Community Spotlight: Marissa Dean
Meet Yoga Sanctuary’s Studio Manager!
What is your role at Yoga Sanctuary?
As the Studio Manager, I manage our Yoga Exchange team, handle marketing and communications, coordinate class schedules, and oversee daily operations. You’ve probably received at least one email from me! I love the creative license this role affords me, and I always look forward to meeting new students.
What does being part of the YS Community mean to you?
I spent the majority of the pandemic working hectic food service jobs where I was disrespected on a daily basis by customers and managers (I even had a cookie thrown at my head shortly after returning from the 2020 lockdown!). When Lindsay interviewed me for this role in March, I felt like I had found refuge from the storm. Yoga Sanctuary truly lives up to its name; the sunny, silent studio feels like a sacred space, and the owners, teachers and students are warm and welcoming. The YS community feels like a second family! Bonding with teachers and students has been such a rich experience.
What do you do for fun?
My ideal day is spent baking something sweet or cooking up a huge cauldron of soup, then curling up with a long book and my sweet cat Winnifred. I also love visiting the farmer’s market and browsing local book stores (Used book stores are the best!). I can always persuade myself to “adopt” another book…
Marissa and “Tipper”
What’s your favorite book?
Dickens’ David Copperfield. That story is so precious to me.
What gives you energy?
Being in nature. I don’t drive, so it’s hard for me to get out into the woods as often as I would like to. But I spend a lot of my time walking the trail behind the Smith (my alma mater) campus. Even when it’s blustery!
What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Child’s Pose (Balasana). I spend so much of life running around. I have a very chaotic personality. I try to incorporate Child’s Pose into my every day. It’s important for me to pause and surrender to stillness, curled around myself, holding my inner child.
Why do you practice yoga?
I practice yoga because I often find it challenging to inhabit my body. I hold my breath throughout the day, often forgetting to breathe. My shoulders are almost always tensed. The flowing, measured movement of yoga brings me back into my body and challenges me to find stillness in body and mind. I also suffer from chronic illness, which often makes it difficult for me to roll out the mat. Lorrie’s Gentle Flow class and Beth’s Restorative class are just my speed.
What do you hope YS students will gain by being part of this community?
I hope that our students will find peace and renewal through being part of our precious community. I hope that new students will feel comfortable practicing in our space. Everyone is welcome at Yoga Sanctuary, no matter your shape or size or age or experience with yoga. Contrary to what social media would have you believe, you don’t need to be a skinny, white, able-bodied woman to practice yoga. Yoga is for everyone.
A big part of our mission is making yoga accessible to everyone who wants to practice it. Between scholarships and our Yoga Exchange team, I hope that everyone who wishes to join our community will find a place here.
