Why I Volunteer: Lisa Marie Rainford, Teacher
Lisa Marie Rainford
Exhale to Inhale Teacher Since 2019
What was the most impactful part of our teacher training for you?
Learning more about word choice and the way one speaks to people. It’s amazing how words affect an experience with another person both negatively and positively. And just a bit of awareness in speech can really foster a great environment for you and another human being.
How do you feel Exhale to Inhale has changed the way you teach, think, feel?
I believe it’s just made me even more aware and thoughtful of others and even myself. Learning about how trauma shows up for different people has been instrumental in how I hold space for students and the other people in my life. Exhale to Inhale has also taught me how to slow down as well. And I’m very grateful for that.
What does being a part of this community mean to you?
Being part of this community means that I can help others and that’s really all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life. A bit too deep? Maybe? But I feel that through my volunteer work and just having the chance to give that if I’m able to bring even just a bit of light to someone’s world then this is all worth it.
Can you share a memorable moment you’ve had with a student?
At my first rotation, I had a student who came every single week I taught… and we’d spend that one hour together and I could see her visibly relax throughout and that little bit of relaxing of her shoulders and deepening of her breathe was all I needed. I’d brought a bit of light!
What drew you to be a part of Exhale to Inhale?
A friend of mine mentioned at the beginning of last year that Exhale to Inhale had opportunities to get involved. I remember thinking how it sounded like a dope organization. And when I finally fully went through the site and really looked into all that Exhale to Inhale was about and what it had to offer... I was very impressed and decided I really wanted to help, by learning about trauma-informed yoga and becoming a volunteer.
At Exhale to Inhale, we believe we need to let go to fill ourselves back up again, what does the concept of Exhale to Inhale mean to you?
I learned last year from a wise teacher of mine that everything we believe are opposites, good and bad, etc. are just two sides of the same coin. Meaning they’re the same thing. One can’t happen without the other. Yet for a lot of people we put emphasis on the thing, or sticking with the metaphor, the side of the coin we as a society have deemed more positive. Therefore within happiness and sadness for example there’s an emphasis on being happy. That it’s the better option of the two. So we fight our hardest to get out of the sadness, we run away from it or ignore it. Never truly appreciating it for what it is. Which is the sign and meaning that happiness is coming again. And how can you truly appreciate happiness if you don’t appreciate sadness and allow yourself to sit with it or learn from it? Because without sadness you’d never be happy.
But that’s my long winded way of saying I align with the concept of exhale to inhale. If you can’t let something go how can you appreciate being full? And if you can’t allow yourself to be full, how can you appreciate being empty?
What do you do to feel grounded on and off the mat?
A lot of breathing. I consciously exhale and inhale a lot :).
