Shelley D’Amico, founder and instructor of Parksville’s Namaskar Yoga Studio, takes a deep breath and exhales, opening up about following her heart on a journey toward nomination for a local award of business excellence.
“It was July 1st, 2011, in the height of summer,” said D’Amico. “I needed a change of pace, so I came to visit my brother who lived in Nanaimo. It was beautiful,” she said.
“I was seduced by the mountains and the ocean and all of the nature,” said D’Amico. “I just thought this is where I need to be. I felt good here; I’m going to move here.”
Six weeks after visiting the West Coast, D’Amico spread her wings and flew back west, swapping corporate life in Toronto to fulfill her heart’s content in pursuit of happiness.
“I had no plan,” she said. “I didn’t believe in what I was doing. I was done; my soul was not being fed.
“I thought, ‘There has to be something more,’” D’Amico said of her 60- to 80-hour work weeks. “I thought, ‘It’s time to get back on my mat; it’s time to go to yoga.’”
Upon D’Amico’s life-enhancing move, she found herself dedicated to daily yoga practices. “I’ve been practicing yoga for about seventeen years,” said D’Amico. “The first fifteen years were in between work, in between being pregnant – In between life. They’ve all been learning experiences. It’s what helps us grow. It’s part of our evolution.”
In search of answers, D’Amico realized that yoga became her meditative safe haven. “I began to find myself again. Yoga just helps to strip away all of those layers that we build, and over time we’re able to forgive one’s self. It’s all part of the process.”
An instrumental guide toward acknowledgment of her true calling, yoga reintroduced D’Amico to who she was, propelling her toward the perceivable dream that has become Namaskar Yoga Studio.
Since Namaskar’s opening debut on July 15, 2016, D’Amico and team openly welcome beginners and advanced ‘yogis’ to join classes where the notion of judgment does not exist. “This is a place of love, where vulnerability, value and compassion are welcome,” said D’Amico. “Namaskar is a Sanskrit word. It’s a greeting of respect. Loosely translated it means, ‘I humble myself before you.’”
Discovering the health and happiness benefits that hot and non-heated yoga have to bring is a journey in and of itself, which is why Namaskar offers a $55 introductory month for first-timers at the studio. “We have so much gratitude for everyone.”
In harmony with gratitude, Namaskar has been recognized and nominated by Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce’s Business Award of Excellence for outstanding customer service of the year. “The winners will be announced on March 9, 2017,” said D’Amico. “We’re all very touched.”
For further information and for pricing, please visit in-studio at 10-102 Island Hwy East, in Parksville B.C., or contact Namaskar Yoga Studio at (250)-586-YOGA (9642), or via www.namaskaryoga.ca.
