OUR STORY
A NOTE FROM THE MIND BEHIND INNER LIGHT STUDIO:
I have been planning this studio every day in my head since I was about 20 years old, and I always wondered how I would I would be able to tell the Inner Light origin story when it really came down to it. Although I have been working in the fitness industry for the last twelve years, this story starts generations before me. The more I thought about it, I realized that this story is really about family, community, and the peace that comes with it - the kind of peace you can feel in your body and mind and pushes you to keep growing.
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I am a third generation (retired) bodybuilder. I grew up in Miami, primarily in the kids’ club of a small, weight-lifting gym on the second floor of a shopping center. Raised by a single mom (a psychologist and former aerobics instructor), I spent most days with my grandparents. My grandfather, a cardiovascular surgeon, competed in Mr. Universe during its prime, and my grandmother was previously a personal trainer. Olympia Gym was owned by my grandparents’ best friends, who were like family to us. I can still remember the distinct peak-through heavy kids club door, the very 90s aesthetic, and the feeling of serenity and security that space instantly gave me. You can’t find a more tight knit group than a bunch of bodybuilders and their offspring who become each others’ daily support system, physically and mentally. Until I moved to Austin, TX at 18 to pursue music journalism, I didn’t realize what that community meant.
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My dorm at the University of Texas was directly next door to the school's largest gym, and being too shy to interact with my peers, I would take my schoolbooks and read on the stair master to escape social interaction. Eventually, I forced myself to join the Texas Wrangler Darlins and found a community where I felt supported. That's where I saw my first glimpse of the light within me.
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A few friends asked if they could hire me to help them workout. Though hesitant, I welcomed the extra income since experiencing the limited prospects of music journalism. I quickly got my personal training certification so I could legally train them in apartment gyms. One of the Darlins asked me to train her for a bodybuilding competition and requested I compete alongside her for moral support. What started as a friendly challenge became the first catalyst in changing my life's direction.
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My friend dropped out of the competition before stepping on stage because of the hours of dedication the sport requires, and I went on to do eleven more competitions over the following seven years and became a natural professional fitness competitor. There is a feeling of universal consciousness when the right people are together focusing on the same goal or have similar mindsets. I was lucky to experience that feeling at bodybuilding shows and music festivals during that time. I left each competition knowing that “my people” are out there.
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Throughout my first few years competing and in school, despite training my friends, I was still too timid to be a trainer at a large gym and started as front desk and maintenance just to be in the gym environment, learning the “ins and outs” of every position in the gym. The confidence I gained from the bodybuilding community gave me the courage to train to become a cycling instructor - a job extremely out of my comfort zone.
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The palpable energy, loud music, and low lighting of cycling classes replaced my need for music festivals. Soon after, I made several realizations: I preferred taking cycling classes to teaching them, I was ready to become a dedicated personal trainer, and I wanted to provide clients with the emotions I felt while cycling and lifting with intention—the first spark of Inner Light Studio. I quickly became the only female Master Trainer at the largest LA Fitness in Austin. Without the family-like community I built throughout those years, I would have been a copy editor, hiding away, drowning in waves of social anxiety.
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After my second national competition, I wanted to ensure I was doing everything possible to be my best. When Headspace released their Sports Competition meditation course that the NBA was utilizing, I decided to try it. It transformed my mindset towards life in and out of the gym. My physique and mental awareness evolved as I began focusing on each individual rep, each step, each breath. Counting repetitions became secondary to experiencing the sensation of muscle contracting and the control I gained physically and emotionally by connecting mind and body.
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Over time, I recognized this sensation mirrored what I felt at music festivals, during cycling classes, or meditating during pregnancy while holding my growing belly. These experiences led me to extensively research neuroplasticity, specifically alpha and theta waves, which connected the feeling behind all of those activities. I realized what was missing from the big-box gym environment: breathing, intention, and lack of ego. When exercising and meditating with direction, alpha waves increase in the brain, creating a "flow state" that reduces depression and anxiety while enhancing creative thinking. I knew that if I could provide an approachable space where clients feel comfortable, I could help men become better husbands and dads, moms become better wives and mothers, and humans be more compassionate in general.
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This shift in awareness caused a rift between me and my love of bodybuilding. The sport had drifted from its origins. Originally founded on the pillars of community and optimal health, the competitive bodybuilding world became saturated with one-time competitors looking to grow their social media presence, willing to jeopardize their hormones and long-term mental health to chase a physique that can only be earned through patience and perseverance. My eleventh and final show was alongside my now-husband, whom I had the pleasure of coaching and watching win his first competition. Soon after, in 2019, we moved to Florida.
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Our journey brought us to Sarasota to be closer to my family and raise our future daughter on the beach, as I was raised. I never could have anticipated the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with motherhood. Working out twice a day while working as a personal trainer and getting my MBA was less taxing. There's an indescribable feeling of being utterly alone with the most beautiful little being, in a body you barely recognize. In today's world, you really do feel alone. You're filled with so much oxytocin, you forget who you once were and don't even care because you're just so happy to be given the gift of parenthood. But in a blink of an eye, those communities you had are gone, music festivals and social outings become mind-numbing, and gyms are filled with tripods and salesmen who provide a diluted version of the genuine human connection we crave.
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I found solace in the mom community of Pinnacle Chiropractic, a local prenatal and pediatric holistic chiropractic practice, but the 30-minute likeminded social interaction weekly left me craving more in a more appropriate space. The goal of Inner Light Studio is to fill that void in our community and provide parents (and non parents) with a nonjudgmental sanctuary to start or continue our healing journey.
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I have been fortunate to live in cities with thriving wellness communities. I learned from exceptional cycling instructors, personal trainers, and sports rehab doctors. I'm grateful for those who have chosen to mentor me along the way and those standing next to me on this endeavor. From these experiences, I've synthesized what I believe are the best elements of each training style, enhanced by the mindfulness component often missing in traditional fitness approaches.
As our community grows, we look forward to introducing mindfulness-based movement classes for children, sharing the gifts of presence and embodied awareness with the next generation.
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At Inner Light Studio, you will find the tribe you’ve been seeking. Our space is focused on calming the senses and relaxing the mind in order to awaken the body. Our bold, dark color choices and unique lighting promotes introspection and intensity. All of our classes are limited to ten participants to ensure you receive the individual attention you deserve when you choose to take this time for yourself.
Thank you for joining me and my family on this journey of mindful movement and conscious connection. May your inner light guide you always.
xoxo
Alex
