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By Bailey Marvel
Star Correspondent
It has been over two weeks since 2023 was rung in as the New Year. As is tradition many people made resolutions on how they would improve themselves over the coming months, however many people have probably already failed or in some way fallen behind on their New Year’s goal. Whether it’s reading a book every day or jogging every morning some people have already let go of their “New Me.” A goal many people try to achieve is fitness and wellness. While fitness goals may seem unconquerable at times they can be achieved and Carrie McMaggard’s Yoga Farm might be able to help.
Yoga Farm is a five-acre facility just outside of Elizabethton that is open to anyone. The grounds include a walking trail and they hold yoga classes six days a week. It is a place of relaxation that offers massage, tai chi, and of course yoga. The first Saturday of each month they offer free classes to anyone who wants to try yoga. McMaggard has been teaching yoga since 2016 and opened Yoga Farm four years ago. Talking about her experience with yoga she said, “I had played sports my whole life but my body was not a fan of that so when I found yoga it was a way to center myself. I found out that was what my body needed. I am stronger and healthier now than I was playing three sports in high school. There is a quote I really love that says ‘we are as young as our spine is flexible.’” The yoga she teaches is all about embetterment and wellness. McMaggard is trained in helping people with all sorts of ailments such as neck pain, multiple sclerosis, and even depression. “Whatever the ailment there is a type of yoga that will work with their bodies and give them the best results.”
When asked about how people can achieve their fitness goals McMaggard said, “Sometimes people try to make their goal too big. We try to do too much. We really need to set a goal of how we want to feel. It’s not about how much you weigh, it’s about feeling healthy … the point is having something to work towards. We always want a goal to work towards, especially with our health.”
McMaggard went on to explain that it can be healthy to see fitness goals less as numbers to be achieved by a deadline and more like life changes we can meet so we feel good about ourselves whether that is something as simple as feeling our clothes fit properly or being able to shave two minutes off of a mile run. “We have a gentleman in his late 70s who is a marathon runner and since he has started coming he has dropped two minutes off his times this year, just because he is learning to stretch his body for what he does so he can continue to do the thing he loves.”
This Saturday, Yoga Farms is holding a workshop called Keeping Your Goals. The workshop discusses making attainable goals and how anyone can achieve them. “What we’ll do is talk about how to make something visual like a vision board to put words down so you can focus on each day of achieving your goals… it really adds a lot to you keeping that goal.” The workshop will be held at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $20 per person, however material for the vision board will be provided by Yoga Farm, located at 265 Slagle Road, Elizabethton.