Today we’d like to introduce you to Tashi Marshall
Hi Tashi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a Massachusetts Native, a daughter to the kindest woman on planet Earth, and a sister to an extremely inspiring rockstar drummer goddess. Our small-but-mighty family unit is anything but traditional , but I think the three of us take a lot of pride in that. We’ve always encouraged each other to color outside of the lines and I know that hugely influenced the woman I am today and the path I’ve taken to get here.
My mom was the first person I saw practicing yoga. She used to practice at home from a book, the name of it escapes me right now, but yeah she was a total yogini before it was trendy to be one. I remember being at awe watching her spend minutes in headstands on the living room carpet, being really methodical and intentional getting into them and coming out. She’s always been my hero but seeing that side of her clearly made an impact.
I didn’t try yoga for the first time until college. Our rec center had classes so my gal pals and I went every once in a while. Yoga wasn’t a passion of mine at that point but something I enjoyed. It wasn’t until I migrated to Charleston in 2017 that the yogic fire within me was truly lit.
I moved down here with a buddy of mine right after I graduated college. Erik knew he wanted to relocate for nursing school, and asked if I wanted to join in on the adventure. Duh! It ended up being between Charleston and Chicago, and we were in agreement that escaping the winter for a little bit was extremely appealing. We took the leap of faith that summer, packed up a U-Haul, and hit the road for The Holy City without ever visiting first.
Erik and I landed in a roach-infested apartment in West Ashley in July of 2017. We made due, learned to coexist with the tiny beats and had a blast getting to know the city I still call home. 6 days after the relocation, I started my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Holy Cow Yoga Center. I knew that I needed something to cultivate community while Erik was in school, and I don’t know, I just had this gut feeling to start Googling programs. It might sound woo-woo, and that’s okay, but it truly was nothing more than a little voice inside that set me on this path.
I graduated from the training in November 2017, and taught yoga super casually at first. I started in a little meditation studio in West Ashley that no longer exists, then began teaching at a couple of gyms around town. It wasn’t until I landed 2 weekly classes at Salt Spa & Yoga downtown that I really found my stride. Two classes overtime became the 11 a week I teach now and it’s, well, a lot of things. A total blessing. A lot of work. The coolest thing ever. All can be true. All are true.
After I found my teaching voice is when my two personal yoga projects came into fruition. Aurora Yoga is one that I co-founded with a buddy of mine that features a live DJ and live visual projections. We’ve sold out every one of these we’ve ever offered, and took it to its first music festival this past Spring. I know in my bones that Aurora Yoga has a ton of potential to become something spectacular.
Rising Rhythm is also a live-DJ/yoga collaboration where we raise money and awareness for different non-profits around the LowCountry and beyond. This project is so near in dear to my heart. After teaching in Charleston for a while, I discovered that there was something missing. Although this city is saturated with yoga studios, there wasn’t a lot of the community engagement and opportunities to connect with things that truly matter – one another, ourselves, Mother Earth, and well, music! To say I’m busy is an understatement, but I don’t think I’d change it for the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I’m sure you’ve heard many times interviewing creatives, it’s a huge risk to choose your passion as your primary source of income. For me at this stage of my life and business, the majority of my stress comes from money, which, I’ll be the first to say, is a privilege. I’m safe, I’m fulfilled, I’m loved and supported, but I’m also broke.
I come from very little financially, have never had a lot, but have gotten really good at managing the little I do have. My mom never ever made it seem that we were struggling growing up, but raising us girls as a single mother for many years on a hair dresser’s salary before my step dad came into the picture was…I’m sure insanely challenging. Only now that I’m older does she share little snippets of that part of our lives with me, and it makes me admire the strength and resilience of her spirit. I think to some extent I’ve internalized the “starving artist” as a part of my identity, and now that I’m starting to find my stride and voice in the world of yoga, I’m working on tearing down that internal narrative. I want to be comfortable and do what I love. I know that the two of those can coexist, and I know that’s what I deserve. I just have to figure out how the hell to make it happen.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I teach 11 yoga classes a week, ranging in style from Vinyasa Flow, to Yin, to Restorative. I also work the desk at Holy Cow Yoga Center part time.
I think what sets me apart are my two independent projects that I mentioned before (Rising Rhythm and Aurora Yoga) and the fact that my teaching style is unapologetically authentic. I strive to find the balance between honoring the traditions of the practice while not being overly precious (or as one of my mentors says “Yogier Than Thou”) about it. I swear in class, I teach from my heart, I mix up my lefts and rights, and I’ll be honest, it took me years to give myself permission to lean into that. But now that I do, it’s without a doubt the golden ticket that builds a gorgeously imperfect bridge between my students and I to connect and grow alongside one another as equals.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
So many people deserve credit. My mother for being the first person to introduce me to the power of yoga and its ability to create physical, mental and spiritual strength.
My parter, my gosh. I think often about how I seriously would not be where I am today without his support. He’s talked me off the imposter syndrome ledge many times. He’s been my personal photographer, capturing content during the special event classes I’ve taught. He’s also a Facebook Marketplace extraordinaire, so when I’m in the market for anything – a new pop-up tent for Rising Rhythm, singing bowls, whatever, he’s sending me links left and right.
Two of my close friends deserves their own thanks : KFry and Seth. They have both pushed me past the limits I’ve set for myself in the pursuit of really taking myself seriously as an entrepreneur. KFry is the reason I was able to apply for my LLC without throwing up. They’ve hooked me up with a fabulous tax guy, and have taught me the importance of 1099’s – and how you’ve gotta issue those to everyone who works for you, even your friends. I work with a lot of my homies, which is a total dream come true, but paying their taxes, thanks for KFry, is a thing of the past. Seth is an extremely successful new media artist, internationally touring projection mapper and light technician, and he’s the whole reason Aurora Yoga exists! That project was his idea, many people don’t know that, and he approached me to see if I’d be down to collaborate with him to turn this vision into a reality. Of course I agreed, and the rest is history. He continues to show up and lovingly nudge me forward. He sees my drive and determination and helps me see those things in myself. KFry and Seth, thank you guys so much.
And of course to my students – I joke to them (but it’s not really a joke) that they are the reason I get to do what I love every single day. I know not everyone can say that, so it’s not something I take lightly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tashitheyogini.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tashitheyogini/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tashitheyogini
- Other: https://r.yogaalliance.org/TeacherPublicProfile?tid=369115
