Emily Holt-Gosselin (she/her)
As an avid benchwarmer on every adolescent sports team, Emily (she/her) naturally had an aversion to physical exercise and viewed it mainly as punishment for many years. Upon discovering yoga, though, her perception shifted to a form of self-care; moving the body because it helped her feel more grounded and empowered, elements that played a key role in her path to recovery from years of addiction.
In 2017, Emily was moderately peer pressured to sign up for a 200-hour YTT with Story Yoga--a YTT in Burlington, VT for people in recovery--led by the wonderful Teresa Wynne. Surprisingly, the peer pressure paid off (perhaps for the first time in her life :). Emily completed the training with even more of a passion to share this practice with others.
As a teacher, she loves to incorporate breathwork, meditation, and philosophical elements into her classes in an effort to emphasize the power of this practice, not only on a physical level, but mental and spiritual as well. Her classes tend to be light hearted, upbeat, and moderately-paced with plenty of options for rest and modification.
Emily’s personal values greatly influence how she teaches. She strongly believes that all people are inherently worthy regardless of ability level, health status, size, gender identity, sexual orientation, or race. Both personally and professionally, Emily vocally challenges toxic narratives stemming from diet culture, fitness culture, racism, classism, and spiritual bypassing.
Emily’s primary intention as a teacher (and human) is to offer a space where folks can learn to develop a deeper sense of self-trust, discernment, body acceptance, and self compassion in an effort to not only uplift themselves, but the greater community as well. She feels strongly that individual liberation is directly tied to collective liberation. Yoga—in the comprehensive sense of the word—is a rich practice that allows us to explore this concept of unity and put it into action.
Emily is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Body Image Coach. She aligns strongly with the anti-diet movement and Health at Every Size (HAES).
