Marsha Banks-Harold - Cultivating Strength of Awesomeness

Episode 94

59 mins

Marsha Banks-Harold - Cultivating Strength of Awesomeness

January 4, 2021

Marsha Banks-Harold is an Electrical Engineer, a trauma-informed yoga therapist and yoga teacher, and the owner of PIES Fitness Yoga Studio, based in Alexandria Virginia, USA.

We were introduced to Marsha through the Global Yoga Therapy Day conference, where she was on a panel alongside Rane in a discussion of diversity in yoga therapy.

Marsha sees herself as an intuitive healer called to empower clients to fortify one’s strength of awesomeness; to learn to rely on one’s authentic self; and to cultivate everlasting physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual (PIES) peace.

She is the creator of the flagship yoga class My Body Don’t Bend That Way designed for clients who don’t believe they are flexible enough for yoga, who are afraid to get onto the floor, who are living with physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual pains or those who have restricted range of motion. She thrives in creating a supportive, inclusive, diverse, adaptive and accessible yoga and yoga therapy experience for all.

In this conversation, we learn about her background growing up in Alexandria VA, how she was introduced to yoga, and how it helped her cope with her high pressure job in Electrical Engineering. We learn about how her community was affected by the George Floyd murder, and her thoughts on the (then) upcoming US presidential election.

Links

Marsha's Website: https://www.piesfitnessyoga.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piesfitnessyoga/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/PIESFitness

This episode is sponsored by Yoga Australia:
https://www.yogaaustralia.org.au/
https://www.instagram.com/yogaaustralia/

The opinions expressed in this podcast do not reflect the view and opinions of the sponsor.

Highlights

Click on a timecode to play from that time in the recording.

2:15 Marsha talks about her background growing up in Alexandria, Virginia
3:53 How a stressful life as an electrical engineer lead Marsha to yoga
6:42 “You have to do better than everyone in the world”
9:42 The similarities between yoga and engineering
14:03 Marsha’s inspiration for becoming a yoga therapist
17:54 Marsha’s passion for working with special needs individuals
20:30 What self-care practices does Marsha use to maintain her busy lifestyle
27:30 Marsha’s check in process that begin her classes
31:30 What steps does Marsha take to create an inclusive and accessible space
33:46 Support us on Patreon
34:47 Did Marsha notice an immediate effect in her community after the murder of George Floyd?
40:23 How does Marsha shift between the different aspects of her life and practice.
48:01 How does Marsha run her zoom classes in a way to help people feel connected?
50:17 Has Marsha got any strategies for helping older clients use zoom?
56:04 How was Marsha feeling about the upcoming presidential election?
58:05 What is Marsha’s one core lesson for the world?
59:10 Our next episode: Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten

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