Our Story
Bodhi Beginnings
Syl Carson, founder of Bodhi Yoga™, began doing yoga over 17 years ago. When she first discovered the practice, she was excited to find that many of the things she learned to be “yoga”, she had been practicing her entire life.
Twelve years ago her understanding of Yoga shifted again when she was diagnosed with Rheumatiod Arthritis and Fibromayalgia. At the recommendation of her doctor, (who was from India), she sought out a teacher with a broader understanding of the Yogic lifestyle.
Under the guidance of Wendy Logan, (the woman she considers her first “real” yoga instructor), Syl began using her Yoga practice as a complimentary therapy for her new health challenges. She realized, through deeper study and guidance, that there was much more to yoga than just a great way to stay in shape.
Syl’s Yoga practice has been an invaluable tool in RA symptom management. Her dedicated yoga practice allowed her to restore her range of motion and free herself from feeling controlled by health limitations. The Fibromyalgia symptoms have resolved entirely.
The Birth of Bodhi Yoga™
In 1999, Syl returned to Utah Valley, to find that there were no yoga classes available to attend. She spent many hours studying the practice on her own, delving deep into Yoga’s history and wisdom as a body/mind practice.
This same year Syl was approached by several residents of Robert Redford's Sundance Resort to teach what she had learned so far, an early experience that “lit her fire” as a teacher. Since that time she has been teaching classes at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains.
During this early time in her teaching, Syl also traveled, studying with many enlightened yoga teachers, from Ashtanga’s Richard Freeman, to Rodney Yee, Ganga White and many others. She was also introduced to the best-selling author Pema Chodorn, by Wendy.
Syl’s exposure to Pema, helped her realize that she was using Yoga as a catalyst for something called: “Bodhi”, the Sanskrit word for Awakening. Her practice began with awakening to where she could take her yoga poses, then branched out into how she could improve her physical and emotional health, by raising her level of awareness.
Yoga also helped her awaken to the emotional and spiritual conversations of living with chronic pain, as well as increased her ability to be more fully alive and vital in her body. Teaching yoga gave her the chance to serve others, through the same practice. Yoga had spilled over the edges of her yoga mat, and into her life's work, where Bodhi Yoga™ was born.
Learn more about Bodhi Yoga by visiting our Mission & Philosophy page or make a virtual visit to the Bodhi Yoga Center.
