wellness MAY/JUNE 20
Restoring your health Betsy Belk finds peace practicing, teaching yoga Story and Art by Gracie Byrne
We all wear an array of hats, and Betsy Belk is no different. She is many things, but when yoga is concerned, she is a teacher. She didn’t always teach yoga. Belk had always been someone who was physically active, taking kickboxing and spin classes as part of her routine. But her body had changed and needed something different. After the birth of her third child in 2011, she began suffering from back pain 26 BROOKHAVEN MAGAZINE
that prevented her from participating in her normal routine. Belk expressed concern to her mom, and she found herself in a yoga class with her mom in a woman’s home that taught yoga. This changed Belk’s body for the better. Her back pain began to subside and she felt inspired. “It felt like fitness and it helped with my back pain, so I knew it was good,” Belk said.
Belk didn’t know it yet, but yoga was what her mind and body needed. She began practicing yoga and her back pain began to subside. It was a year and a half later when she decided she wanted to do more than simply practice yoga, but teach it too. “I felt like I wasn’t just getting fit, but that I was restoring my health,” Belk said. “I was passionate and I knew I wanted to offer this to the community.”
