and wanting to help people experience the same healing that we’ve had ourselves, but realize quickly that it is a challenge to do “full time”. There have been times when I’ve felt discouraged, burnt out, and even taken advantage of as a teacher. Luckily I was able to hold onto my dreams and persevered to create what I have today- a full-time yoga business. I’m honest with trainees about the realities of teaching yoga as a career, not that it’s not possible, but that it takes time and effort and usually another part-time job or a supportive partner. I would love for more teachers to talk about the hard truths of the yoga business so that expectations are realistic going in and hopefully teachers will stick around and be in it for the long haul!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the Teacher Training manager at Black Swan Yoga Dallas. We host three, 200 hour trainings per year, plus 1-2 International trainings in places like Costa Rica, Mexico, & Bali. Our studio prides itself on being truly inclusive as we are a donation based studio and have classes ranging from Yin & sound Baths to Yogalates & Power Yoga. I love our teacher training program because you get a thorough overview of Asana, Philosophy and practical Yoga application. Our mornings are based around practice, breaking down the poses, learning anatomy & practice teaching. Our afternoons range on topics from the History of Yoga. & the 8 Limb Path, to studying the Yoga Sutras, Chakras, Meditation & Breathwork, among other topics. We add in interactive lectures on Music, Hands on Assists. Sequencing, Theming, & the Business of Yoga. Our teacher training team has a collective of over 60 years experience and thousands of hours of training. We focus on teaching people how to teach yoga to everyone- not how to do the poses perfectly, but to make the poses work for all.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is coming home everyday feeling fulfilled and satisfied. If I can help even one person feel a little better than they did when they woke up, I have had a successful day. Teaching yoga might not make me “rich” anytime soon, but the fact that I can support myself while asking people to move and breathe is a feat! It’s important for all of us to remember how lucky we are that we get to do this job. As long as there are students in the room, we have accomplished something for the day!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.devonyoungyoga.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devonyoungyoga/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devondyoung
Image Credits
Kirsten Moore
