Yoga Program Changes Alumna's Life

09/28/2021


Back in 2018, when Machel Shull enrolled in the Yoga Program at MiraCosta, she simply wanted to learn more about yoga. That little spark of interest set her off on a personal journey and changed her life.

“Not everyone knows yoga is part of the Health Sciences Department, in Kinesiology. But anyone who aspires to teach yoga should,” she says. “I loved my experience there so much that I completed the 200-hour program and then dove right into the 300-hour Yoga Program.”

Shull compliments the teachers for their commitment and dedication. “The teachers are caring, and they create a loving and safe environment for everyone,” she says. “And the students are very accepting. I entered the program at 46—age didn’t matter. There was a wide age range among the students, young to old, and we came together to support each other. I’m still friends with many of my classmates.”

The idea of becoming a yoga instructor was inspired by Shull’s professors and her friends in the class who were already teaching yoga. “I am grateful to my teachers Amanda Kriebel, Casey McFarland, and Stacy McCarthy for encouraging me to consider yoga as a potential career move. They helped me step out of my comfort zone—I work in marketing, which involves a lot of sitting.”

Shull notes that the yoga programs offered by MiraCosta have everything you need to be a successful teacher or practice owner. “In the 200-hour program, you learn how to teach yoga and you also develop a deep comprehension of the mechanics and physiology of the body. From the skeletal muscular system to the nervous system, you learn how yoga impacts the body and why it's so wonderful to practice it daily.”

The 300-hour program teaches ancient medicine from the Vedic Period, Sanskrit terminology, and the history behind yoga. “This depth of knowledge offers the perfect foundation for anyone to begin a new career as a yoga instructor,” Shull says. “The program also included a 100-hour internship with a yoga business, to teach the business side, which was instrumental in my transition to teaching yoga.”

During the pandemic, Shull and her husband started a YouTube channel that featured videos to inspire people to practice yoga and to boost their health and inner well-being. She continues to work in marketing, while she teaches yoga part-time and writes about health and wellness.

“This program has changed my health vibration and made me more aware of how our health and inner well-being are connected,” she says. “If you have a dream, don’t be afraid to go out there and make it happen!”

Late start classes begin as early as October 18 with hundreds of classes in a range of subjects that conclude at the same time as “regular” courses.  Discover all the open sections by visiting miracosta.edu/late.

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