March 2013 Teacher Feature - Melissa Davis

From PCBYC…..I have had the pleasure of knowing Melissa for several years.  She is one of my favorite yoga instructors…beautiful inside and out, and although that phrase is a somewhat overused cliché, it truly applies to her.  An artist at heart, there is something ethereal that she brings to her instruction.  Make no mistake, if you take one of her classes, you will be challenged!  But, there is something more that draws the student to this teacher.  It’s her true connection to what she is offering to each student, her sense of humor, the buoyancy that results within the student, that makes a practice with Melissa something to look forward to…..and to return to.

Here is our resulting conversation…..

PCBYC:  Melissa, can you share with us what your initial yoga path was?  What was your first experience and how did you come to that point?

Melissa:  Yoga came to me when I was small.  We had 9 kids in our family, growing up in California…yoga was available all around with incense, the whole bit.  I had a brother who practiced; I knew early on that yoga was something special.

PCBYC:  After you’d been a student for a while, how did you come to decide on yoga as a career? 

Melissa (a little laughter):   It’s funny because I really didn’t decide that yoga was going to be a “career” for me.  The way I look at it….it’s something I have been  called to do….it is a service….or a gift to share….not something that I consciously decided I would make money with. 

PCBYC:  Where did you begin your Teacher Training?  It seems as though you are a perpetual student….how have you made your subsequent choices for Teacher Training? 

Melissa (has been teaching since 2003)  I took my first formal 200-hour teacher training at Dragonfly in Fort Walton with Laura Tyree.  Then, went on to pursue my 500-hour designation with JJ Gormley. 

PCBYC:  Curious, I then asked Melissa about 500-hour programs since I am in the process myself and I know of others who are trying to decide where to go next.  Her answers were enlightening…..

I think I might have pursued my 500-hour program a little earlier than I should have.  Looking back, I was a little restless, not as grounded as if I had waited awhile. And I went to many, many different types of workshops over the next few years.   In retrospect, the instruction (through JJ Gormley) was exactly what I needed, but I wasn’t as ready to fully receive it as I would have been later.  What I am currently doing is following the inner teacher, going where my heart draws me, exploring a lot of self study.  I look for authenticity in a teacher or program.

PCBYC:  What would you say a typical day of yoga looks like for you?

Melissa:  I have 4 set (types of) classes….I am an instructor in the 2013 YTT program at Balance and I also teach there, in addition to 2 classes at Rosemary Beach.  A typical day?  On a good day, I get up in the morning and walk for an hour.  I do a walking meditation – praying on the trip out and meditating on the trip back.  Then, I take a shower, and afterward, sit for 10 minutes & meditate & plan my practice, then, I go and teach.  I try to do a small (maybe 20-minute) home practice a day.

PCBYC:  What would you say is the most gratifying part of being a yoga instructor? 

Melissa:   Seeing people get excited about yoga!

PCBYC:  What do you learn from your students?

Melissa:  That every person is a different image of God….I try to see them that way and meet them there…and experience their joy!

PCBYC:  Do you feel there is a difference between studio yoga and classes conducted in other venues?

Melissa:  I’ve taught in both studios and gyms for years….I have to say that I feel  more free in the studio to share more….less restrained than I do in a gym.

PCBYC:  Do you have a favorite pose?  Why?

Melissa:  Standing Forward Fold ….because it’s easy for me!!

PCBYC:  What about yoga makes you laugh?

Melissa:  Farting & snoring make me giggle!

PCBYC:  How does your yogic path integrate with or enhance your life as a wife & mother?  As an artist?

Melissa:  It has already integrated – it isn’t separate – yoga is in everything.

PCBYC:  Where do you see yourself as an instructor five years from now?

Melissa:  I see myself still teaching…but maybe less classes….always teaching but maybe not as much.

PCBYC :  THANKS more than I can express for sharing your thoughts and insights….we who have been your students and who may become your students have been very blessed….namaste….Melissa J