"Since I've been doing yoga, I feel lighter."
“With running, you just put your shoes on, get your music on, and you keep on going. With yoga, you have to be determined. You have to do your scheduling. You have to go there. If you’re willing to help yourself feel better, then you’ll make that time, be there, and do what’s good for you.”
One of our favorite parts about Thrive is the community we have built together. Each of us brings something unique to the mat—it is what helps us create a safe space where we can all continue to learn, grow, and simply be. To celebrate what makes Thrive Original Hot Yoga so special (psst, it’s you all!)—we're excited to feature another one of our fabulous members.
Do you know Elda? Her story might be familiar to many of you, even if you don't. For years she pounded the pavement with her daily long-distance runs until her body finally told her it was time to stop. So how can a busy mom eager to stay fit switch gears? Thankfully, her sister introduced her to yoga, which changed everything.
Elda is no longer in debilitating pain. She has more energy than ever and tells everyone she can about the dramatic shift her practice has made in her life.
Check out our conversation below and see if you can relate!
Meet Elda Mersinaj.
Jenny: What made you come to Thrive in the first place?
Elda: I used to be a runner. I ran pretty much every day. I would do a lot of long runs. Six to seven miles—that was nothing to me. And then, after COVID, I noticed that my knees gave out on me. My sister practices yoga; she said, “You need to try yoga and see how that's going to affect your health.” So that's what made me try yoga, and it has done wonders.
Jenny: What changes have you've noticed in your body since you started practicing?
Elda: First of all, my knees don't hurt as much. Before yoga, I would have trouble going up and down the stairs, bending to pick up my son, or actually going out for a walk or a run. Since I've been doing yoga, I feel lighter. There's not much pain in my knees. I'm able to do more things that used to make me stop.
Jenny: That is amazing. Are you still running?
Elda: No, unfortunately, I can’t. I did try to run, just recently. I went to Mexico for the holidays, and it was such an adrenaline rush for me to run along the coast. I did run for about a mile; but I felt it the next day. It’s amazing how yoga has made me so much better.
Jenny: Wow, I'm so glad that you're sharing this because I do think a lot of people, after a while, start to experience joint issues from running.
Elda: With running, you just put your shoes on, get your music on, and you keep on going. With yoga, you have to be determined. You have to do your scheduling. You have to go there. If you're willing to help yourself feel better, then you’ll make that time, be there, and do what's good for you.
Jenny: And show up for it. It's like anything else with health though—it takes commitment. Whether it's eating a healthy diet, trying to drink more water, or taking your vitamins, you just have to do it and make time for it.
Elda: Yes. And I can't stop talking to my family or my friends about it—how wonderful this yoga practice has been for me.
Jenny: That makes me so happy to hear. And it's funny because people come in for so many different reasons. You may be expecting one thing, but you get another benefit. For me, it's circumventing worry or anxiety. If I’m not practicing yoga for a while, it’s easy to forget that I can actually feel good in my own body—and all it takes is one class. I can walk out feeling like a different person than when I walked into the room. That's what I love about it.
“I’ve tried yoga a couple of times in the past, and I never felt that connection. But now, it’s my number one sport or activity to be involved with. ”
Elda: Yes, and it has made me more calm. It’s helped my critical thinking when I'm presenting or talking to people. I come from a big family, I am the firstborn, so I have my parents, who are older, and then I have siblings, who are younger. So I’m sandwiched in the middle; they always come to me. I‘ve noticed that practicing yoga has helped me to relax everybody— to demonstrate that it's okay—everything will be okay. It's that deep breath that you take in, and everything is ok.
Jenny: That is so cool. I love that.
Elda: It has helped me tremendously—mentally and physically—in every aspect. My family knows that I have my yoga schedule for the week. They will not bother me; they will not ask me for anything because they know that it's really important for me to be there for my well-being.
Jenny: My kids have done this, and I know lots of other moms have had the experience where their kids are like, “You need to go to yoga, mom.”
Elda: You know, my six-year-old son likes to dance and exercise. When I came home after yoga yesterday, he said, “Mama, I want to come to yoga with you.”
Jenny: That is so cute. I thought about doing a family class where they keep the heat a little bit lower, do some of the floor postures—not all of the standing—or maybe just one set of everything to make it more kid-friendly.
Elda: Yeah, that would be awesome. He asked me yesterday because I picked him up from school, and he knows where the yoga studio is. It's like, mama, I want to come to yoga with you too. I want to practice. I want to see what you do. It's like I have this yoga that has passed on to my son.
Jenny: Okay, so if you could offer a piece of advice to yourself when you first started yoga, what would you say?
Elda: You just keep on trying and just be committed to you—not anyone else. Your self is your first priority. And that's what you should focus on.
“I just love everything about the yoga that you teach.”
Jenny: Great. Thanks, Elda. This is awesome. I love your story. It's so relatable. And I think at a certain point, people need something else. We have a lot of athletes, not just runners, and yoga is the only thing they can still do.
Elda: Yeah, I feel so much more mature. I've tried yoga a couple of times in the past, and I never felt that connection. But now, it's my number one sport or activity to be involved with.
Jenny: That’s so great. The heat and the sweating give you that extra kick, too. Like running would do. Where you feel like you really did something.
Elda: And that's why I love your classes the most. Just like I had music when I went running, you have music with you all the time, too. It makes me so happy. You get your cardio in there. You get your music in there, and you are so good at it. You practice, you talk, and I love your affirmations and your quotes.
Jenny: Thanks Elda,
Elda: Thank you so much. I can't thank you enough.
PRACTICE LIKE ELDA
Elda carves out sacred time in her schedule to practice 4 - 5 times per week. She started noticing relief from her joint pain within one month of joining Thrive. Her go-to class is Jenny’s Hot 60 Music because it gives her the same energy and feeling she had after running but without the pain.
Discover what works best for you by checking out the various options in our class schedule. And be sure to click on the new student special if you are new or haven't been to Thrive in 12 months.
“I felt like I blossomed after coming to Thrive. It helped me make sense of things and feel more strongly connected to the ideas that I came across on my own.”
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