Spotlight: Molly McManus

Molly McManus is the co-owner of Yoga North along with Ann Maxwell. Together, they created a style of therapeutic yoga called Soma Yoga. Molly was just elected president of the IAYT: The International Association of Yoga Therapists.  We had a fascinating discussion about her journey and the development of Soma Yoga, her history with the IAYT, and her upcoming role as president of the organization. 

Betsy Weiner: “What was your path to yoga?”

Molly McManus: I flirted with yoga for a few years,  about 30 years ago! I studied yoga, Ayurveda, therapeutic yoga, and somatics. I got serious with it in a way where I felt like I got to know myself and learn about myself. I had some physical issues; I was diagnosed with some autoimmune conditions and anxiety. Yoga was a way for me to heal.

B.W.: “How do you think yoga attended to those things for you?”

M.M.: I started to move back into my body and figure out how to embody myself differently. Yoga helped me modulate my stress responses. The philosophy of yoga helped me learn that I didn’t have to believe all my thoughts. I learned there was hope. I could do these practices for myself and be in the space to find more well-being. I like to call it “whole being well-being.” 

B.W. “How did you decide to teach?”

M.M:. I wanted to spend time learning in an organized and structured way of getting to know myself even more, so I went through the teacher training at Yoga North. Within a few months,  it opened things up for me, and I felt compelled to share it with other people. Luckily, I got hired at Yoga North right away and never looked back. 

B.W.: “What was the avenue to yoga therapy from there?”

M.M: The first person I worked with was Ann Maxwell, who is now my business partner here at Yoga North. She brings a more therapeutic approach to yoga, and I have studied with many teachers since then.

B.W.: “The two of you created a system of practice called Soma Yoga, what is that?”

M.M.: Soma Yoga blends Vedic traditions: Ayurveda, Yoga, and Samkhya along with somatics. It came out of our desire to build yoga therapy  accessible to everyone. Based in neuromuscular re-education, somatics brings consciousness to movement. We can work with stress responses in the body, and start to dismantle them to find freedom, ease, and joy. The Ayurvedic piece works with lifestyle and supports the 6 pillars. What we do is inherently trauma supportive. With yoga, we find more consciousness and peace, and that means getting to stability. Soma Yoga takes the capacities built on the mat and brings them to a full 360-degree life. I truly believe it is never too late to start. We don’t have to settle for a life of suffering. I want us all to know it is never too late to heal, to make changes, to move toward joy and contentment and peace in our lives.

B.W. “How did you get involved with IAYT? What was the evolution for you within the organization?
M.M.: Yoga North was one of the first 12 schools in the world to be accredited. Ann and I went to the conference for a few years and loved the community. They asked us to do some work for them and I said yes and spent several years on the accreditation committee; it was intense. I learned a lot about yoga and yoga therapy, and even more about structuring programs. It was a great experience for me and a time of beautiful growth for IAYT. They invited me to sit on the board and I sat on the board for about a year. I was nominated for president of the board and elected last year.

B.W.: “As president of the IAYT, what are some of your goals and visions for your upcoming tenure?”

M.M.:  The role of president is initially for one year, but we are looking at a 3-year plan. There are 3 main issues we are focused on. One is increased awareness in Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) in the yoga therapy community and in its leadership. The second piece is to build better business practices of reaching out to other communities. We would like to see the integration of yoga therapy in the medical field and integrative health systems. The third goal is to educate people so they see yoga therapy as a viable, respected, and helpful profession. 

B.W. “This is amazing, Molly! With all that you do — teaching regular classes and workshops, helping to run 200-, 500-, and 1000-hour trainings, and running your position at IAYT — how do you manage your time?”

M.M.: I became ill with a very rare form of pneumonia in 2020 (not Covid related). I was on a ventilator  and went into respiratory failure in the ICU. After coming back, I  slowly titrated bringing in work. To be honest, it’s continuously trying to check in with myself and ask what practices will support me. I think that’s something we should all work on. I think it’s important to remember to make more time throughout the day to stay connected to remembering who we really are. This is the work of yoga. 

You can find Molly and Yoga North at https://www.yoganorthduluth.com

For more information about the IAYT go to https://www.iayt.org

A dedicated teacher, guide, and humble student, Betsy Weiner has been working and learning in the spaces of yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra and spiritual life coaching for over 20 years. She believes we already have everything we need within, and that each one of us is whole and complete, exactly as we are. Betsy moonlights as a back-up singer in a cover band and thinks laughing might truly be the best medicine.