Origin Story
After almost a decade in private practice, where I primarily worked with women with persistent health issues, I have found a thread that connected all these women to one another.
Despite their varying degrees of symptoms, underneath it all lies the fundamental belief that they won’t ever be enough unless they’ve perfected, self-sacrificed, hustled, achieved, and people-pleased.
That belief drives the very actions that strain the body to its limits, until one day, it finally says: ENOUGH.
When their body starts communicating to them that it’s had enough — whether through whispers or screeches — these women do not know how to tend to themselves, because all of their lives, they’ve tended to others.
While it may look like I teach gentle yoga poses in my work, what I am really teaching is the value of rest, and to create space in their lives where they can feel safe in rest.
Thus, ĀN Yoga was born.
A virtual sanctuary for women to come home to themselves — to rest deeply, nurture their bodies, and rediscover who they are.
ĀN Yoga Studio offers opportunities for women to unlearn the social conditioning, to explore what their body and mind feel like when they’re rested, and to experience what true rest is.
Because you cannot know yourself deeply and fully without pause, without rest, without introspection.
ĀN Yoga is your safe space to find that — and to remember what you already know:
that you are enough, exactly as you are.
With love,
Elaine | Found and Owner of ĀN Yoga Studio | ERYT-500 Yoga Teacher and IAYT Yoga Therapist
The Meaning of ĀN
ĀN 安 (pronounced “Ann”) is the Chinese character for tranquility, calm, stability, and safety. It denotes the serenity and quiet of a bamboo forest, gentle light streaming through, where the only sounds you hear are the barely there rustle of leaves as you saunter through the grove, the steadiness of your breathing, and the melodic chirps of birds just somewhere beyond your vision.
It is also part of the Chinese name for my daughter. This virtual studio is not only inspired by her, but also a tribute to her for the joy and presence she’s brought into my life.