Look Who's Working Out: Sarah Thomas Pilcher of UAMS
Sarah Thomas Pilcher, Researcher at UAMS / Yoga Instructor | Nicole Hobbs, courtesy of Barefoot Studio
How did you get into yoga?
To me, yoga is not an industry, it’s a lifestyle. My mother was my first yoga teacher. She practiced yoga while she was pregnant with me, and I started practicing with her when I got a bit older. I just started to feel and see benefits of what yoga could do for my mind, body and spirit.
What changes can you attribute to yoga?
It has helped me personally in so many ways. It’s helped me concentrate more in school, it has helped me deal with my multiple sclerosis mentally and physically, but most importantly, it has helped me find happiness by finding my natural, full, true self.
Where and how often do you practice?
As a yoga teacher who is always a student of yoga, I practice every day, often at Arkansas Yoga Collective.
Why would you recommend yoga?
Yoga can improve anything from blood pressure to concentration to connecting with others in a deeper way. Yoga is not just a physical practice, and there are different types of yoga. Depending on what type you do, you might get different results. It’s a system developed to keep the body safe while doing the class. And according to tradition, meditation and pranayama (controlled breath) are just as important as asana (physical practice).