Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanti Nolen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shanti. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was raised on an intentional community where meditation was practiced daily, but I was unaware of the term “yoga” as it applies to stretching and strengthening exercises. It wasn’t until I was 19 years old that I was asked to teach yoga to a group of people that I began to study this aspect of yoga, called yoga asana. I studied one-on-one with a master yoga teacher and went on to study yoga and the art of healing in many other realms. I continued to pursue my interest after several severe accidents and chronic pain set in my body. I studied in India and at the Himalayan Institute. In 2014, I was in a car accident that left me partially paralyzed and in excruciating pain and depression. I began to study the neurobiology of pain and the profound effects meditation had on the experience of pain (physical, mental and emotional) and the healing process. It has been a life-long journey of discovering how to use breathing and meditation to transmute pain and that is something I have a great passion for sharing. But my journey is more than just overcoming pain…it is about steadiness of mind and an ever-increasing surrender to my spiritual path. Yoga is not a religion. Any one of any religion can practice yoga safely. Yoga is a set of tools and techniques that use the body and breath to center the mind in the present moment, to expand in compassion and to deep one’s connection to the divine no matter what spiritual/religious path they are on.
One year ago, my husband built a new building for his music school. One week before putting up the sign, he told me that half the building was going to be a yoga studio for me to share yoga and the practices I learned in overcoming pain and creating a life of joy, service and compassion. I was overwhelmed. Though I have been teaching now for over 15 years, I never considered having my own studio. We have now been open for one year and all I can say is how grateful I am for the opportunity to help change lives and build a community of people who value selfless service, kindness and living a life with deep purpose. The response people have had to their experiences with practicing yoga at Keller Yoga have given me faith that all the struggles and pain I went through in my own life are now being used to help other move through their struggles and pain.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Sometimes in life, doors open in such a way that there isn’t anything else to do but to walk through them, though you don’t know how they opened for you. Keller Yoga has certainly “fell in my lap” as they say. Due to my husband’s hard work, I have been gifted the opportunity to open a space of healing for this community. To get to the place where I have something of value to offer…that road has been long and hard. And although it seems that Keller Yoga has just been on door opening after another, it isn’t without a lot of hours, work and sweat to keep it going and growing.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Keller Yoga story. Tell us more about the business.
Keller Yoga is a yoga studio devoted to the transformational healing aspect of yoga. Our teachers are highly experienced, not only in the amount of training and teaching hours they all have, but in actually living yoga as a lifestyle for years. Our studio is founded on building a community of people who are cared for and who care for others. Our studio is also a place where we focus on educating people, not just offering them a place to come for an hour of respite from the stresses of life, but we aim to arm them with the tools they need to reduce the stress of their daily life outside of the studio; how to eat more holistically; how to be more mindful in their interactions; how to use their breath to reduce inflammation and pain. We help improve the quality of people’s lives and we share this knowledge with children and adults alike. We offer kid’s yoga and mindfulness classes as young as 4 years old, we offer prenatal and post-natal classes. We believe that teaching the whole family will only lead to happier and more functional families.
The yoga taught at Keller Yoga is not just asana, it ranges from the ethics of non-violence & truthfulness, to movement and meditation, to mantras and deep relaxation, to nutrition and studying ancient yogic texts and modern science of neurobiology.
We hold events like ecstatic dance and music concerts. It is a friendly, loving environment were all are welcome.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
All I can say is that we are blessed. Blessings come in every form, shape and size from shattering my jaw and rupturing my cervical spinal discs, to marrying the best man I could imagine and having 2 beautiful children. It is all in your perspective.
Pricing:
- When you sign up for monthly unlimited membership, your first month is only $59.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5751 Park Vista Circle,
Fort Worth, TX 76244 - Website: www.kelleryoga.com
- Phone: 817-591-1702
- Email: kelleryoga@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kelleryoga
- Facebook: facebook.com/kelleryoga
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/keller-yoga-keller
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
