SOMMER LEITZ

I did not seek out the practice of yoga, it sought out me. As a 15-year-old struggling with an anxiety and eating disorder, my mom recognized I was not receiving the deeper, spiritual healing I was longing for from clinical approaches. 

I began having private sessions with Misha McNair, my mentor from Just Be Yoga in Walnut Creek, California. She introduced me not only to the healing I was searching for but a new philosophy of life. Before yoga, I was focused on calculated perfection, lost in my suffering and unaware of my inner essence. 

My life since yoga is full of confrontational self-study, active awareness and compassion towards even the damaged parts of myself. What brings me back to my practice on and off the mat is community, connection to something higher than myself and continuous learning.

When it came time to decide what to do after high school, I was offered a place in my studio’s 200-hour teacher training program. I answered a deeper calling by forgoing the social norm and focusing on educating myself holistically and spiritually.  

I am currently working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Asian Philosophy. I plan to use yoga as a form of therapy, much as my mentor has done for me. As a teacher and student, yoga challenges me to foster the energy and presence required to lead a life aligned with my divine essence. It also gives me the opportunity to harmonize a space of authenticity, compassion and love towards myself, and others.