Meet Libby Lynch of Humboldt, Tennessee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Libby Lynch

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
8 years ago, I began to practice yoga seriously. after my brother came home for Christmas looking really good. Not that he ever looked bad, he just seemed more fit and more at peace and had lost several pounds. His response when I commented was that he had just been practicing yoga. When he went on to explain that he was pursuing his certification, always, the good sibling, I thought, I can do that too. I enrolled in Yoga Center of Jackson for their one year training program. I completed my 200 hr certification right as the pandemic hit. This timing was actually a really positive thing since yoga provided me with many tools that allowed me to not only survive a difficult time for our world, but actually find fulfillment. As things normalized, following 2021, I began working on my 300 hr certification. I currently hold a 500 hr eRYT certification.

With a background as an Arts Educator with over 30 years of teaching experience, I quickly noticed the numerous parallels between the mindfulness offered through the arts and and the awareness developed through a regular yoga practice. In 2022, I decided to open a yoga studio. My husband and I bought a historic downtown building in Humboldt, TN and started working on renovations. My philosophy of Movement, Making AND Meditation guided me every step of the way. My daughter and I tossed around ideas for names and landed on Main Fit Yoga. The fact that our historic building was on Main Street played into the name selection and option to have fun with the acronym on shirts did NOT slip our minds.

I opened my studio in November of 2022. I have gentle yoga, dance /yoga fusion, and warm vinyasa yoga classes. I also offer once a month restorative classes and pop-up paint parties.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been challenging due largely to the fact that the studio is located in Rural West Tennessee. In addition to teaching yoga, I am also trying to educate our community to exactly what yoga is. It is difficult since the very nature of the word embodies a myriad of concepts. For some practitioners, it IS spiritual, for some it is a way to simply feel good in their body while for others, it is a way of life. I fall into the last category. Many people are reluctant to come to a class because they think yoga is not going to offer them enough exercise. Some people say they aren’t flexible enough. Some people are afraid of the spiritual nature of practicing yoga. Some people think it is too difficult. My “tribe” of regulars are largely West Tennessee Transplants who practiced yoga somewhere else and were very excited to find a local studio.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I mentioned already, my background is that of an arts educator. I am a really good teacher. My strength is in breaking down how to do something into steps that others can understand. My students have found success in various artistic fields and gone on to become successful on their own. One of my most proud moments was when the parents of a former student came to visit me in Humboldt and brought me a wooden spoon that she had carved. During their visit, I found out that she had taught the previous summer at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg…Arrowmont only hires the best. They said that I had put her on the path to becoming a professional artist, and I have never felt such a sense of joy. I have been able to translate the ability to break things down into steps into my yoga practice through concise cuing. I feel like my teaching ability is my specialty, yet what sets me apart from other yoga studios is the way that I combine the mindfulness found in both art and yoga incorporating mini mindful art exercises into some of my yoga practices. Again, my philosophy of “Movement, Making AND Meditation” guides all aspects of my studio.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
The thing that matters most to me is that everyone in my class feels embraced and welcomed. I work hard to recall names of my participants. I work hard to modify a planned practice when I have yogi’s show up unprepared for the planned sequence. Once more, my background in arts education has guided me in how to modify postures to accommodate various ability levels. In my art classroom, it is not uncommon to have a combination of naturally talented and advanced students in the same class with students who simply need to take an art class in order to graduate. As the teacher, it is my job to help all of my students find a level of success and reach their own individual fullest potential.

Pricing:

• $15 drop-in
• $100 ten class pass
• Membership Options are also available

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mainfityoga.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/main_fit_yoga/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MainFitYoga/