Teacher Spotlight: Cher Walter

Cher has been teaching yoga classes at AcuBalance since we opened our studio and we are so grateful to have her as part of our team. You can find Cher at our studio on Thursdays at 9:30 for Vinyasa Flow, Fridays at 6:30 for Yin Restorative Yoga and now a new class Slow to Flow on Saturdays at 11:30 (first class is on January 6th and it's free to all students!). Also, Cher and co-teacher Julia will offer a set of Chair Yoga Workshops on Saturday, January 20th at AcuBalance.

Click here to register for the workshop or sign up for a class!

How and why did you start yoga? I found myself, at 40, in a position where I was overweight, out of shape, and felt very stressed and out of touch with my body, though I had previously been very active. I felt like I was at the end of my rope, and tried some hatha classes at a small studio near my home. The studio was very welcoming, and I looked forward to each class. As I began to learn what it felt like to be comfortable in my own skin again, and grew stronger, I tried many different studios and yoga styles, including those I love most and teach: hot yoga, vinyasa and power yoga, and yin yoga.

What obstacles has yoga helped you overcome? Yoga has taught me the value of simply showing up, for myself, on my mat, which in turn has allowed me to be present in every other area of my life in a way I hadn’t before. My practice has given me so many tools to manage stress and anxiety, and the ability to pause and listen to my own inner wisdom to make better decisions for me: this in turn has led to better overall health and energy, in addition to a second career full of amazing new friends and experiences.

When did you understand you wanted to be a yoga teacher? I knew within my first year of practice and even began a comprehensive 200-hour teacher training program in 2011, but it wasn’t in the cards for me to teach for a few more years. I kept going to workshops and retreats to deepen my personal practice and knowledge, but didn’t complete my RYT certification and begin teaching classes until 2017.

What is the most rewarding part of being a yoga teacher? The connection I feel with the students in my classes is amazing! I keep learning each day and I feel so blessed to be able to share yoga with this community!

Why is yoga so important for the times we’re living in? In my opinion, even though we are very connected online as a society, we are very fragmented and disconnected in our “offline” lives. Very few people make time for self-care or self-reflection, and we all struggle with multitasking and feeling pressed for time to meet the multiple pressures placed upon us. A regular yoga practice allows for time and space to counter all of those demands, and with muscular activity and focus, to achieve stillness and clarity in our minds. The faster life becomes, the more important it is to slow down. It sounds cliché to say, but if everyone could connect to themselves, each day, in a meaningful way -- to use their muscles and clear their minds -- I think a lot of the tension in the world would dissipate.