We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tiffany Bergin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tiffany below.

Alright, Tiffany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents taught me yoga and meditation at a very young age. I was raised training in traditional martial arts and they were my teachers, I learned strong discipline from these traditions. My parents always believed in me and taught me to never give up. They had a risk-taking, adventurous way of living their lives that both inspired me and showed me where boundaries could be helpful. They have supported me at every turn in my life, through my ups and downs, career changes, and paths. My mother is an artist and my father is an entrepreneur. They work side by side and have always shared the ins and outs of their business, wins and fails. My parents are now both students of mine, funny how life evolves in this way. My mother comes to every class I teach, and my Dad has a personalized therapeutic home sequence that he practices daily. With my art, my mom takes all of my seconds, the pottery pieces I don’t share to be sold, and she uses them in the most creative ways. When I go to their house I am always pleasantly surprised by how she has turned my second-string pottery into beautiful statements in their home.

Without their consistent belief and support of me, I wouldn’t have the courage to take the risks I have; to go out on my own as a small business owner pursuing my passions, while continuing to always look inward, trusting my intuition.

Tiffany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have practiced Iyengar yoga for the last 19 years and after the traumatic birth of my first son, my practice saved my life. I have always wanted to help people and after that experience, my understanding of how to best help others came to fruition. It takes around 5-10 years to be a certified Iyengar yoga instructor, so after many years, I became one who can now help others find life’s alignment. I offer weekly group classes for all levels with comprehensive individualized instruction as well as private yoga therapy. My greatest joy is empowering others with tools for self-realization and self-care. I have helped many people on their path out of trauma, pain, and disease. My second passion is art, I went to art school in my early college days but found that playing in the mud (pottery) after my children were in school caught my creative spirit and heart. I make small-batch functional works in my home studio that culminate around ancient healing practices. I love to create pieces that bring ritual into someone’s life, moments to pause and savor.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Intuition. Both of the fields I am involved in require this level of alignment and awareness. Yoga and art can get cloudy, popular, trendy, etc… In my opinion, their truest forms are nothing fancy at all, they are not glitter, they are from the earth, from the soul. I think we need to listen. As yoga teachers and therapists if we set ourselves aside and hold space for others to shine, they will! As an artist, you have to be keenly observant and feel. You have to listen to what comes through and follow it. These two expressions come together in my mind, and for me to be helpful/successful in both I need to be a good listener both inwardly and outwardly first and foremost.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I recently met a new teacher, one with a different set of skills, and a different lens. Being a teacher to my students, and as my friends read this, ha ha ha, in life, I love to help people, to offer my guidance, my ‘expertise.’ I am often listening and recommending to others. I have recently lost one of my closest teachers, she died suddenly last year, and healing from her loss has been a lesson in its own right. I have been in a teacher mode and less of a student in the last year. What this experience in meeting a new teacher has shown me is how to be a student again, how to set aside what I know, and to once again, listen. I am unlearning the way of a teacher and relearning the way of a teacher all over again, every day. I have had a handful of very impactful teachers in my life, young and old, and each time I encounter them, I need to unlearn my patterning and my attachments to what I know and how I share it with others. I need to remember to always be a student of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.justbealigned.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbealigned/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justbealigned/

Image Credits
Sewell Photography