JULIA MOTYKA

My yoga journey began when I stumbled into a gym yoga class at a Crunch fitness in downtown Manhattan the August before I turned 19. My dad was in the AIDS ward at St Vincent’s at the time and all believed he would not survive the summer. As his primary caregiver, I needed to carve out some small space for myself where I could turn off the chatter in my mind and quiet the fear and grief in my heart. When I found my way onto the mat for the first time that summer, I found my lifeline. Even as my father recovered (Yes! Recovered!) and I pursued my career in the arts, yoga was always at the center of my life; grounding me, lifting me, folding me deeper and deeper into myself, my body and breath, and my truest purpose.