Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Di Carlo.
Linda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began teaching yoga in my late twenties and loved the experience of immersion . A friend of mine taught the class I was attending and asked me to cover for her while she went on vacation. She never came back to that class and I became a yoga teacher with absolutely no training. I pursued the path of yoga for ten years before I discovered Iyengar Yoga. Shortly before this discovery I enrolled in an Exercise Science program at my local urban university. These two pursuits supported each other. I learned the science of the human body and earned a master’s degree. I learned the science of yoga and eventually became a Senior teacher in the Iyengar method.
My Master’s degree led to employment at another university in town that had a Health and Human Performance Dept. with a Human Performance Lab. I worked with the Adult Fitness Program, taught undergraduate health and fitness classes and was a research associate in the lab where I participated in numerous published studies and conducted a few studies of my own. It was a very interesting job. Concurrently, I taught yoga and eventually opened a yoga studio.
After my studio had been operating for 5 years, I sold the business and moved to the west coast. I decided at that point to teach yoga full time. I have continued to study with teachers who are my seniors and have traveled to Pune, India eight times for one month each to study with the Iyengar family. It has been an amazing journey.
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?
The process of becoming a teacher and opening a business was a fairly smooth road. My intention was clear and I worked diligently to make it happen. However, a yoga studio is a slow growth business, especially if you are cultivating high quality, long term students. Initially, as with most new businesses, the income stream was challenging, however, the growth was encouraging and steady.
There were not many other teachers in town who were trained in the Iyengar method and I was the sole teacher at my studio. I began teacher training and have other teachers now. This is an extremely slow process. It takes a minimum of three years to train a teacher. It takes even longer for a teacher to become seasoned. The yoga business is a labor of love for me. I feel tremendous satisfaction from training teachers and teaching students how to make themselves feel better, more alive, and more alert. It is a very rewarding profession.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Iyengar Yoga Source story. Tell us more about the business.
Iyengar Yoga Source is a yoga studio with a 22 student capacity. We train everyone from a novice to the advanced student. Teacher training is offered as a two-year apprenticeship based teacher training program. Tools for yoga are for sale to those who need props for home practice.
We are known for our traditional approach to yoga based on the lineage of B.K.S. Iyengar of Pune, India. Our teachers are certified by the Iyengar Yoga National Association which sets a rigorous standard for its teachers and requires continuing education with senior teachers to progress to higher levels of certification.
Our expertise includes working therapeutically with clients who have anatomical issues such as, knee, low back, shoulder, neck, or spinal injuries. We offer several levels of classes with different knowledge and skill sets. Novice students begin with the Introductory classes, then we have Levels 1 to Level 4 for intermediate and advanced. Our teachers teach students how to become independent practitioners.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
In general, I consider myself to be a lucky person. When I make choices or decisions that are wise, doors open and the way is shown.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1155 Westminster Street, Suite 201
Providence, RI 02906-1020 - Website: www.iyengaryogasource.com
- Phone: (401) 461-6665
- Email: iyengaryogasource@gmail.com
- Facebook: iyengaryogasource
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/iyengar-yoga-source-providence-2?hrid=aQKJibwDe4p1q2PczbXmQA
Claude Goldstein, Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher at IYS
Kathleen Swanson, Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher at IYS
Linda Di Carlo, Director, IYS
Image Credit:
Christian Scully, Sean P. Rogan
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