Conversations with Sarah Woods

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Woods.

Hi Sarah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Through all the roles and lives that I have lived, something about my story is that I have always followed my heart AND have not gotten here today on my own. I have had people in my life who allowed me to be weird, different, kind (to a fault), wild, difficult, stubborn, silly… well, me.

Though these people in my life never gave me the answers (maybe that would have been the easiest route)… some just showed up and cheered me on or cringed at some of my decisions. Something that has always spoken to my heart is community and support, but mostly family. Through many life events (joys, challenges, illness, agoraphobia, panic attacks, births, re-births, loss of relationships and loved ones, addiction, lies to me, etc.), I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life. They have taught me so much just by living their own life.

Relationships, more often than not, take some or a lot of effort. My heart is still doing the work and praciticing. I have been that person who gives everything and not enough. These days, I’m learning boundaries, forgiveness, and the art of receiving while still following my giving heart… allowing myself to feel the whole way through (that is my superpower: feeling).

I left my hometown of Chicago in 2006, leaving my dad, my brothers, my grandma, my mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Leaving my family was extremely challenging but very necessary. Tears of fear and relief were released all the way here to Colorado. I was a lost 29-year-old who felt EVERYTHING (I had succeeded and fell on my face many times), but I was free to start something of my own. Life’s ups and downs continued in CO, and I thank goodness my lifelong friend Liz and her husband for taking me in and offering me an opportunity.

When I came to Colorado, I was here to start over, take care of myself, and climb mountains with my dogs. I joked about one day finding a mountain man in the future but wanted to be alone to heal first. A few months later, life had other plans. I met someone who met this wild spirit with an open heart, fed my soul, and reminded me of my heart’s truth. Todd and I are still together today. In fact, he is the person who re-introduced me to yoga.

At first, I practiced in our little ground-floor apartment, with an air mattress for our bed and no couches! I practiced watching Rodney Yee’s DVDs until I gathered enough courage to attend a public class. My first public class led me into my first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and then another training and another and another. Feeling confident, I auditioned twice at that studio and didn’t get the job. My ego was crushed, AND I learned a lot about myself. I had much to prove to myself and surrender to my truth (whatever that was at that time).

My inner knowing still felt the calling. I was supposed to share the gift of yoga, but I needed to practice, learn, and live more. I still practiced at the same studio but also explored other teachers and lineages of Yoga. One teacher reminded me, “Yoga is a practice. Not like practice makes perfect, BUT practice makes more practice.” This blew my mind but also set me free once again, free from all the expectations that I placed upon myself. Could I find that calm within myself and be still in the fluctuations of my mind?

Walking through my neighborhood one day, I found myself in front of this local studio. My experience was like something out of the movies. It was like I was outside of myself for too long, and when I stepped foot inside Soul Tree Studio, I came back home to my heart. I could breathe deeply. From that day forward, I never left. A couple of weeks later, I auditioned and began teaching immediately. To say that my practice has grown from that day on is an understatement. I am a student and a teacher… my students are my teachers.

There are many teachers & students to give credit to… the list is endless and continues to grow. They are students, teachers, friends, family, my children, and my husband. I have been offering Yoga at Soul Tree since 2011, amongst other studios, but have always stayed consistent. Some say, “Home is where the heart is,” and that has remained true since that first day I stepped into Soul Tree.

The community has always been important to me. It makes sense to me. Let’s support one another! Why wouldn’t we? Soul Tree offers this amazing community that I thought only existed in my heart or dreams. Meghan, the founder of Soul Tree, created something special and offered the community an experience that was authentic, connecting each of us who walked in the door. Not just connecting us to one another but to ourSELF, our breath, our body, our spirit, and mind.

Covid hit in 2020. For many of us, it was not pretty. We were unsure of what would happen to Soul Tree. From that fear, we fought and rose to the challenge. Sometimes kicking, screaming, and crying. In my eyes, I have never been seen as much of a fighter, but in 2020, I learned that maybe I am. Alongside Meghan, Melissa (Soul Tree’s spectacular manager), Kat, and many more, I tried to help as much as I possibly could to keep Soul Tree and its community together while also trying to hold our household together. We worked tirelessly. Why? Because we believe in Soul Tree’s purpose and offerings.

We have felt the importance of keeping Soul Tree and the integrity of yoga alive and did not give up. These amazing women inspired me to another level. Our community did not give up either… they showed up consistently. People came together in loving support of one another, whether it was on Zoom, in person masked up, texts or calls. It may have changed us all, but we all still believed in the practice and Soul Tree. In that time, we fought for Soul Tree (as many other studios & businesses fought to keep their doors/screens alive). This became our norm, amongst all of the other life changes.

Daydreaming is an activity that I frequently rely on… I feel into the world around me & within me, imagining the Earth breathing with us, all as one. I have many times daydreamed about having a yoga studio of my own but always thought it was out of reach. On May 1st, 2021, my daydream became a reality. Meghan, the founder of Soul Tree, passed on the Soul Tree ownership to me. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to make sure it is all real. It has not all been that easy. I learn something new every day. Stepping into ownership of Soul Tree, I have a vision of people coming together in support of one another and our planet.

What if local yoga studios came together in support of one another? Could we change the world? Could we help heal the deep wounds? I don’t know the answer to that question, but. I believe that it’s worth it! I believe in Yoga as a life practice, a guide… the good, the challenging, beautifully flawed, kicking and screaming, laughing and crying, AND doing it all together. It has been my mission to include everyONE in loving support as one.

In my life, I have always tried to bring people together and will continue to do so as we rebuild our Earth and Community! Alongside my husband, two sons, 2 dogs, and a cat, friends, family, and neighbors…we can’t do it alone, so may we rise together supported in this community, our Soul Family.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am the owner of Soul Tree Yoga Studio in Lafayette, CO.

I get the gift of working with 2 amazing women: our manager, Melissa Ulev, and marketing/artist Kat Olmsted. They have supported me from day one, especially with the revision of our Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training and our Advanced Yoga Teacher Training. Programs… as well as all of the events and retreats that we offer Soul Tree.

The teacher training programs are quite special and hold my heart fully. We created a safe space to explore this practice in depth, bringing us back home to our truth and heart. They are not just about being able to teach a yoga class sequence but to step into our hearts, set free, and hold space for others to explore their truth.

We follow the 8-limbed path through our vulnerability, surrendering into the devotion of our heart… breath by breath.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I am still growing up! I have been wild, irresponsible, depressed, addicted, athletic, motherly, artistic, creative, obnoxious, introverted, smart-assed and too kind.

I feel most myself when I share the teachings of yoga when I run, when I go to live music concerts, when I am in nature (scuba diving or hiking), and when I am in the presence of my family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soultreecolorado.com
• Instagram: @soultreeyoga
• Facebook: Soul Tree Yoga
• Youtube: @soultreeyoga6703

Image Credits
Marin McCellan Photography