The first breakthoughs that come to mind have to do with my emotional experience.
When we were doing uddiyana in horse stance, shirts up, belly exposed, Talya came up to me and said "Jen...When you let your belly go- are you really letting it go? 100%? Or more like 80%?" Talya knows I used to be anorexic. She looked at me and said. "Do you know why you're doing that? I know why. That last 20% of let go- is that last 20% of healing." That was really hard for me to hear. But to have someone see that and fearlessly tell me that made me recognize the cleaning up I still had to do around that area. That was a gift.

The second breakthrough has to do with hips. We were doing a sequence of three variations on pigeon. I have Turner's Syndrome, which means I cannot get pregnant. I also was raped several years ago. So hips are a loaded area for me. Talya came up to me and asked "Where are you feeling the most tight, Jen?" She worked her hands around my hip, and the gluteal and hamstring. Suddenly I started crying. Talya said "That sadness that you're holding there. Can you breathe into it? Can you find a way to soften around it?" She had held her hands there and had me breathe into them. I felt so much care and compassion and understanding from Talya in that moment. It made me feel safe and held, and that allowed me to release some of those feelings I was avoiding and holding in. It taught me how to breathe in my hips, to actually get my breath in there, even when I was scared to. That was incredibly healing for me.

There were also physical breakthroughs with my abs. When we did elbow to knee, for example, Talya said "Jen- you're twisting with your neck. Think of it more like you want to point your nipples at your thigh. You'll get deeper access to your abs." Then when we did abs with the mat, Talya pointed out I was letting my legs do all the work, and was being "really skillful" at avoiding using my low abs. She suggested I do them with my legs bent to help with that. I've been practicing Forrest for some time now and have done lots and lots of abs. But just those two moments helped me access low abs, and feel that part of my body much more fully and deeper than I had before. I was not aware how much I was avoiding feeling them.

I am really grateful for those four days. It felt like being back in the intensives during Foundation training, and I felt reconnected to my fire and love for Forrest yoga

- Jennifer Shin

During the 2nd day of intensives we did agni sara in horse – the full series. We were on that horse a long time, and at some point in the middle, my legs started to BURN. Not in a painful way, but in a holy-shit-this-is-intense way, which my brain sometimes mistakes for pain. My brain said, I can’t hold this anymore, stand up, STAND UP! But I didn’t. I stayed in the pose because I was curious about this feeling and what would happen if I stayed with it. And then, the tears came. My brain said, what’s going on, I don’t want to cry, what is this shit? I ignored the brain chatter, and instead just concentrated on breathing and on this energy moving through me. Obviously something was stuck and needed to be released. I didn’t really care what it was, but I wanted to get it out. The tears became full-on sobs. My brain told me I should be embarrassed, but I knew better. I was in a safe place and it was okay to cry here. I stayed on that horse the whole time and even one breath longer after Steve cued us to stand up. Whatever it was that had been hiding out in my hips had let go and was gone. I wiped my face with my towel, and the sensation in my hips was a feeling completely new to me – actual space! No aching, no tugging, no pinching. Space! And then I noticed that I was smiling. The feeling in my heart was something close to joy. The new space in my hips was filling up with something good, something blissful, peaceful. And it stayed that way. I wasn’t sore after class, or the next day, or the next day. What I felt, and continue to feel, was freer, lighter, more agile, and more confident.
So, life might be scary or uncomfortable or intense for a minute, but in the very next minute, when we make room for it, there is capacity for immense joy, true peace, and deep gratitude for life.

- Kate Tummelson

The energy that you brought to the studio was very powerful and we felt excited and confident that we too can go for whatever it is we are seeking. You have such open hearts and we were all affected by your passion for Forrest Yoga.

The students were able to try new things and felt safe with your guidance. We were all thrilled when we got into asanas we never thought we would be able to do!

Thanks to the "Hands-On Assists Class," the teachers felt more confident with hands-on adjustments and how to do them with compassion. There were new techniques offered for adjustments that allowed the practitioners to move into the asana with a gentle but powerful opening.

Our "inner sun" is shining much more brightly!  The students are learning how to get over their fears and delve deep into the body and mind in a non-harming way. They are gradually releasing old stories and working on themselves.  Personally, I work with the teachings from your workshops in every practice.  They have taught me to not dwell on the past, enjoy every moment, let go of worry and have the confidence to move forward.

Deb Sommerhalder
Inner Sun Yoga Studio, Oshkosh, WI

Additionally, teachers have shared being inspired with a new
commitment to keep practicing and further their training.

Steve and Talya are super easy to host: they’re flexible in
accommodation and to the studios needs which make for less stress and a fulfilling experience for all.

Kimberly Greeff
Laughing Lotus Studio, Anchorage, AK