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A passport and a yoga mat. These are the tools Meredith Cameron needs to do her job – a job that will take her to Mexico, Morocco, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and Scotland this year alone. Cameron has lived in the Fraser Valley for the past 12 years. Just two years ago she was the Executive Director at a local preschool, now she teaches yoga workshops and retreats all over the U.S. and internationally.

Although yoga is Cameron’s livelihood, her call to it was gradual. She remembers taking her first class in Chicago 15 years ago. At the end of the class, she had the fleeting thought that she would someday become a yoga teacher, yet she only casually took classes for the next ten years.

It wasn’t until she became involved in Crossfit that yoga really stuck. Her tight, exhausted body craved the relief of yoga and she was hooked. Yoga became a consistent presence in Cameron’s life. Her curiosity and desire to learn more about the practice led her to complete a 200-hour teacher training. Once the training was completed, she felt called to share what she had learned and began teaching classes locally.

Next is the scary part – the part where Cameron leaves the comfort and security of her nine to five and transforms her hobby into her career. Cameron describes this leap as “positively forced.” It was not a decision; rather it was something she knew she had to do.

To make a major change, Cameron says you have to be all in, even if you’re scared. You don’t need to know every detail of how your goals will manifest, you simply have to trust yourself and the process.

Yoga can be intimidating. The yoga world is full of flawless bodies perfectly executing impossible-seeming poses. But Cameron insists that yoga is for everyone. “When I meet people and tell them what I do, I often hear, ‘Oh, I can’t touch my toes.’ That’s not what its about.” Cameron says yoga is more than being flexible or getting a workout. It isn’t even necessarily about what’s happening on your mat, it’s about calming your mind, learning to honor and deal with the volatility of life. “People show up to the mat because they need something or want something.”

Today, Cameron mainly teaches “yoga stability.” She was drawn to this variation of yoga because, “The injury rate in the yoga world is out of control.” Yoga stability gets back to basics, teaching form and fundamentals. It offers the opportunity to slow down and really feel your body and your individual set of conditions. Cameron says there is no room for ego in yoga stability – it’s not about extreme poses, handstands or splits. Instead it’s more of a classroom, for people who want to learn.

Hosting workshops and retreats is Cameron’s favorite avenue for sharing her yoga wisdom. When you take a yoga class you are tossed back out into the world an hour later, whereas Cameron says a retreat is a more intense and intimate experience, offering participants the opportunity to really transform. She says these trips are even more than yoga, they allow people to make new friends, experience new places, and eat new food.

“You build a community,” Cameron says. “On the first day everyone is a little nervous and by the end we are hugging and no one wants to leave. It’s an experience that changes you.” Cameron has several upcoming local events including a 30-hour yoga stability intensive June 1-4 and a full moon campout on July 9. To learn more, visit www.mcameronyoga.com. Follow Cameron on Facebook and on Instagram at livefullon.