The Goddess On-The-Spot: The Woman who saw the Goddess in Me

Behind every passionate Yogi is a great Yoga Teacher. #ruthilicioushindsight

I officially got certified as a Yoga Teacher recently and now teaching yoga classes to real humans. It's no big deal.

No. I lied.

I bragged about it here in my blog and in my other social media platforms. I shouted it on top of the mountain and made a YouTube video announcement as well. And if you still don't know about it, then you know now. And if you don't believe it, click HERE.

No. I'm not bragging just because.

I'm bragging because I CAN!

I'm bragging because I'm excited and so grateful for this abundance in my life. My personal transformation is unbelievably and undeniably amazing. I can't express enough how wonderful the change impacted me. And why I am pinching myself every now and then to make sure that I am not just dreaming after all.

Speaking of transformation. I have to admit that one of the major changes in my life didn't happen because I just accepted the change like it's no one's business. The resistance was evidently present in all forms. But what people don't know (yet) is that the Universe sent me angels and unicorns disguised as real human beings to enable the shifting and alignment to happen magically.

Crystal Gray... The Goddess. 

And one of them is Crystal Gray - the Goddess.

I met Crystal in a very unconventional way. No, I take that back, she was the one who found me. She found me on Instagram. I was clueless about everything happening there, to be honest with you guys. My IG handle - @theruthiliciousway has less than 300 followers that time when she found me as compared to her 6k plus avid yogi followers, I was stoked and surprised how on earth did she find me?

But I believe the Universe has planned all these things to happen.

So she found me and out of the 300 plus participants in one of those hundreds of IG giveaways, she picked me out as the winner and that earned me a 200 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training course through the Yoga Goddess Academy, a Yoga Alliance accreditated yoga school which she founded and created.

Crystal is an amazing yoga teacher who is very knowledgable and has mastery of the subject matter. She is the kind of teacher who means business. She teaches from the heart which makes her students feel her sincerity in all aspect of the learning process and the curriculum she offers. She is honest when critiquing and gives constructive criticism which helps her students keep an open mind and let the ego go.

Crystal is also an excellent writer and a bestseller author of one of Amazon's new bestseller books, Goddesses Fart Too. Her book is one of the tools that aided me in my transformation. Everything about it is relatable, on point, uplifting, enlightening and funny. The book is honest to the core and it resonates to everyone because I believe every single person on this planet walks the same path that she went through.

Crystal during one of her Book Signing events.

She is a loving and dedicated wife to Marty, a passionate farmer who manages their organic farm - Gray Farms. The couple's dedication to bringing fresh produce from the earth to the table aligns with what Crystal believes in and what she teaches her students.

Helping her partner at heir organic farm.

She is also a doting and devoted mother to her only daughter and mini-me, Aya, her pride and joy. Aya would hover around during a couple of our online classes and it was adorable. I can tell that she doesn't only look like her mom but she also possesses her passion for yoga. Mom would sometimes use her to demo some poses to give us a visual idea of how to do and teach different poses correctly. And Aya obeyed Mom's instruction proudly and cheerfully.

Mother-and-daughter yoga practice.

Crystal is also a loyal and supportive friend to many like-minded people. With thousands of followers on her FB pages, The Yoga Goddess Collective, YTT with the YGA and the new page she created - Beginner Yoga at Home with Crystal Gray which is co-manage by her online YTT graduates which includes me proves that she is a dedicated teacher and a great friend who doesn't only teaches you until you graduate. She makes sure that her graduates continually get the support they need to be able to grow and prosper in their practice.

This is how we attend classes online. I'm the one in the bottom box.

But to me, Crystal is my Unicorn and the Goddess who gave me the power to see that I am capable of doing not only crazy things but great things beyond my imagination. She gave me the magic wand to stir the passion to do creative things and the confidence to outshine my own light.

Here is the interview I did with her that I want to share with you. Find out here why she is a goddess in all aspect of her being.

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BASIC YOGA TEACHER BIO

Full Name: Crystal Gray
Certification/s: E-RYT 500, YACEP, RYS
Place/Yoga School where you got certified: Global Yoga in Chicago for 200 Hour, Moksha Yoga in Chicago for 500
Name of Yoga Studio (if any): I currently teach at Barefoot Yoga Loft in Bradley, Illinois
Website: Yoga Goddess Academy
Social Media: Crystal Gray - Yoga, Wellness & Spirituality YouTube Channel
Instagram @crystalgrayyoga


When was the first time you fell in love with Yoga? How did it happen and what was your inspiration for the practice?

I fell in love with yoga when I started doing it at a gym. I loved the physical aspects of the practice and always felt great when I left. I was also naturally "good" at the poses (though I now know that there really is no such thing, everyone is good at them!). This gave me a boost and made me want to get better at the postures which were good because it made me get to my mat more often. This led to finding the deeper meanings of yoga and helped me find answers to my spirituality that I had been searching for quite some time.

Please describe your Yoga Journey: How did it change your life and how it impacted your lifestyle? 

Yoga opened my eyes in so many ways. It helped me uncover parts of myself that I had been hiding or forgot. It helped me start to heal emotional wounds that I didn't even know I had. Once I realized this, I knew I had to help spread the gift of yoga to others and enrolled in my 200-hour training about a year after I had begun practicing. I now use yoga in combination with other forms of spirituality to enhance my life and help me continue to heal and stay grounded.

What 3 words describe you as a Yoga Teacher and what word or words describe your teaching style?
 Empowering, approachable, intuitive

What advice would you give your new yoga student who is struggling with letting go and ego?

To realize it's about the journey, not the destination. You're not going to be "enlightened" when you can finally do an advanced pose. You find out so much more about yourself and what you need on and off your mat actually by struggling with poses and perceived imperfections.

What advice will you give your yoga students who are thinking of taking Yoga Teacher Training Course?

Just to take that first step. So many students are worried they don't know enough about yoga but I stress that is exactly WHY you take the training. You don't need to know much about it before you begin, in my trainings anyway. You just have to have a willingness to learn, an open heart and a passion for helping yourself and/or others.

During the conference after my final exam with my supportive classmates.

How many years have you been teaching Yoga and what are the challenges you encountered along the way?

I've been teaching yoga since 2006. A long time! I've realized that YOUR yoga doesn't have to fit into any certain mold. It can be whatever you need it to be. Like crystals? Cool, incorporate them. Moon cycles? Awesome, bring those in too. Jesus? Sweet, dedicate your flow to him. Yoga isn't a religion but it CAN be highly spiritual IF you want it to be. It can also be as simple as getting into your body, letting go of the relentless stressors going through your mind and giving yourself a few moments of peace. I've also realized there isn't such a thing as perfection. Neither in the postures nor as a student or teacher. Teachers have issues too. The key is that, if they are a true teacher, they are working through them then helping others do the same.

The Goddess and Me in my classroom during those online school nights. 

My Yoga Teacher is as dedicated as a real teacher teaching in person and in a real classroom. 

Is Yoga your only workout or you also do other workouts aside from yoga? If YES, what is it? Can you give a brief description of your other workout?

I also love walking in nature but go to the gym in the cooler months and do the elliptical and sometimes weights. I've been known to do Tai Chi videos on YouTube too! I also play tennis at least once a week because, well, it's super fun!

Lastly, what do you want your student to take away with them from your Yoga Class?

To know that they CAN do yoga. I help students learn how to modify poses and the practice to suit their needs. Each time you come to the mat, assess how you're feeling today - mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Then using your practice as a way to find balance and harmony between them all.

Anything you want to add?

I love helping women deepen their practice, learn the basics, how to modify and how to get closer to living their dream life through online yoga teacher trainings, in-person yoga teacher trainings, and retreats. Check out the website for more details!

Taken during one of her Yoga Retreats he led in Costa Rica.

There you go, my dear friends and Yogis.

Crystal Gray, who is also a believer in the Law of Attraction thought me that anything I think and everything I dream of... I can make them happen and turn into reality. That I can attract what I believe in and that there is nothing impossible if I put my heart and mind on it.

Crystal is a great motivator. She is not just my passionate yoga teacher but a nurturing and inspiring role model who changed the way I see myself and who helped me see my own potential to the fullest and to go for my dreams and change what I need to change, unapologetically.

She is one of the few people who expressed to me from the getgo that I can make great things. Her faith in me helps me find my strength and confidence in myself.

And that is why I am a Goddess in my own right, just as well.

DISCLOSURE:

THIS Yogi/Fitness Instructor On-the-Spot blog segment is a special blog post featuring a Special Guest Yogi/Fitness Instructor highlighting his/her fitness journey.

It is Ruthilicious' hope and dream that this blog post will serve as inspirations to others to make life-changing choices and become the persons they truly are.

This post is NOT PAID and I did not get any compensation from the person featured here.

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