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Spotlight: Honest Yoga

Nicole Byars is taking yoga back to its roots, teaching how to live yoga off the mat

10 seconds. It was a 10-second moment in yoga class that propelled Nicole Byars forward to keep showing up for herself. “I initially went to yoga class very reluctantly. It was part of my eating disorder recovery that they had us do,” shares Nicole. “But, I’ll never forget when the instructor guided us to be in the moment, and for just 10 seconds, I actually felt this sense of love and connection to self I hadn’t felt in years. I had been really at war with myself with body image issues and judgment towards myself. I know a lot of people, especially women, struggle with this. I was able to begin to heal and wanted to share this experience and possibility with others.”

Nicole became a yoga instructor with her own yoga studio in St. Michael for a number of years before opening Honest Yoga in Plymouth in 2020. You won’t find mirrors in her studio and likely won’t see people attempting to put their foot behind their head or swing into a headstand. 

“How yoga is often portrayed is really unattainable for the average person. I’m not a gymnast,” laughs Nicole. “The physical side is really only a 5% piece of yoga as a whole. It’s not about getting into the perfect pose. I wanted to bring yoga back to its roots, which is using the physical practice to live in the present moment and connect with yourself. I wanted to keep the integrity of how yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, to keep yoga honest.”

Nicole has truly created a community at Honest Yoga. “We have 190 members and growing. Many come for the community and to be in a safe and welcoming space,” says Nicole. Honest Yoga offers a number of different yoga classes, including a unique trauma-informed yoga class. 

“Many with complex trauma or PTSD are disconnected from their bodies. Our class helps reconnect them with their body in a gentle and safe way,” explains Nicole. “I would love to continue to serve and help our community, expanding the class into the veterans and domestic violence space and also for those recovering from addiction.”

Nicole also offers several retreats throughout the year, providing a welcome and beautiful respite. This year’s retreat is in Costa Rica, where she focuses on teaching breathwork, meditation, and how to incorporate yoga practices into everyday life. How to live yoga off the mat. Which is exactly what Nicole’s new book, Living Yoga Off the Mat, is all about: to move beyond the physical practice and bring yoga into your daily life. 

“If you have a beating heart and breathing, you can do yoga,” says Nicole. “I want yoga to feel accessible to everyone. Yoga is being in the present moment. It can be in a chair or before you go to bed when you lay there and can be there, following your breath and staying in that moment. That’s doing yoga.”

Learn more about classes and yoga retreats at Honest Yoga here: https://www.thehonestyoga.com/ Be sure to look for Nicole’s new book released this month: Living Yoga Off the Mat.