From Texas to India, read about Haiden’s yoga journey…
Origins of my interest.
My interest in yoga and mindfulness began at an early age. When I was only in high school, I took up meditation as a way to help manage stress and yoga as a way to cross-train while I was preparing to run a marathon. It wasn’t long before I was hooked!
By the time I began my Bachelor’s degree at The University of Texas at Austin, some deep part of me knew that I had to learn more about yoga and meditation. I wanted to understand how, from a scientific perspective, these practices improved my mental health. However, I also felt a calling to learn about yoga from it’s roots. These were the motivations that lead me to pursue a double-major in Psychology as well as Asian Cultures & Languages (emphasis in Hindi & South Asia).
Traveling to India.
Haiden’s Yoga Teacher Training graduation
By 2019, I was two years into my degree, had deepened my understanding of mental health and South Asian philosophy, and could speak conversational Hindi—the most common language spoken in North India. I decided it was time to finally take the leap, travel to India for the first time, and complete my 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training.
That summer, I spent one month in Rishikesh, India, immersed in intensive yoga and meditation practice and study. By the end of my course I had fallen in love with India and knew I would be back again as soon as I could manage. However, my Fall semester was about to start, and I had a fire to return to the U.S. and begin sharing what I had learned with my fellow classmates.
A bend in the road.
Haiden’s graduation from UT Austin
I spent the rest of my time as an undergraduate deepening my studies in Psychology and South Asia while also helping facilitate mental health support groups for my fellow students. The importance of this work became even more apparent to me in March of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down college campuses and brought with it unprecedented uncertainty and grief. Continuing to lead yoga classes and mental health support groups online for my peers, who desperately needed them, felt like the one small way I could help.
I felt more assured than ever of my goal to become a mental health therapist and integrate mindfulness interventions and somatic experiencing techniques into my treatment protocol. The next step after graduating would be to pursue my Master’s in Social Work, so I could begin working with clients as soon as possible. That was until I was hit with another curveball…
Newfound purpose.
Haiden & her Grandma on a golf cart ride
Amidst the pandemic and strict social distancing protocols, my Grandma received a terminal cancer diagnosis. She was living alone at the time and could receive few visitors due to the chemotherapy that had wiped out her immune system. That was when I decided that I would delay starting my Master’s and, instead, spend the next year as her live-in caregiver.
My experience living with and caring for my Grandma that year gave me a special empathy for many of the physical and emotional challenges that accompany the aging process. I began to experiment with how to adapt yoga and meditation practices to specifically serve the needs of senior citizens. It became my personal mission and the goal of my career to help older adults live with more mental and physical ease.
My business & mission.
Haiden’s Grandma picking her up at the airport after returning from her first trip to India
By January of 2022, pandemic travel restrictions had eased, and I was able to finally return to Rishikesh to complete my 300 hr Yoga Teacher Training. This time in India, I was driven by a new purpose and urgent calling to serve. I returned to the States with resolve and launched my business, Haiden’s Yoga Practice LLC, specializing in providing tailored yoga and meditation classes for senior citizens.
Yoga has not only changed me as a person, but it has transformed my life and its purpose as well. I believe deeply that yoga is so much more than physical practice. It is a science of holistic well-being that, in the West, has unfortunately only been made accessible to young, thin, and able-bodied individuals. My mission is to expand access to this ancient tradition, helping older adults feel more vital in both body and mind.
Where I am now.
Haiden visiting Amber Fort in Rajasthan, India
As of May 2023, I am living in Mumbai, India—continuing to teach yoga online and live out my purpose of serving senior citizens. My days are best spent sipping on chai, curling up with a good book, or enjoying a Bollywood movie with my hubby and cat, Winston.
I am also currently pursuing my Master’s of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. My anticipated graduation is in July of 2026, and I look forward to being able to provide clinical mental health services to clients at that time.
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