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Patricia Elizabeth Marlborough Renaud is my name, though most people know me as Patty Marlborough. I've been doing yoga for about 40 years, and right from the beginning knew it to be my Saving Grace.

Here is how I began:

When I was 17, my Ballet teacher used yoga for cool down and taught us Shivasana with a guided complete relaxation. I loved it! I didn’t continue with Ballet, but yoga became a passion for me, when I rediscovered it at 21 years old. I was looking for a way to gain better control of my life, and self esteem, and I found a book called, "Teach Yourself Yoga in 28 Days" by Richard Hittleman at the local library (we didn't have computers yet). I studied the book and practiced the yoga daily for 28 days. At the end of the book, it said now find a class and a teacher! So, I moved to a city where I found one at the local YMCA. I practiced with her for about 3 months, during which time I went with her to study with Jon Cabot Zinn, at a studio called Interface, in Watertown MA. He introduced us to mindfulness in that Yoga class, and has gone on to write a number of books on the subject (worth a read). My teacher from the Y moved after the 3 months and said, "Now you are the teacher". So that's how I began.

So the reasons for staying with the practice:

In my twenties, I loved the way Yoga helped me to feel and look. Fully alive! Confidence, clarity and all the energy I needed to work my way through school. I went to Fitchburg State University and got a B.S. in "Teaching Young Children with Special Needs" and "Elementary Education". While there, I taught Yoga, and loved the dance classes I took twice a week, Contact Improvisation, which is like (Pilobolus) and Creative Movement. Lots of laughs, lots of fun, lots of dance!

Then in my early 30's a bad accident really that messed up my back and neck. The yoga was instrumental in my healing and greatly eased the pain. The good thing is, I now understand what people are talking about when they share what pains and problems they are challenged with. I have empathy that comes from experience.

At 40 I had my first child, then at 44 a second. A boy and a girl, yea! Now I do yoga for the strength, to lug them and their stuff around and even so the energy to keep up with them! Also I was still in the healing process, which can take a long time when it's your back.

Then in my 50's I thought, I have to always do yoga, so I don't get arthritis from those injuries. Yet another reason, besides the peace of mind, and wonderful way it makes me feel and enjoy my life. So at 53, I became certified to teach Yoga from Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Kripalu’s calm meditative approach to Yoga brought me back to my roots, while studying with teachers who practice the Iyengar method, has been wonderful for learning details of alignment, and techniques for modifications. My teaching now combines both methods along with the influence of the Creative Movement dance classes and my Yoga classes flow according to the mood and energy level of the group.

So now I'm in my 60's and back for to the original reason, which is for the love of it. I feel my best, and life is just easier with Yoga. I continue to take classes as well as teach them and maintain a personal practice at home. It was my Saving Grace then and it still is now. I'm so grateful to have found it when I did. Still understand, you can begin at any age. Just doing your personal best, day to day, moment to moment will be good enough, so please feel free to smile, even laugh and enjoy the process. It's just Yoga.

Peace *