Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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153 Shea has been practicing yoga since 2004 and teaching for more than five years. She grew up playing sports (including Division I ice hockey at Princeton University) but notes that she always had a spir- itual side. "I think if you talk to any athlete, they will agree that there is something spiritual about getting into that zone. Ideally, if you are playing well, you are very present." Shea first became interested in yoga when looking for an alterna- tive to traditional weight training and cardio exercise. As a lifelong athlete, she wanted to keep using her body, but she also wanted to add more of a spiritual component. "I wanted something to fill both of those gaps," she says. "Yoga seemed like the perfect solution." In time, she grew to appreciate the dichoto- mous nature of Hatha vinyasa, believing that there is much to be gained from a powerful physical practice combined with a peaceful mental focus. Her athletic training included visualization, breathing techniques, discipline, and account- ability—all of which are applicable to yoga. To get started, she took a class at a sports club in New York, where she was living and working in finance. The place was overcrowded, bright with fluorescent lights, lined with mirrors, and filled with a competi- tive vibe. "It wasn't my perception of what yoga is at all," she recalls. But she stuck with it. Eventually, she moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she found a studio that really resonated with her—the Jiva Yoga Center. It was the antithesis of her experience in New York. The student body in- cluded a lot of retirees, which Shea feels served her well when it came to her teacher training. "There's a certain humility that comes with