Sarah Ingram
E-RYT/YACEP 500hr, Yoga Sculpt 40hr, Yoga for Athletes 25hr, Sequencing with Purpose 20hr, Prana Vinyasa 40hr, MFR 25hr, Yoga Medicine Spine Immersion 24hr
WHERE WERE YOU BORN/RAISED?
Ventura, California
TELL US A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR PERSONAL PRACTICE
My very first yoga class was at a gym in Ventura when I was about 17 years old. I practiced on and off over the next decade or so, dabbling in other fitness routines and fads through college in San Diego, but nothing ever stuck with me. In 2008, I took my very first CorePower Yoga class as a guest of a friend who had been raving about this “new heated yoga” thing that had just recently gotten big in town. As I laid in my sweaty savasana that night, I had an overwhelming feeling of coming home. Something clicked, and it was then that I started to dive deeper into the world of yoga. I will never forget that first class and hope to continue offering that ticket home to everyone that attends Grassroots Yoga.
TELL US A BRIEF HISTORY OF YOUR TEACHING EXPERIENCE
I had a daily home practice for a while and my friends started asking me if they could join me and follow along. Eventually I ran out of space on my patio so we moved to local parks and invited the community. My first park class was July 29th, 2015, which also happened to be my 30th birthday! This is officially the day Grassroots Yoga was born. I saved all donations from the community over time and was able to complete my 200 hour Vinyasa Yoga teacher training in January 2016 at Jai Rhythm Yoga in Ventura. 3 months after training I quit my full time corporate job to work in the yoga studio industry full time.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE YOGA POSE?
Upward Facing Dog. It’s such a beautiful transition out of Chaturanga that allows you to literally feel your heart space blossom open and expand in sync with your inhale. Gazing up to the sky, heart open, rooting down through your palms, it’s hard not to smile in this pose!
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE YOGA/SELF HELP/SPIRITUALITY BOOK?
Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates. So many yoga books are too heavy for the average student. Rolf writes in a way that is simple and relatable to the modern and average individual. His teachings encourage imperfection and vulnerability in our society which tends to be filled with perfectionism and self shame. Rolf invites us to be proudly be ourselves.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS?
Work first on letting go of the idea that you must look a certain way to do yoga. Yoga is about the sensations we create, not the shapes we attempt to recreate. If you have a body, and you can breathe, then you are a natural born yogi. Get out of your own way!
WHAT DOES COMMUNITY MEAN TO YOU?
As humans, we are hard wired for community. We need a “tribe” in order to survive and thrive. In caveman days, we made choices based on what was best for the tribe as a whole, not what was best for us as an individual. Only the tribes that had the strongest bonds survived. Having each others backs had literal meaning back then, nowadays having each others’ backs means many different things. But if we can keep it simple by acting on behalf of the good of our community, everything will fall in to place. Actions of separation destroys communities, actions of connection strengthens them.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT VENTURA?
It’s sense of community. We are such a tight knit, loyal group of people and many of the relationships in Ventura are decades long. We hold each other up, support our locals, and welcome new Venturans with open arms. Even though Ventura has grown so rapidly since I grew up, it still maintains it’s small town feel.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION?
RAKlife! These people dedicate their time doing random acts of kindness across the globe. They also spend a lot of time paying it forward, which is such a genuine action. They truly don’t want anything in return except to spread kind vibes across the world. We are so blessed to have them here in Ventura, and I’m honored to have them as Grassroots’ in house charity.