March 20, 2017

Meet Elizabeth Pedroza of Juicy Yoga Noho in North Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Pedroza.

Elizabeth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been an overweight most of my life. I have struggled with back pain, body limitations real and socially perceived as well as the feeling that the person people see is not the person I really am. In my mind and heart I am an athlete. I am powerful and confident and strong. About a decade ago I took my first yoga class in collage. I was instantly drawn to it. I loved that the challenges I was having were 100% my own. I loved that I was actually discouraged to compare myself to others and instead encouraged to take each class, each day and each moment for an opportunity to move toward the person I want to be. Yoga has brought me pain relief, spiritual, emotional and physical empowerment, and it has taught me about accepting and working positively to overcome my challenges.

I knew early on that I wanted to share the joy of Yoga and teach others. In fact people around me got tired of me saying yoga was the answer to everything. Of course life being what it is, I had to work to pay the bills and raise my two young children. I never really had the time, money or opportunity to complete my yoga teacher training. About 4 years ago, in a time of doubt and struggle in my life, a friend introduced me to The SGI, a Buddhist lay organization dedicated to the propagation of peace through personal happiness. This organization helped me realize that my dreams were not only important, but were actually central to the happiness and success of my family. This helped me realize that Yoga was the beginning of my own personal revolution. The next couple years were a whirlwind. I made the determination to not only complete my teacher training certification, but to open a healing center were others like me could find the help they needed to understand their bodies and learn to live fully in every moment.

In March of 2014 my father in law passed away, leaving behind my mother in law Dini, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Within a couple of weeks it was clear to us that she was not fit to live alone so we took her into our home. It was cozy, with my two kids and her three dogs, our little two bedroom one bath home was overflowing. We made the determination to find something that fit our expanded family. That brings us to the home we are in now. When I was looking, I wanted something that had a separate space for my Mother in Law. I thought she might like her privacy. Once we moved in, she wanted to be in the main house with us, leaving that little back house free. After a few months in our new place, unfortunate things began to happen while I was away at work. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and it became clear that my mother in law could not be left alone anymore. I had to quit my job to become her full time care giver. All at once, the pieces fell together. I had the time, the place, and my husband got a better job so we suddenly had the money. I got my 200 hour teacher training from Black Dog Yoga in November of 2015 and I have been working to expand the Juicy Yoga community ever since.

In the beginning, I offered classes through word of mouth and Facebook posts. Now I have four other teachers offering yoga classes as well as guest teachers for workshops and a verity of holistic healing options. We are really just starting to take off. We offer Basics/ Beginners classes, Sivananda style yoga, Yin and Yin Yang yoga, restorative yoga, reiki, massage, and a few other fun options. I’m fielding requests from three more teachers to join the Juicy Yoga community. We hold monthly full moon gatherings, Song circles, Reiki healing, traditional yoga workshops, as well as private instruction by appointment. I also currently offer two free senior chair yoga classes a week. This helps to keep my mother in law healthier as well as providing more social interaction for her and giving back to my community. Care givers are welcome and encouraged to come to these classes.

My studio is intimate and warm. It’s a little different from the high pressure Studios you will find on Ventura Blvd. It is my hope that my clients as well as my students find something they need to work forward, advancing their own personal revolution, carrying them towards happiness.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? No not really. Of course I have had challenges. I am a mother of two, a wife and a full time care giver. I am busy. The hardest part of all of this is balance I suppose. My children keep me busy with their school sports, and Dini, my mother in law requires a lot of my time. Sometimes I’m juggling too many things and occasionally I drop a ball. My struggles read similar to most working Moms. Before I started a business, I had a clean house. I have to admit, that falls fairly low on the priority list right now. I have been careful though. I don’t want to take on too much. I don’t want to have to choose between the business and family responsibilities.

Please tell us about Juicy Yoga Noho.
What I’m most proud about is my little community. Being a care giver, I am struck with the challenge of having to be at home most of the time. Dini, my mother in law, is fairly independent, but she does need someone to stay with her. I was worried about how isolating that would be so I decided to try and bring the community to me. That has worked out so well. I can take and give yoga classes without leaving the property. The people that have gathered in my space, and the healers that I have met are some of the most amazing people I know. I get all giddy when my regular clients come back and I can see their progress. It’s my hope that I am able to inspire people to find all the joy I have found through yoga. I am also proud to offer a different perspective for people who are interested in yoga. Being an overweight woman, I know how intimidating public yoga classes can be. I understand the specific set of challenges. When I first began practicing yoga I tried on a few studios and I can tell you not all of them felt like a good fit. As strong and confident as I tried to be, a room full of super fit, hyper flexible 2o somethings was a bit jarring to the ego. At Juicy Yoga I want people to know that Yoga is for everybody.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I was blessed with a large family on my father’s side. We gather every two years for a family reunion coming trip. Some of my favorite memories were from those trips. I’m happy now to share this tradition with my own kids. I have to laugh, now we are four generations strong and the camping trip is up to over 150 people! It’s hard to find a group campsite to fit us all!

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