We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cyd Crain Post a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cyd, thanks for joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

My parents fully embody the yogic concepts of Sthira (stable and steady) and Sukha (ease and lightness). My sister and I were raised in the Midwest where family came first. My parents encouraged us to feel all our feelings and to embrace all parts of ourselves with love, humor, and a detached ego. If our family had a motto, it would probably be, “Show up, live life on life’s terms, and don’t forget to laugh.” My parents had my sister and me marching in protests, serving in soup kitchens, and working by the time we were 12. Showing up in service of others and being ready to work formed a grit in us that I credit for my strong work ethic. This became the Sthira, my steady foundation.

Both my parents are creatives, which is the lightness. My father was a stage manager for a major music venue outside Milwaukee. His stories from that time are wild, but the real magic is watching him create. He crafts paint into paintings on canvas or homes and is a true artist. His house painting business is the most successful in the area, and I was proud to work for and learn from him. He calls himself a painter, “sometimes with a big brush and sometimes with a small brush.” Check out his work at crainpainting.com. My mother is one of the most private people on the planet, but if you know her, you know what a do-no-harm, take-no-shit earth angel she is. Everything she touches is beautiful, from homes and gardens to her award-winning floral arrangements. She is a gift.

In essence, my parents taught me to love, create, and show up. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Back in the 1980s, ADHD was a different experience than it is for kids today. I was diagnosed at age 7 and never traditionally medicated. My medicine was movement. Ballet taught me discipline and focus, swimming taught me endurance and impulse control, and yoga taught me how to be ME. I am grateful for all my movement practices. I still dance and swim as much as I can, but yoga has a unique staying power.

Having a yoga practice is the most magical life hack. In one hour, my mind becomes focused, my body builds mobility and strength, and meditation at the end brings it all together. I walk off the mat, having processed what happened before, and prepared for whatever comes next. Yoga is THE tool for me to live life on life’s terms.

I’ve always struggled to find a home studio. The franchise or corporate brands felt “plug and play” and generic, but I loved the consistency. On the other hand, the small studios with the feel I was looking for had inconsistent classes and teachers. This led to the creation of The Yoga Post, born out of my desire to share the power of consistent yoga in a small, intimate sanctuary.

The Yoga Post offers intentionally small group yoga classes at reliable and convenient times. Our TYP 3 Phases of class and emphasis on Teacher Training create a consistent framework while letting each teacher’s personality shine.

We aren’t trendy; you won’t hear us telling you to “blossom your heart open.” If you love good music, relatable yoga (both philosophy and asana), and find cursing and laughter cathartic, we are the yogic home you’ve been looking for. Good, clean, yoga.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I love this question. Life is all about the pivot, staying mobile through the ups and downs. It fuels my yoga practice and my role as a yoga teacher and studio owner. The Yoga Post is relatively young; we moved our outdoor and private classes to the studio in September 2021. Initially, the vision was for teachers of all modalities to hold practices in the space.

However, during the pandemic, I realized this wasn’t fitting the neighborhood’s needs. After asking my community what they valued about TYP, they mentioned consistency, familiarity, structure, and safety. This led me to dig deeper into my why. Why did I start teaching? Why did I launch The Yoga Post? My pivot was actually a return to my core reasons: connecting and sharing the joy and magic of yoga. I wanted The Yoga Post to offer the consistency of big chain studios with the intimacy and community of small boutique spaces.

I believe pivots show us the way back to our true selves and our true north. Don’t be afraid to shake off the bullsh*t, take a deep breath, and reset.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Marketing and selling your studio is not slimy. It feels ridiculous to admit now, but I once felt charging people for yoga was wrong. Therefore, marketing my studio was out of the question. And I was right, in a way.

If I don’t tell people about The Yoga Post, who we are, and what we do, they won’t know to come to our classes. They won’t pay for classes, and I won’t be able to offer tea, light candles, provide clean mats and props, or pay teachers and rent.

Letting people know where we are and what happens inside a class is kind. The Yoga Post is a special place for a lovely and fun community. It’s not for everyone, and that’s okay. It’s important to be clear about our unique cues and names for poses, and the amenities we provide. This helps set expectations.

Don’t be shy about telling people what you’re doing. How else will they know how awesome you are?

Also, if you live in the Chicago area, come visit The Yoga Post on Central Street in Evanston. See you on the mats!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theyogapostchicago.com
• Instagram: theyogapostchicago
• Facebook: theyogapostchicago