September 2018 Yogi of the Month

Kendra Manzo

September brings us to one of the awesome Tribeca Yogis in our amazing community, Kendra Manzo. Her gorgeous attitude and practice inspire us all to be responsible for the energy we bring!

Nikki: How long have you practiced yoga and what other forms of exercise do you like to do?

Kendra: I've been practicing yoga for about 4 years. I decided to explore various studios around NYC after years of doing exclusively high impact boot camps and running. I still love a good boot camp, but I need to go to yoga at least 2-3 times per week to avoid injury and center myself.

Nikki: What brought you to YogaSpark?

Kendra: I walked by the YogaSpark TriBeCa location for a month or two before finally stepping inside. I had been practicing hot yoga with a single studio for more than a year and the style was starting to get stale. I was craving a hot class with great music and teachers who were free to express their individual style. I found that at YogaSpark and I haven't looked back since.

Nikki: You just got married, congrats! How did yoga fit into your life as you prepped for your wedding? How does it feel to come back to your practice after such a big life event?

Kendra: Thank you! Yoga played a massive role in prepping me for the wedding because I was able to sweat out so many of the frustrations that come along with planning a wedding in Italy. I found myself in class easily 5x per week, and did a special flow with my girlfriends during my bachelorette in upstate NY. I actually landed in NYC from Italy on a Friday afternoon a week after my wedding, and flowed with Christina and Megan on Saturday and Sunday. I even brought my brother and sister in law for their first ever yoga class! They loved it!

Nikki: Can you give a word or phrase that describes yoga to you?

Kendra: Acceptance- I used to think that I was "bad" at yoga because I wasn't naturally flexible. I always had an excuse for why I didn't need it. However, over the last few years I have found peace with my individual yogi journey. I'm learning to accept where I am on any given day, even if that means taking child's pose during Annie's Sunday morning sweatfest. I'm a work in progress and proud of how far I've come.