Yogi of the month: Lizzie Kountze
As a grad student three years ago, a friend brought me to the studio for a study break. Later that year, when a stressful job overwhelmed me, the Tranquil Space studios in DC and Bethesda became my outlet. I was amazingly curious about the mystery of yoga, what it was doing to my body and mind. I endlessly Googled "effects of yoga" but never felt satisfied with the answers I got, only starting to realize that the best answers would only come from within.
Last fall, a friend and I participated in the Yoga and Nature Shenandoah trip - a combination of two of my absolute favorite things. The other people on the trip were bright, inspiring, and thoughtful, the kind of people I wanted to get to know better. A few months later I joined Teacher Training and was immersed with bright teachers, participants and mentors-- I thought, not only is this a place that I am encouraged to explore something I love, but I am surrounded by supportive, fun, and brilliant people- with fascinating day jobs and a wide range of life experience-- who bring so much to the practice of teaching. In addition to the instruction, Teacher Training includes fascinating reading full of yoga philosophy, anatomy, and wisdom for living your yoga. It also includes Karma Yoga requirements that are fantastic because they push new teachers to take their practice off the mat by teaching or volunteering with underserved people. I'll be finishing up TT200 requirements this fall and I'm thankful to let it all sink in over the summer. I am thrilled to have a yoga home in Tranquil Space and to grow as a teacher and student.




























