Janet Huber - Yoga, a Way of Life

Thirteen years ago, Janet Huber was in a bad place mentally and physically. She suffered from depression and was in poor physical health, overweight and dealing with fibromyalgia and other issues. Then a doctor’s recommendation to try yoga literally changed the course of her life.

“I was depressed, and didn’t even realize it was getting worse,” Huber said. “The doctor asked me, ‘What do you do for physical activity?’ I said I work, I’m a mother, I keep busy.”

But while talking with the doctor, she realized her activity was sporadic at best, and it was time to try doing something for herself that would offer some healthy benefits too. So she went to a basic yoga class.

Janet Huber

 “It had a profound effect,” Huber said. “I never enjoyed physical activity, but I enjoyed this. At the end of class, I commented that this hour went super fast, then realized that it had been 90 minutes. I had a feeling of calmness I had never experienced. It affected me mentally, physical and spiritually.”

Huber became a regular at the yoga classes, trying never to miss. Many times, she would be aching at the start of class, but always felt better by the end. Though she would generally be sore later and take aspirin, she found that overall she experienced less pain than if she didn’t take the class at all.

Over the next few years, she continued to think of herself as a student. She said she figured she was kind of old and far less than perfect to consider herself as anything more. But as yoga became a personal journey for her, she found she wanted to learn more. Eventually, she began the 200 hours of training to become a certified instructor, spending one full weekend a month studying, journaling, doing homework and leading classes under a tutor. She earned her certification last November.

Now, Huber teaches a weekly yoga class to cancer patients through Gilda’s Club, a free, support community for people impacted by cancer. “Their lives are in turmoil,” she said of the class participants. “This gives them a time to think about ‘me,’ not cancer. We spend a lot of time talking and laughing. It lets them live in the present moment.”

Living in the present moment is one of the benefits Huber herself as experienced, she said. “When you live in the past, or in the future,” she said, “you are either rehashing or worrying. You’re missing out on living in the present moment.”

 


Several class participants at Holy Cross
Instructor Janet Huber is second from left.

Huber teaches basic Hatha yoga, which she described as more deliberate movement, where breathing is linked with the poses, and each student can work at his or her own pace and comfort level. Besides the Gilda’s Club class, she has led a twice monthly class at Holy Cross, though is taking a break until the fall. She also leads her great nephew, who has cerebral palsy, through weekly yoga stretches, and does chair yoga with her 92-year-old mother. Besides teaching, Huber continues to take a regular class as a student.

 

Through yoga, Huber is better able to manage her fibromyalgia and her depression. She feels the meditative practice has also made her more spiritual.

“I’ve always been a faithful person,” she said. “Yoga for anyone is a supportive addition. It helps you become deeper in your faith, and physically and mentally healthy.”

Huber said it’s an honor for her to be able to teach. She hopes her students get as much out of the class as she herself does, and that they become wiser and happier as a result.