Myra Shaikh
* Wife * Mother * Yoga Instructor *
Passionate about finding ways to make a positive change in the world.
Under construction... Always.
My Story
Ever since I was a young girl, I felt different from the rest. Maybe it had something to do with being the first born daughter of young Pakistani immigrant newly-weds, who had just moved to Houston 9 months before I was born. Growing up in Houston and having to take ESL, I never truly felt like I belonged anywhere. I was socially awkward and oblivious when it came to unspoken social cues. My parent's would dismiss it as naivety or childishness - but I was acutely aware of the superficiality of the growing up process and I wasn't quite ready to conform.
Curious about life and philosophical by nature, I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston in 2005. Studying psychology, anthropology, religion, sociology and philosophy opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on life... and my relentless desire for intellectual understanding made me question everything I had previously believed. I endured the discomfort of stripping it all away, and started with a clean slate. That was just the beginning of my journey towards a spiritual awakening...
Fast forward to 2013, when I happened to stumble upon yoga by chance. We had just moved to Austin from Houston the previous year, and my second child was 6 months old. I was getting back to the gym and looking for new ways to lose the extra 60 pounds of baby weight I had gained.
To say that yoga changed my life would be an understatement. I started for the physical benefits... but for the first time ever, I felt like I had found the language of my soul. The philosophy felt strangely familiar and resonated with my empathic heart. As a wife and a mother of two young kids, I yearned for the inner peace and calmness that yoga delivered. I became reacquainted with my true self. My passion for yoga quickly snowballed as I discovered confidence and inner strength that I never even knew existed. I acquired my 200 hour teacher training certification at Dharma Yoga in 2015, completed 300 hours of Advanced Teacher Training at Practice Yoga Austin in 2018, and 50 hours of Trauma Informed YTT at Yoga Yoga in March of 2019, with numerous smaller trainings since then. I've had the privilege to teach everyone from young kids to seniors, from pregnant women to the Austin SWAT team, and internationally through my yoga videos. I am also the founder of the Austin Yoga Teachers Community Facebook group, which was born out of the intention to stay connected and continue learning among other teachers. We are over 600 members, and growing. I look forward to continual evolution and being a student for life.
My Podcast Interview:
My Mission
My greatest desire is to use yoga as a tool to help others find the same benefits it had helped me find, and contribute to the betterment of this world in some way. I especially want to help the underserved populations in our community to discover a better quality of life. Sharing yoga is my form of service. I have two specific objectives:
CHARITY
I began teaching at Treehouse Yoga 1 month after receiving certification. During my employment (and the studio's existence) from 2015-2018, I taught a non-profit class every Wednesday at 10:30am called "#DoGoodFeelGood Wednesdays". I offered free yoga and bagels (generously donated by Wholy Bagel each week) in exchange for charitable donations. 100% proceeds from these classes went to a different non-profit cause or charity, and every month I selected a new beneficiary and personally matched the donations dollar for dollar. Since then, I am committed to serving nonprofit yoga studios like
Sanctuary Yoga and Pure Action Yoga. Scroll down to view my schedule!
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
I am also drawn to women's causes in particular, and hope to help empower other women who might be feeling the same way I did... perhaps experiencing a loss of identity as a mother, wife and/or caretaker, and are craving something more out of life. With this intention, I began offering a Monthly Women's Group on the last Friday of each month during my time serving as an instructor and Studio Director at Treehouse Yoga. Our gathering provided females a safe space to practice, cultivate bonds and friendships with positive and supportive women, vent, share refreshments - and most of all, have fun! Since then, I have partnered with PsycheTruth to develop an online yoga program for women and moms called "Get Your Body Back". I've also developed a 14 day beginners series for those who are brand new to yoga. You can find the programs on Amazon Prime and the Yoga Plus app. Some videos are also available on YouTube.
Classes
Current Public Classes
During COVID-19 pandemic, the following classes are offered via Zoom online and benefit non-profit organizations. Click on the name to be redirected & sign up:
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Tuesdays- 6-7pm Vinyasa Flow
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Thursdays- 1-2pm Senior Chair Yoga
Sanctuary Yoga Austin (online)
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Sundays- 9-10am All Levels Guided Vinyasa
Find Me Online:
"Thanks again for the tough workout, the always enriching and enlightening atmosphere, and your kindness to take time after class to chat and answer questions! You are awesome and seriously my favorite instructor!"
- Whitney M.
"Hi Myra, I'm a student of yours at Treehouse Yoga. I want to tell you that your classes have helped me a lot in my life, and I am very grateful to you."
- Sandra N.
"It was so nice to take your class and visit with you afterwards. Loved your sequencing! You have created such a warm and loving sangha community at Treehouse Yoga! One can feel it as soon as you walk in the door. The studio has such a peaceful, soul-filled vibe and you have done a GREAT job of keeping it up! I think it is one of my favorite studios in Austin!"
- Amy Y.