Flying is More Fun with Friends - Nicole and Yvonne

Yvonne and Nicole are Yogi Flight School's original "twinjas" (twin-ninjas!).

Their friendship has been inspirational for the members of our community, and the best part is...they weren't friends before joining Yogi Flight School! Here, they've cultivated a life-long friendship, as well as challenging, supporting, and celebrating one another (both on and off the mat).

Read on to hear their story...

What is your individual history with yoga?

Nicole:
I grew up as a dancer. I did tap, jazz and ballet from the age of 7 all the way until I was 18 and always missed it after I stopped. My first husband was killed in a car accident in 2014 and I took up weight lifting and spin to help with stress relief.

One day at the gym in December 2016, I wasn't feeling my workout so I decided to check out the upcoming yoga class and see what it was all about. I always thought yoga was all the stereotypes: just sitting there chanting and meditating. The class began and it was nothing I thought it would be; it was a vinyasa flow class and I instantly fell in love. When I practiced yoga, it was the place were I could go for an hour and turn off my brain. In order to focus on my breath and movement, I couldn't focus on anything else so it became my escape and my safe haven. The teacher I had would always throw in some arm balance or inversion and it was hard and fun . I started practicing regularly at my gym doing ashtanga and vinyasa flow.

I wanted to do teacher training at my local gym, but could never make it work with my work schedule and raising my son. My 2 favorite yoga teachers at my studio moved away and then covid hit and I had to practice at home alone and it sucked. I joined YFS in November of 2020, went on Nat's Mexico retreat with Yvonne last July, completed my 200 hour teacher training with Nat and Abi in November 2021 and started coaching for YFS right after. I also love SUP yoga and have practiced every summer for the last 3 years. My next plan is to become certified to teach SUP Yoga and want to teach ninja tricks on the paddle-boards.

Yvonne:
I don’t have a background in playing sports and mostly rode my bike growing up for fun and exercise As an adult, I struggled for a long time to find the right fitness regimen for me. I joined several different fitness memberships until I hurt my back in October 2013 and was diagnosed with herniated disc in my lumbar spine. With his herniated disc, I had constant sciatic nerve pain in my right leg and being a single mom of two girls, this was a big challenge for me. I was placed on a round-the-clock medication and underwent physical therapy in preparation for surgery. The pain was so excruciating that I wanted to skip the conservative physical therapy treatment, even though I am a physical therapist myself. During my month long leave of absence from work, I decided to try yoga on the spur-of-the-moment, as I had read about possible health benefits. My first yoga class was a 90-minute Bikram yoga. I remember I could only forward fold with my hands just above my knees. Surprisingly, I survived that class and went back for more. Two days later, I realized that I hadn’t been taking my pain pills and remarkably, I haven’t need pain medication for my back since. I never had to go under the knife and have been pain-free since 2014. Yoga truly has been a miracle therapy for me. In 2016, I completed my 200-hour YTT and have been practicing everyday ever since.

How were you introduced to Yogi Flight School?

Nicole:
An ad popped up on my facebook for Nat's You Are A Yoga Ninja podcast series. I listened to the whole series and at the end she announced her upcoming free training so I signed up for it.

Yvonne:
I found YFS’ free training in FB in 2021. When I first started, I loved arm balances and inversions but could never nail these. I kept trying through YFS and then one day in a free class, my feet levitated in crow and so I joined.

What made you decide to join Yogi Flight School?

Nicole:
I did the free training and was hooked. I could already do crow, but just a few tips from Nat and my crow was so much better and stronger. I loved her personality and saw myself in her. We are a similar age, we look similar, we have both experienced loss in our lives and love the badass ninja tricks. The vibe and makeup of the studio where I had practiced before COVID had completely changed. All of my favorite teachers had moved away/left and the new teachers and students were more into a gentle yoga and I felt like I didn't belong anymore. I wanted to be somewhere where everyone wanted to do ninja tricks and weren't made to feel bad or feel like they weren't doing yoga if they were doing the tricks

Yvonne:
2021 - the peak of COVID. The local yoga studios shut down in January and I found out about their zoom classes two months later Weight gain was already slowly creeping up on me.

I was persuaded by Nat’s reality-check video (that video she presented at the start of the free training). It was a game changer for me both on and off my mat. How I wish I found YFS earlier during my divorce. I would have much rather done the ninja tricks than go through all of that counseling after.

How did you meet/decide to meet?

Nicole:
I joined YFS in November of 2020 and was continuing to go through the live classes. When the new modules started at the time Yvonne joined (I think it was Feb 2021) Nat asked the new members to come on and introduce themselves if they wanted to. Yvonne got on and said she was from Memphis. I immediately jumped on and said I was from Memphis and was frantically waving my hands around, but Yvonne couldn't find me. After the class was over I found her in the FB group and messaged her. We decided to meet up a few weeks later to do one of the lives at her house. It was in March of 2021 when we met for the first time. No one had really been around each other because of covid so when we met for the first time, we hugged. We were so excited to get to practice with another human being again :) Later on we realized that we had actually met each other a few years before at an aerial yoga workshop. Yvonne found some pictures of me assisting one of her daughters in the silks. I wasn't a yoga teacher yet, but I guess that was a sign I was bound to be one :) After our first meeting we continued to meet up for the lives as often as we could and also went to a lot of local yoga classes and workshops together and went to Nat's retreat in Mexico last July. 

Yvonne:
Yes, I joined in February of 2021. That’s how we met – through YFS and Nat.

What have you gained from your friendship?

Nicole:
A ninja in crime :) It is so much fun having someone local who loves yoga as much as I do. I have someone to go to all the yoga festivals and the yoga workshops with. We got to go to one of Nat's retreats together last summer and plan to do more in the future. Yvonne introduced me to a yoga studio in Memphis where I had never practiced and I learned that this is where all the people in Memphis who love arm balances and inversions are hiding. We have a lot in common. We are both business owners in the healthcare field, we both met our husbands on match.com and married them in September of 2017 at venues right across the street from each other. Our husbands also went to the same college. We both have bonus kids and grandkids. We live right across a local park from each other. The daughter of Yvonne's business partner and my son have gone to school together for the past 10 years. Yvonne helped me so much while I was going through YTT. She would let me come over and practice my cueing and my classes and cheer me on even when I was terrible at it. She is a great friend who I can text anytime to vent or ask to go do something and she will always say yes. I'm so so glad that Nat and YFS brought us together.

Yvonne:
The old “me” was probably the most cautious person you would ever meet. I am not really good with change or risk-taking. I have always stayed in my job for a long time and stayed in a horrible marriage situation for 12 long years. Nicole has helped me thrive, push harder, work harder, and just going to that edge (oh shit point). I was never a swimmer but now have my own paddle board and we get on the water each warm Sunday as proof of how Nicole and YFS have positively influenced my life. I am grateful to have found a fellow ninja who I can go to yoga festivals and workshops with. We live literally less than 15 minutes from each other.

What have you gained from Yogi Flight School?

Nicole:
So many amazing friends from around the world! When I first joined the YFS facebook group we were a community of less than 200. Now there are almost 3000 ninjas it has been so fun to see the community grow. Everyone is so supportive of each other and I love all the friendly challenges we have. We challenge each other to do better and grow on and off the mat. It is a safe space to celebrate our highest highs and get support when we are at our lowest of lows. If it weren't for YFS I would likely not have become a yoga teacher and even if I had, there is no way I would get the opportunity to coach so many amazing people from around the world and learn from so many outstanding teachers. It is an honor to coach alongside Nat, Stewart, Abi, Asher and Anja as well as our guest teachers and I am always learning something new from each of them every week.

Yvonne:
Learning to have a positive mindset is my biggest gain – the “BE-DO-HAVE” thought process. I have never been part of a community as supportive as this group, and I have gained lots of friends from all over the world. Because of our YFS group, my accountability is far better than what it used to be. It is accountability to my group and fun combined now.

What does your current yoga practice consist of?

Nicole:
I am a vagabond. Sometimes I practice at home alone, sometimes I practice at home online, sometimes I practice in different studios around Memphis and sometimes I practice on my SUP alone or with others. My work schedule doesn't often allow me to take in-person classes during the week so during the week I often practice alone at home in the morning either ashtanga or Nat's flow classes from the library. On the weekends I go to SUP yoga and ashtanga. For the summer, Yvonne and I will be attending a handstand flow class every week at the yoga studio where she usually practices and going to SUP yoga together.

Yvonne:
I basically practice yoga twice a day either at home or at the local studio. On Mondays, I go to a handstand class with Nicole. On Sundays, I go to stand-up- paddleboard yoga with Nicole.

What are your favorite poses?

Nicole:
All the headstands, chin stand, and Eka Pada B

Yvonne:
I love the bound headstand, tripod, pincha, and handstand.

What advice do you have for people who may be on the fence about joining Yogi Flight School?

Nicole:
Go for it! There is nothing like Nat's program and teaching. I could do a lot of the poses in the modules before I joined YFS, but I wasn't doing them well. Nat absolutely knows her stuff and takes the time to fully explain and break everything down in a way that is so accessible. She is so fun and funny and is so generous with her time and her offerings. There is so much in the YFS portal that you could do something everyday and it will take months to get through it all. In addition to all the modules and vinyasa classes she has her mindset videos and podcast interviews. Nat has put her heart and soul into this program and it shows. She takes the time to respond most if not all of the posts in the YFS facebook group and there are almost 3000 members. Everything is so personal and you never feel like you are just a number or you don't matter. Everyone matters and everyone is learning and growing from each other and celebrating each other and it is a beautiful thing.

Yvonne:
Have the courage to at least start by taking a free class first and then just go from there. Nat’s genuine commitment and her way of teaching will get you to poses you would never have imagined. Her vinyasa classes are spot-on to achieving a peak pose that you choose. Along with the ninja tricks, I have felt absolute support from Nat and her coaches, with spot on cues and other help during live classes as well as in the FB group. I always look forward to the positive videos from our ninja community. I appreciate that everything is celebrated here, including my fails. Perfection is not required. Yoga and life, are 90% about just Showing-Up. Every single day.

Final Thoughts

Nicole:
I am just so thankful for Nat and YFS and my friendship with Yvonne and am proud to be part of this community for life!

Yvonne:
I am grateful to have YFS and my friendship with Nicole as big parts of my life.

We are thrilled to have ninjas in our community from all over the world, and are incredibly grateful for the dedication and commitment of our students to themselves, their practice, and the Yogi Flight School mission - to empower people to trust themselves and argue for their possibilities, not their limitations.

Do you know someone who can benefit from hearing this story?