Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Drozd.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started coming to yoga about one year after I graduated college. I was living in Chicago and working at a job I liked enough but knew instinctively was not going to be my career. I was indecisive, stuck, unfulfilled and nagged by with an overall sinking sense of “this is it?”. I deeply wanted change but also feared it and had no idea where to begin.
In addition, I had no physical outlet. Up until this point in my life, I was a competitive cheerleader and with that being over, I was left with no physical discipline or team family. I had taken a few yoga classes in college and remembered that glowing comforting feeling that met me at the end of a good class. I began trying out numerous styles and studios and it was not until I wandered into Todd Boman and Alexia Bauer’s Ashtanga Mysore room at Moksha Yoga Center in 2012 that I began practicing almost daily. I just kept coming back, I can not pinpoint why exactly. It could be the warm sense of community and connection you feel to others who you practice next to on a daily basis, the student-teacher bond, or the quiet meditative nature of a self-practice.
Either way, within weeks all other physical forms of practice naturally dropped away. After about a year of daily practice, I mustered up the courage to join Moksha’s year-long 200h teacher training, a stressful decision at the time, but an obvious one looking back. After graduating, I knew I wanted to specialize in Ashtanga yoga (it was all I knew) so I timidly asked my teachers if I could enter an apprenticeship and they graciously accepted me. For four years I would wake up before sunrise and practice alongside one of my teachers from 6-8am and then observe and assist their class from 8-10am before heading to work. I did this several times a week for 2 years before I was asked to sub a small class, and 3 years before I subbed for a long period of time and picked up some of my own classes.
These years were invaluable and extremely rewarding, I would not be the teacher I am today without my teachers’ guidance and patience. During this time I had learned about Pattabhi Jois- the creator of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, who lived and taught in Mysore, India. I came to know that his Grandson Sharath Jois had taken over the lineage after his death in 2009 and that Sharath still teaches in Mysore. I had to go. I saved up money each year and made four consecutive yearly trips to Mysore from 2015-2018 for a total of seven months. In 2018 I was Authorized by Sharath to teach Ashtanga yoga, a blessing not necessary to teach in the west, but rewarding in its own right.
Upon arriving back from India in 2018, I decided to start a Mysore program of my own at Wicker Park’s Nature Yoga Sanctuary where I teach Ashtanga classes six mornings a week.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road at all times but I have had terrific role models and mentors that have kept me inspired and supported throughout. Some of my struggles included having a full-time job, but carving out about 15-18 hours a week to practice and apprentice. In the beginning, my lifestyle really changed, and it was a difficult transition as a 23-year-old to one day say to my friends “I can’t go out, I am waking up at 5 am for yoga”. It is a delicate balance to commit to a daily practice but also make time for friendships, family and other hobbies- a balance I am still learning!
Also, I have had my fair share of injuries, one particular neck injury that came out of nowhere and scared me a lot. It did not happen from yoga but I could barely lift or turn my head and attempt my practice only exasperated it. It really shook me, especially because being an Ashtanga teacher relies heavily on giving students hands-on adjustments. I have also torn a knee ligament in an embarrassingly forceful attempt to put my leg behind my head. This happened just one week before I was set to fly to Mysore, India for two months of intense yoga practice and I was limping around trying to decide if I should go practice or cancel my trip.
This injury made me question everything and really helped me step back from the practice in what I believe was a healthy way. Last but not least, money is always a struggle. Transitioning to only teaching yoga is very challenging because it takes years to build up a solid following. As independent contractors, yoga teachers usually do not receive health benefits or other perks that come with having a full-time employer.
Thankfully I have a long-time boyfriend who is emotionally, mentally and financially supportive. I would have had an extremely difficult time pursuing this path without him.
Megan Drozd – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Five mornings a week I teach Astanga Mysore, which is a silent practice where students learn each pose of the Astanga yoga practice at their own pace with my guidance. This dynamic practice involves synchronizing the breath with a progressive series of postures, or asanas, in order to build internal heat while challenging the practitioner to balance strength, flexibility and focus. This practice can be approached as a type of moving meditation that creates space to cultivate awareness, equanimity and non-attachment in order to increase overall well-being.
This practice is named for Mysore, South India, the place where Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the founder and proponent, lived and taught. I am set apart from others because I have devoted a lot of time traveling to Mysore in order to study directly under Sharath Jois (the founder’s grandson and the current lineage holder of Ashtanga) to learn this method from its source. While there are many fantastic Ashtanga teachers in Chicago, I am one of two who has decided to take this route and have recently been “Authorized Level 2” by Sharath Jois to teach in the method.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment was during a large community event hosted at Moksha Yoga center for the Ashtanga community in November 2017. This was a yoga class taught by my teacher Todd Boman and I, followed by a Holiday potluck as a way to come together as a community and wish Todd and I farewell before we departed for two months of practice in Mysore, India.
So many Ashtanga students came together to practice at the same time and the room was as full and energetic as I had ever seen it. It was such a fulfilling moment to see many the students I have worked with over the years come together for a large event.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2021 W. Division St. Chicago IL 60622
- Website: megandrozd.com
- Email: megdrozd3@gmail.com
- Instagram: sleek.chameleon
Image Credit:
Nora Sanchez and Justyna Jaworska
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