Meet Alysia Gruenstern | Yoga Teacher and Health Psychologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alysia Gruenstern and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alysia, what do you attribute your success to?
My hard work, dedication, and perseverance. I have always pushed myself above and beyond and put my all into everything I’ve done. Like all people, I have experienced my share of challenges, but I have always been one to push through challenges and find something to learn from each one so that I come out better on the other side.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My full-time job is as a Behavior Specialist for a Youth Development program. In addition to this, I teach yoga and meditation, both in private and public classes, and offer specialized training and education services in health and wellness, yoga psychology, child and family development, and Mental health first aid. I have spent the last 10 years working in child development, special education, and child behavioral health services.
In every aspect of my job, whether it’s my full-time job or teaching yoga, or anything else I do, I always focus on health and wellness. My goal is to help anyone that I am working with- child or adult- how to improve their physical and mental health, and how to improve their life overall.

I got to where I am today by pursuing opportunities that seemed out of reach but that I knew I could reach by pushing myself, including with my yoga teacher training which I did while completing my Master’s degree, and my PhD which is the most challenging thing I have ever done. Throughout all of this I also had challenges come up in my personal life and there were many times I wanted to give up and focus on those challenges but I knew I would regret it if I quit anything. I leaned heavily on my mom and close friends, and spent a lot of time on self-care and self-discovery and reflection in those times to remind myself that I can do anything I put my mind to, and so far I have proven myself correct with that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There is so much to see and do in DFW, it would take more than a week to see it all! As a Fort Worth resident I would of course start with a trip to the Stockyards to see the Longhorn cattle drive, go out for some live music and dancing, and see the rodeo. We would spend the next day at the Fort Worth zoo, visiting baby gorilla Bruno, Travis the newest elephant, and the newly opened Predators of Asia & Africa. For dinner after the zoo we’d go to West 7th and eat some delicious burgers at Rodeo Goat. For a day in Dallas we’d visit Deep Ellum- visiting a few breweries for some beer flights and having lunch at Cane Rosso or Velvet taco. No visit to Dallas would be complete without a visit to the Perot Science museum and the Dallas Museum of Art. For the rest of the trip I would show my friend around some of the rest of DFW and the small towns outside the city- Downtown Grapevine is a must-visit and as a country music fan I would have to take my friend on a short road trip out to Lindale, TX to visit the hometown of Miranda Lambert and her store The Pink Pistol.
Finally, before leaving town, we’d go to have lunch at Cartel Taco Bar in downtown Arlington, see a Texas Rangers game, and spend a night in downtown Fort Worth listening to live music in Sundance Square and watching a movie at Rooftop Cinema Club on the roof of the Worthington Hotel.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom has always been my biggest supporter and the one person I lean on the most. She raised me to do more than I thought I was capable of and to never give up, and I credit everything I have done in my life to her support for me.

I also have to recognize some important people in my yoga journey, including Cheryl Oliver, owner of Authentic Yoga Teacher Training in Scottsdale, AZ, and Annie Okerlin who was my mentor through my Warriors At Ease yoga training and continues to be someone I look up to as a yoga teacher and friend.

Website: yogalysia.com

Instagram: Yogalysia_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysia-gruenstern/