My journey hOMe
Amethyst Madrone Hawk
The very first yoga class I ever participated in, was during my freshman year of college, for a physical education credit. Initially, as with all my classes as a college freshman, I skipped as many as I possibly could before I absolutely had to attend class in order to receive credit. This behavior definitely showed my age at the time.
Once I began to show up several times a week to the yoga classes, I began to feel subtle differences in every area of my body and mind. At the time, I no reference or deep inner-standing of what was occurring, nor did I necessarily have the capacity to even name clearly what I was experiencing. Nevertheless, my body, my mind and my life were all impacted, and overall, that impact was positive and healing. I continued to practice with that teacher on and off for the next few years, throughout my college time, though I had long lapses between classes and had not fully committed my heart or my body to the practice and path of yoga. I was 18 when I took that first class.
Graduation came, and I left the town I went to college in, and headed to Austin Texas. By some divine orchestration, I ended up in an apartment complex within walking distance of one of Austin’s (at the time) oldest and most established yoga studios, Yoga Yoga. Again, by divine grace, my mother bought me an unlimited yoga class pass for my 22 birthday. I decided to attend classes after work. Immediately upon walking into that studio, I knew my life would never be the same again. I knew I was coming hOMe.
I started practicing several times a week. Then, I began practicing every day. And then, I found my self practicing several times a week twice a day. My entire life began to transform. I began to become increasingly curious and self-aware of every single choice I was making in my life. Choices ranging from whom I spent time with, to what went in my mouth, eyes, ears, on my skin, when I went to bed, when I awoke, and why in the world I was doing any of the things I had been doing. After several months of this, I signed up for my first 500 hour teacher training. Once again, this marked a major pivot in my life, and my path and practice would never be the same again. I completed that 6 month training, and dove, head and heart first, into the practice and path of yoga. I am stating that yoga is BOTH a practice and a path completely intentionally. Many of us in the West especially, can be yoga practitioner’s and be “doing” yoga. However, as it was original transmitted, yoga is both practice and path, meaning, you can do the motions of yoga-the asanas’- and that will impact your life positively, but unless you are willing to also commit to yoga as a path from which to walk your life, you are really only choosing half of the healing. And that half is profound, and deeply meaningful, especially in our mind-obsessed culture that neglects and ignores our bodies quite often. However, what I have discovered over and over again ( the path is un-ending, and the wisdom un-relenting), is that when I take the practice off the mat, and into my life, the deepest healing and most profound transformation occurs.
I changed my diet. I changed the ways I consumed media and my relationship with consumption overall. I changed friendships, and romantic relationships. I no longer struggled with Asthma or Allergies, and I healed a tremendously painful and un-healthy relationship with my body image and eating habits. Some of this changed relatively quickly. Some of these changes happened over the course of YEARS of practice and commitment to the path of yoga. I am STILL clearing and cleansing subtler layers of dis-ease and distortion within my mind, body and heart now, 17 years later. I will say, that over all these years of practice, the change is now primarily integrally oriented and acutely nuanced.
I continued to practice every day for several years. Showing up to my mat, no matter what else was happening in my life, anchored me into an ancient wisdom and practice that at its’ core is everything to do with awakening our heart and higher-states of consciousness while healing our body and restoring the unity between Body-Mind-Heart. There is nothing in my life that has transmuted more dysfunction, dis-ease and dis-harmony than my practice and path of yoga.
I continued my studies once I arrived in Northern California at Wild Mountain Yoga Center, where I spent 8 years practicing with the phenomenal teacher, Amanda Dozal. I offer her a deep bow of gratitude for the space she holds in her studio and in her practice, and I highly recommend sharing practice with her if you find yourself able to! I sat in a 200hour training with her, several years after my son was born.
I have practiced from my Maiden time (youthful single woman), through my pregnancy-practicing up until I was 8 months pregnant- and through my Mothering years. My son is now 12, and I have practiced throughout his entire life. My practice has changed along with me over all these years, and just as there are ebbs and flows in life and in all things, so too has my practice shifted and transformed. I have only seriously injured myself practicing once in 20 years. I was young, headstrong and practicing entirely from my ego. In order to truly grow past that way of practicing, I evoked an injury that was quite serious and very scary. I was humbled tremendously, and never forgot that lesson.
It took many more years to fully integrate what I learned, and, at this point in my life, it remains one of the most pivotal shifts in consciousness, my practice has offered me. Where we choose to practice “from” matters. Where we move from in our life matters, and if we become fixated on the outer form or shape, we are missing the true treasure that is within. Practicing and teaching Hot Vinyasa Flow is my current yoga love affair! Just after the pandemic, I found Warmth Studios, a local hot yoga studio, that has been around for many moons. After practicing there for over two years, I did a training with the studio owner Mariah Sunrae, and was invited to join the teaching staff. It's been one hot love affair ever since, and I am also deeply grateful for the wisdom Mariah shares through her teaching, as well as, the faith and vision she has regarding my teaching. There is something particularly magical about sweating it all out (whatever “it” is!), and allowing the practice to be one beautiful, interwoven flowing movement-mediation, which are the defining cornerstones of Hot Vinyasa Flow style yoga practice.
My body, heart and mind, drop into a unique and profound space when practicing and teaching Vinyasa Flow. I truly believe the future of yoga lies in less static holding and masculine form, and is awakening into a flowing art-form that allows movement to be the mediation. My most recent training took me to the magical and mystical land of Greece, where I had the distinct pleasure of practicing and meditating with Shiva Rae. While in Delphi, we went on a deep dive into Rhythmos - Moving in Natural Rhythm- and my practice and teaching, has been profoundly transformed and impacted by this experience and the wisdom Shiva carries so beautifully and strongly.
Relationships have come and gone. Jobs have come and gone. I’ve moved more times then I care to recount! Presidents shift, the climate is completely changeable, and after the pandemic, we all confronted the very tender and very honest reality that life is constant change-and sometimes change happens dramatically and completely unexpectedly.
And, through all the peaks and valleys, through all the loss and letting go, through all the wildly unpredictable change I have moved through, my practice and path of yoga remains. It does not remain the same, nor should or can anything always stay the same. Instead, it grows, transforms and adjusts to meet where I am, showing me exactly what I need to see and healing exactly what needs healing. I have returned to my mat over and over again for the past 20 years of my life. I will continue to do so for the next 20 and beyond. It is my distinct pleasure and my humble responsibility to share what I have learned along the path, and to offer the nectar and treasures I have received from this practice and path, back to any and all who are ready and willing to receive. Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey on the path of yoga. May these words inspire your curiosity and inquiry into the path and practice of yoga.
A deep bow of gratitude and acknowledgment for each teacher who has shown me the way at different parts of the journey, and for all the yogini’s and yogis throughout all time and space, lighting the way for all of us who are journeying this path.
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Jon Oleson
"Amethyst wonderfully weaves together astrology, movement, and mysticism into sequences that inspire the spirit, align the body, and encourage growth through wisdom, strength, and stability. Her strong intuitive sense and awareness of cadence and rhythm work together to tailor sequences to any level of practice--from beginner to the seasoned practitioner. These elements combine to create classes that, like the soul, are ever evolving and lighting the way toward deeper self awareness and personal practice, thus setting the foundation for both personal and collective expansion.”