MEET THE STUDENTS WHO ARE FEELING THE HOPE.
MEET JULIA
Julia is a very busy mother and student. Here she shares her journey with yoga and how it has helped her gain both physical and mental strength and better cope with the stress and complexity of a busy life.
MEET SAGDRINA
Sagdrina is an athlete and marathon runner who is also living with an auto-immune disease.Here she shares her journey with yoga and how it has helped her to transform her life, improve her health, and find balance.
MEET BAKER
Baker is a 17 year old competitive athlete. Here he shares his journey with yoga and how it helped him prepare for and heal after open heart surgery, improve his sport, and help him excel in everyday life.
MEET CANDICE
Candice is a breast cancer survivor. Here she shares her journey with Hope and how yoga helped her recover her strength and zeal for life and improve her ability to cope with stress.
“Yoga has made me stronger and more flexible at age 66. I would love to practice every day if classes were available. I’ve been taking yoga for 4 years and feel it’s something I can do forever. Hope’s classes are for everyone no matter where you are. She gives options that allow you to go to your edge...wherever you are with your practice. Hope adds essential oils to our practice, which makes the experience even more special. Thank you Hope for making me want to embrace yoga to make me healthier and stronger.”
“Hope has faith to follow her heart and her dreams; the hope to persevere even when things are hard; and great love for God, her family, friends, and others. She radiates light wherever she goes. Well done good and faithful servant! It makes me feel very special and loved to know that God purposely put you into my life.”
“I am so thrilled at the progress I have made. Sure I would love to be able to do advanced yoga but thanks for teaching me to start with where I am. Also, the improvement in my shoulder and vertigo has been amazing. Thanks!”
“Hope is a fantastic instructor as she has the patience of a saint and will guide you to your ability- whatever that may be. Hopes Yoga gets me through life soooo much easier.”
“Hope provides a comfortable environment where truly ANYONE can enjoy all the benefits from yoga. I not only look forward to the yoga itself but seeing Hope and everyone else in this very welcoming class. I have learned my body can do more than I thought with the help of such a caring and professional yoga instructor. One of the best things I have ever done.”
“You have a beautiful presence and a full heart that touches all! ”
“Hope is a wonderful Yoga teacher. Her classes are healing as well as invigorating. She challenges and encourages and inspires. Hope’s gentle confidence provides a nurturing environment in which to grow with Yoga. I always feel more serene and alive after Hope’s class and I learn something new.”
“The best part of my week is practicing yoga with Hope! I’m as thankful for her warmth and generous support as I am for her excellent instruction. I feel very lucky to have found her program and encourage others to try a class with her. ”
“This has been such a difficult year. My husband and I have lost 5 family members this year including my father who passed away last week. I have used yoga and focused breathing to help me make it through. I miss being in class, but wanted you to know what a strong influence and comfort your meditative and healing approach to yoga have had on me. I hope to be in class again soon. Thank you!”
“When I first began yoga, I had been recommended for spinal surgery. I have a herniated disk in the cervical spine which caused a great deal of inflammation and pain. I had been on medications to treat the inflammation and pain for the two years prior and had just completed my third round of physical therapy. I did not want to have surgery, and I did not want to continue taking medications daily just to be able to manage my pain.
In addition to that, I wasn’t sleeping well and had been diagnosed with high blood pressure due to stress two years earlier. The onset of high blood pressure was a bit of a surprise to me as I eat healthy and have always had low to normal blood pressure. Generally, I was not in a “peaceful” place in my life, which I felt I needed to remedy. A dear friend of mine had been going to a yoga class and suggested that I give it a try simply to help me regain a more restful sleep. This was truly my motivation for starting yoga. Sleep. Good sleep! I decided that it could not hurt, and began what would become a most sincere and dedicated practice of yoga.
My intention for my yoga practice was to heal. I needed healing in my physical body, and in my life. I felt so much stress in the day to day activities of marriage and family, both of which I live for. It has been about 7 months since I began yoga, and I would like to share with you the benefits yoga has had on my life and health. In just the first few weeks, I immediately began to feel more connected and present in my life. I learned how to breathe. Really breathe. I began to feel physically stronger within two weeks. My pain from the cervical disk slowly began to subside; I found that I could manage the pain with yoga practice and without any kind of medications. After 6 months, my blood pressure is low again. I am peaceful and continue to grow spiritually.
To my dear friend and yoga instructor Hope, thank you for helping me change my life and the direction my health was going. Namaste!”
“Hope, you are your name in real. Hope opens the door to everything. So grateful to share my journey with you!”
“Dear Hope, Thank you for your sweetness, kindness, and support. You are such a special inspiring human being. Keep spreading your light.”
“I have known Hope before and after her commitment to yoga and have been moved by the transformation of her spirit. It is wonderful to know her as a student and as a friend.”
“Hope has provided me with the opportunity to begin a yoga practice in a comfortable, supportive and peaceful environment. She is patient and skilled with students at all levels. Her classes are just what I need to feel flexible, refreshed, and ready to take on whatever the week deals out to me. ”
“A good word to describe Hope is passion. Her desire to share yoga with others is more than a simple interest. She teaches with an intensity and commitment to lovingly serve others.
Her passion for the art and science of yoga as a conduit for healing and wholeness is also an expression of the aspect of the word passion that has to do with suffering. She clearly sees yoga as a gift for those who face suffering, and she has shared this gift freely.”
“I have been practicing yoga for a year now with Hope at Hope’s Yoga. I started out of a desire to gain strength and flexibility. I had no clue of the deep and far-reaching benefits that I would encounter along the way. I am finishing up a degree in Psychology and Crisis Management, specializing in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As I was experiencing the mental, emotional, and physiological benefits of yoga, I was also encountering numerous scientific research studies on the healing power of Hatha yoga and mindfulness based therapies. The timing and approach could not have been better for me. I was skeptical and ignorant about yoga, as many are. But, the evidence for its power, not only to strengthen the body, but to heal the body and mind are undisputed. The practice of yoga has the power to recalibrate the physiological processes of the brain and significantly help people with PTSD, depression, and other anxiety disorders. However, the benefits are immeasurable and everyone should try it! Hope is a gifted teacher and educator. She facilitates much more than mere exercise…. She facilitates healing and HOPE.”
“In my experience, Hope’s best quality is her tenacity to constantly be discovering and learning how to flourish. The beauty is that she doesn’t stop there. She lives in the abundance of her ever-expanding knowledge and is passionate about educating others so they may flourish and live abundantly as well. I feel incredibly honored to have had my life so touched by Hope!”
“Hands down best yoga instructor in Georgia!”
“Thank you for being such an authentic teacher and for sharing your amazing gift with us each practice.”
“I am sending you this note to let you know you that you are INSPIRING! I was just diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer and knowing you are a BC survivor gives me hope. I had surgery one month ago (lumpectomy) and will begin my ‘treatment’ journey tomorrow and Thursday will be my first infusion. I won’t deny I am nervous about it all but even though I am quite a bit older than you, reading your posts and seeing how you just shine make me strong through this and kill the beast! Thank you for your beautiful spirit!”
“I wanted to take a minute to say thank you. Today I turn 29 and never in the years I can recall have I been so excited about my own birthday. You and your instruction and guidance have given me a while new perspective on just about everything, especially after a very trying year. Thank you for the change you have helped bring about in me!”
“You and your classes are unquestionably one of the best things I have encountered this year! You greatly helped my physical development but more important you helped me make inroads to the inner peace and serenity we all seek. My most sincere and heartfelt thanks! ”
“I wanted to take the time to write and let you know how much I have appreciated the Yoga for Cancer and Chronic Illness that Hope Knosher teaches. I found out about Hope’s yoga classes from my oncology office. I have been participating in Hope’s classes weekly for about 10 weeks. Hope’s classes have really helped me in a number of significant ways that other types of exercise and support groups have not.
During my chemotherapy treatments I continued to work out at the gym the best I could. Part of my lifestyle has always included exercise and being conscientious about what I eat. I was not ready for the gym routine after my treatments were done in February and quite frankly did not anticipate the amount of time it has taken for my body and emotions to heal. After my surgeries for reconstruction were over in June, I began physical therapy to get more mobility in my left arm. I was having sharp pain in my mid back near my spine. I experienced a lot of aches and pains in my legs and feet. I was holding a lot of tension in my body and didn’t even realize it at the time.
Being on the other side of cancer and getting back to my regular routine of working out in the gym and having my brain not be in such a fog continued to be a challenge. I was not aware until I started doing yoga with Hope how much stress I carried in my body. I have since become aware of where I am holding tension and my breathing patterns and now have tangible ways to slow down and relax. Hope’s classes have been a way for me to learn how to do this. She is very compassionate, knowledgeable and takes the time to teach me how to listen and be in touch with my body, teaching me about the practice of yoga and how to breathe. This has been so helpful for my whole body as I continue to heal. The problems I had with my mid back have gone away, the tenseness I carried in my shoulders and my neck has subsided. I feel so much better after attending class and have learned how to practice yoga at home by myself! I really look forward to going to class each week. Hope has become my friend and mentor and has taught me the importance of living life in the present moment!
It is evident to me and others that come to Hope’s class that she has a gift in helping others to heal physically and mentally. I am thankful for her gifts in my life and highly encourage her yoga practice to anyone needing that gentle touch. I believe everyone, both young and old and in between need Hope in their journey.”
“After having a double mastectomy, I had continuous pain in my right arm. Physical therapy, chiropractor and various massaged didn’t help at all but after 5 weeks of Hope’s Yoga, the pain is completely gone! On top of that, Hope is such a sincere and motivating parson! Thank you hope!”
“My neurologist, Dr. Ben Thrower, has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation to provide MS patients with a no cost opportunity to practice healing yoga. I am thrilled to have met Hope Knosher of Hope’s Yoga in John’s Creek, GA where she helps MS’ers rise above their disability and learn restorative yoga techniques to increase mobility through gentle movements and achieve mental awareness on how to direct our own minds ability to heal. I have recently joined the class but in just 3 sessions, I have been able to unclamp my “claw” toes, which directly helps me to walk better. I look forward to continuing to practice yoga with Hope and unlock even more healing to the damage that has been done by Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.”
“I started practicing yoga this year through a program that the MS Foundation has funded. This yoga practice has changed the way I see, feel and live in my body. It taught me that the journey is more important than achievement. When I entered Hope’s studio, I immediately felt welcomed and safe. The biggest change that I have noticed is my ability to take full deep breaths and not just shallow breathing. Yoga has helped me feel less stressed and more in charge of my happiness. I cannot imagine all of it happening without the guidance of Hope, and her ability to give special advice and necessary attention to each student in her class. Her gentle and supportive nature makes me look forward to our weekly class. Hope is an amazing and encouraging teacher and I hope to learn so much more from her! ”
“A very experienced teacher who knows how to meet the needs of her students. I look forward to taking more of Hope’s yoga classes.”
“Best yoga practice I’ve experienced in a long while.”
“Hope is incredible! Everything comes at the precise moment. I am inspired by Hope who has been through so many challenges herself and how yoga inspired her to move forward. I want to take your example and have that strength and desire to continue with love. I greet you from San Diego with a BIG HUG and a knowing that God is there for us.”
“I always feel relaxed after Hope’s classes. She assists me in finding adaptive positions when I cannot do the one everyone else is doing. To me, that is a true sign of an excellent instructor. Being able to adapt for each member in the class and she does that for us.”
“Hope’s yoga and meditation retreat weekend was exactly what I needed. Our time was well balanced and in a gorgeous setting! I feel renewed and rejuvenated.”
“I have been to Hope’s retreat last Saturday. It was amazing. I truly loved it. It was very thoughtfully and well prepared. Hope made us all feel very welcomed. It was a deep and meaningful experience. Thx so very much. I will come back.”
“I can only describe Hope’s retreat yesterday as a complete “Recharge” and “Reset” for my life. I woke this morning feeling deeply rested, centered, optimistic and motivated. And for the first time in a long time, can hear and acknowledge my own inner voice. Hope’s heart is so involved in her practice and her energy is contagious.”
“I learned how to and the importance of being able to meditate, being able to mindfully meditate to rejuvenate my spirit.”
“I came to the retreat full of curiosity and left with fulfillment and purpose!”
“The retreat provided me time for introspection and helped me realize where I am holding on to negatives and gave me skills to bring more openness, growth, and joy into my life on a daily basis.”
“I have recently returned from attending the “Mindfulness and Yoga” retreat that Hope orchestrated. Every “I” was dotted and every” T “was crossed but with a flow of kindness and compassion that made it seem very natural. It was a wonderful experience.
This retreat provided an opportunity for me to stop and be grateful of each moment. The setting in nature was breathtaking – the foothills of the Appalachian Trail. The menus were everyone exceptional – aromatic, presented beautifully and tasted delicious. The rooms were crisp and fresh and decorated with elegance. I enjoyed all the meditation time. The opportunity to be still and quiet is truly a gift.
I noticed after having done yoga for 3 days in a row, I felt like I was standing taller and had released stress and toxins my body had been storing. Hope is one of the kindest, most compassionate and wise individuals I have ever met. I look forward to her next retreat! ”
“The retreat with Hope was incredible. It was a gift that I gave myself. I came away from the retreat with energy and renewed purpose. I would come back many times!”