Arizona native Courtney Sheber encourages peace, positivity and mindfulness through her yoga instruction / by Elizabeth Liberatore / photos by James Patrick / makeup by Brian McDowell / outfit from Lululemon 42 <strong>Scottsdale</strong><strong>Health</strong> 01/20
Do what you love and follow your heart, the rest will fall into place. Courtney Sheber’s parents always reminded her of this as she was growing up. It wasn’t until she began working at a marketing and public relations firm after college that their words of wisdom really began to resonate. “I would go in every day dreading sitting and staring at a screen. Next door to the firm was a woman who had her own Pilates studio. I went to work every day thinking, ‘That’s what I want to do – move,’” she says. Staying stagnant for hours on end was completely foreign to Sheber. She was used to defying gravity as a competitive gymnast — something she did for the majority of her youth and adolescence. After enduring unitards and blistered hands for 11 years, she quit right before starting her studies at Arizona State University. “I wanted to have more balance in my life. My body was starting to hurt, and I just didn’t have the passion to push through the elite levels while in school,” she says. Sheber took her first yoga class at ASU when she was 18 years old and immediately fell in love with it. Yoga was so vastly different from gymnastics, starting with the non-competitive nature. The practice helped her calm her stress and anxiety and become more clear-minded. It was everything she was looking for in an exercise routine and more. So, as she watched the Pilates studio owner move all day with longing eyes from her desk, Sheber began to really discern what made her heart happy. She recalled how much she loved taking yoga classes in college and decided to get certified to teach the discipline. “Once I completed my training, I knew I had to make this my career,” she says. FROM DREAM TO REALITY Sheber quit her day job and got her start in the yoga community working as the receptionist of Modern Yoga in McCormick Ranch. She quickly began learning from the studio’s leaders, including owners and husband-and-wife team John and Nicole Salisbury. In no time at all, she began subbing classes and was promoted to her current position as studio manager. “I’ve been teaching full time and managing the studio for 3 1/2 years now, and I couldn’t be happier,” she says. Sheber teaches vinyasa flow, a more contemporary style of yoga that blends movement with breath to flow from one pose to the next, almost every day at Modern Yoga. Her style of teaching is both inspiring and playful, and her ultimate goal is to help people leave their mat feeling positive and ready to conquer anything. “I believe yoga should be accessible to everyone and while it is a meticulous craft, it should be met with a light-hearted spirit and feel-good attitude,” she says. Sheber also leads practices at special events around the Valley, including at Chase Field and Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix, which are her favorite classes to teach. For this yogi, nothing beats guiding folks through mindful transitions and insightful alignment cues outside with live music in the background. This month, she’s helping host the Desert Bloom Festival at Mountain Shadows, taking place Jan. 10 to 12. “[Myself and other Valley instructors] will be leading a series of yogalates classes that combine elements of yoga and Pilates for a rejuvenating and exciting experience,” she says. “The festival also includes meditation, aerial yoga, flow, nutrition classes and more.” Packages for Desert Bloom Festival begin at $299. CULTIVATING HAPPINESS Motivated by her parents to follow her dreams, Sheber, now 30 with 12 years of yoga practice under her belt, is living the life she loves and inspiring others do the same. “If I can change just one person’s day for the better through yoga, I’ve done my job,” she says. “I always say, we practice yoga on the mat so we can take yoga off of our mat and into our daily lives, cultivating a life of peace and heightened awareness so we can enjoy each moment to its fullest.” Outside of yoga, any outdoor activity, from running to sand volleyball to skiing, makes this movement junkie happy. When she’s not in motion, Sheber spends time with those who fill her heart with joy. “Whether it’s going to a concert, cooking, traveling or just watching a movie together, moments with the people I love are what makes my world go ‘round,” she says. For more information about Sheber, follow her on Instagram (@courtney_yoga) or visit www.courtneysheber.com. 01/20 <strong>Scottsdale</strong><strong>Health</strong> 43
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