Cool Job: Yoga instructor sees positive change in others
A former business consultant, Dave Sims now is an instructor/studio owner at CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health in Indianapolis.
One of the oldest forms of exercise in the world, yoga has been leading its faithful practitioners on physical and spiritual journeys for centuries.
Dave Sims is no exception.
In 2011, Sims found himself teaching yoga in his spare time, while also running a consulting business assisting new business startups. He also spent several decades in the hospitality industry opening new restaurants, developing franchises and serving as a director of operations.
“I started teaching yoga to share the amazing benefits I had received from my own personal practice,” Sims said. “Gradually I found myself teaching at five different locations around Indianapolis, and set the intention to some day teach under one roof.”
As fate would have it, a fortuitous lunch meeting with the owner of CITYOGA offered Sims the opportunity to take over the facility’s operations and lead all of his classes there. Now, as an instructor/studio owner at CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health, Sims teaches a variety of yoga styles in addition to managing teacher-training programs and administrative responsibilities. This spring, Sims will collaborate with his wife, Dr. Ann Collins, to provide yoga classes at the new Nourish Wellness Center.
“As I continue to learn, I hope to grow in my practice and ability to teach others,” he said. “I want to pass on what I’ve been taught from the many amazing teachers I’ve had the privilege to study under.”
Question: How long have you been practicing yoga?
Answer: “I first explored the physical (asana) practice of yoga in the early 2000s while training for a marathon. I started practicing every day in 2009. My daily meditation practice began in the mid-1980s.”
Q: What makes your practice and teaching approach unique?
A: “I bring my meditation and adventure sports background to the mat. Some classes are physically powerful; others are more inwardly focused, almost meditative. I believe we can receive the full benefits of yoga by practicing mindfully. Show up on the mat and focus on breathing, noticing the subtle energies of emotions, stress, tension and how our bodies actually feel. When we can practice with this intentional awareness, yoga takes on a much deeper level of fostering health and wellness for our bodies, minds and spirits.”
Q: What makes your job cool?
A: “I get to do what I love and share what I’m passionate about every day. I get to witness people experience the transformation yoga can facilitate in their lives and, as an added bonus, I get to meet many super-cool people in the process.”
Q: What’s not so cool about your job?
A: “Laundry. Part of my job is to wash the hot yoga towels.”
Q: What’s something people would be surprised to know about Indy’s yoga community?
A: “That we are growing rapidly, evidenced by the growth of our annual Monumental Yoga community event. The event takes place on Monument Circle in downtown Indy on June 21, celebrating the summer solstice and bringing awareness to the benefits of yoga. Last year, we saw more than 2,000 people come out to participate.”
Q: What are a couple of your most memorable experiences teaching at CITYOGA?
A: “There are so many! I’ve seen people start practicing yoga and drop up to 40 pounds of unwanted weight. I watched a gentleman in his seventies begin practicing yoga and in a short time, he was able to start walking without a cane. Assisting two amazing teachers, Nikki Myers and Marsha Pappas, in our yoga teacher training program. And, I’ve watched a student have a profound life-changing breakthrough that touched me deeply.”
Q: Do you need any special qualifications, certifications or training to do your job?
A: “You need a consistent personal yoga practice — you can only teach what you know, and a minimum 200-hour teacher training certification, which is recognized by the Yoga Alliance.”
Q: What skills and characteristics are necessary to be successful in this line of work?
A: “You must be a people person, able to build relationships with people from all walks of life, and have a high energy level and practical knowledge of how to keep your body, mind and spirit healthy and vibrant.”
Q: What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you took this job?
A: “I came into it with eyes wide open. I guess knowing what I know now, I would have taken this job sooner.”
More about Dave Sims
Job title: Yoga teacher.
Age: 53.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in media arts and science.
Family: Married, five children.
Favorite musicians: U2.
Favorite quote: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” — Gandhi