Increased awareness of the importance of self-care is a silver lining of the recent pandemic. For myself, the practice of yoga became an anchor for my own well-being and was also my initial tie to the Boise community after arriving in March 2020. My favorite yoga instructor also became my first friend here and led me to True North Yoga, a calm and inviting sanctuary where I learned about yoga’s power to become a transformative life experience.
Naomi Jones, owner of True North Yoga along with her husband Paul Graham, also found yoga when she needed it most. Naomi shared, “Yoga has changed my life in every way a life can be changed.” Leaving a career to become a mother nearly fifteen years ago unexpectedly left her with “confusion, disillusionment and feelings of emptiness” which shifted gradually to “a weight lifted from my mind and body” through the practice of yoga. “I found that it wasn’t the new role of being a mom that was creating the hardship, it was not knowing myself.” Reworking her perceptions of herself and the world was a difficult journey but Naomi is forever grateful that yoga helped her find that self-acceptance which allowed her to fully embrace the beauty of motherhood.
Becoming a yoga teacher became a way for Naomi “to stay on the path” and fully embrace the yoga lifestyle. Along with finding herself, Naomi met Paul at her first yoga teacher training in Boise. Together they explore the reality and life through the lens of yoga and her two daughters have also journeyed into yoga, making it a full family affair. Naomi’s favorite practice right now is meditation and her favorite experience within the community has been teaching free yoga for veterans suffering from depression.
Naomi has been sharing the yoga philosophy within the community with her whole heart and soul since True North Yoga began growing its roots in Boise. “Paul and I, along with all the teachers at True North Yoga, teach with a heart of service for the greater good of humankind.” The studio offers two beautiful studios in one location that includes heated and non-heated classes. “Every class has a common theme of a meditative atmosphere, self-awareness/acceptance and personal growth.” They also offer free community classes for all ages, a teacher-training program, workshops, and complimentary cold plunges to cool down after a hot practice.
Naomi emphasizes that there’s so much more to yoga than stretching. “It’s about learning the universal truths in life and embodying them. Yoga provides a roadmap to living life with integrity, love, service and compassion.” Furthermore, yoga has many benefits for both of physical and mental wellbeing. Along with improving the different physical systems in the body, yoga may lead to improved “focus, concentration, decision making, insight,” and also help individuals tune into their own energy. Furthermore, the practice of yoga can continue across the lifespan and be practiced nearly everywhere.
“Commitment to a practice that slows you down in a world that wants to speed you up,” is something Naomi believes to be one of the biggest challenges in maintaining a life that incorporates yoga and its practices. Naomi advises “to take action in your life and make it consistent. Paul often says, 'Nobody is coming to save you.' This can be quite confronting to hear but it’s true. The practice of yoga and meditation will change your life. Practice three times a week and invest in yourself. You are the most important person in your life.”
"The practice of yoga and meditation will change your life. Practice three times a week and invest in yourself. You are the most important person in your life."
“Commitment to a practice that slows you down in a world that wants to speed you up,”
