Meet Hanna Arrington: Our Teacher of the Season
Tell us about your experience with yoga: how it began, where it has taken you, and how yoga has impacted your life.
Yoga brings so much joy and calmness into my life. I began taking classes in 2010 and noticed how good each class made me feel mentally and physically. I always wondered how this instructor became an instructor and what led them to it. I have always come to yoga as a way to free the mind and stretch the physical body.
It wasn’t until 2019 that I really found the majority of health benefits while I was pregnant with my Yogi son, Rea. Yoga helped me cleanse and recenter before, during, and after pregnancy. I fell even more in love with the practice during the “World Shutdown” of 2020 alongside the sudden death of my father. Yoga healed me more than ever in every aspect of the physical and spiritual world. In some ways, having a yoga practice and community saved me. I loved the practice so much I wanted to share it with anyone who would listen, so I became an RYT200 (Registered Yoga Teacher) and RPYT95 (Registered Prenatal and Postnatal Instructor) to do it!
I am now living my dream teaching in my hometown, Waynesville at the studio that gave me my knowledge and love for the practice. I am so thankful for Jay and every instructor along the way that encourages me and guides me through this magnificent world.
What are your favorite styles of yoga / classes?
I love all different styles of yoga and really can’t pick just one. There are so many benefits to a well-rounded practice. I have recently come to enjoy Ashtanga and the mind, body, breath connections and history. I love to teach Vinyasa and Restorative, but I attend what the body is calling for. From Buti to Yin and all those in between; they are all important to me. I also feel like a good playlist is a fun way to mix up the traditional silence or new age music.
What’s your favorite pose and why?
It is so hard to pick just one! I will name a few. Warrior or Dancer for active standing asana. They both make me feel so strong and capable. I love the feeling that I can tune into the breath with these and really use my prana magic to hold the asana. Supported child pose in a restorative class and Savasana because it’s so relaxing. I especially love when an instructor guides a Yoga Nidra in Savasana because it can really help lead the mind and body further into relaxation.
What do you do when you’re not practicing yoga?
I love to garden, hike, fish, play + bake + cook with my son, read, and spend time with my close friends and family.
Tell us something funny or unexpected about you.
I can accurately imitate a Hen Turkey and call in a Tom Turkey. However, I can’t gobble only cluck. Gobbling takes extra skill and practice.