Modern Yogi Spotlight
We love the people that make up our community
Here we spotlight the inspiring people we see in our classes. A place to highlight the students, practitioners and inspirations of Modern Yoga. We promise to update this semi-regularly 😉
Sept. 17th 2022
She’s one of our biggest inspirations here at Modern Yoga…
Mary is a middle school teacher, a mother and a brain cancer survivor. This photo was taken after a 75 minute power yoga class, but Mary is none the worse for wear! We admire her strength, courage and determination in her battle with cancer. But most importantly we appreciate her practice & we love her smile! We remember moments like the 1st time she tried headstand and nailed it! She has been a member at Modern Yoga since 2018. When she couldn’t practice at the studio she did so online. We are so lucky to have her practice with us! Here is a bit of her story in her own words…
“In 2003 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor called an oligodendroglioma located on my left frontal lobe. I went to the doctor because I had so many migraine headaches and my doctor suggested they take a look with a CT scan. It was called an “incidental find.” At the time my daughters were sixteen and seventeen, and I was a single mom. I had a craniotomy in 2006 to remove as much of the tumor as possible – it was a successful 96% resection, it was too risky to remove all of it. In 2014-2015 I did 14 cycles of chemo while still working as a middle school teacher.
Most recently, I completed 11 cycles of chemo in 2020-21 followed by 30 rounds of proton radiation with concurrent chemo in November and December 2021. I took a leave of absence from work from November 2021 until mid-February 2022. I returned to work full time after that. My treatment was completely successful, though I know it will never leave me completely.
I consider myself lucky to have such a slow-growing tumor. I do all I can to fight its’ presence in my body. I changed my diet, started juicing, exercising, and practicing mindfulness daily. I also started practicing mindfulness in 2019 with my 7th graders – they love it. Yoga is a huge part of my practice too – involving both my body and my mind. When completing my most recent chemo, I practiced yoga virtually from home (I REALLY got to know the routines well). I came back to the studio this summer with the goal of getting my body strong again and I believe I have. Modern Yoga has helped me achieve my goal and I look forward to many more years ahead here. James and Joyce (and many of the other instructors) have helped me on my journey to wellness. I’m deeply grateful for all their encouragement (and corrections:)”
-Mary C.
