Eight is great! It’s our eighth week of bringing you Teacher Spotlights here at Hustle and flow, taking a deep dive into the minds of the studio’s inspiring, funny, charming, warm, smart, and passionate instructors. Check out spotlights on Carla, Tiffanie, Sam, Naomi, Liz, Bianca, and Alyx on the blog, and read on below for this week’s spotlight!
Don’t let her unassuming demeanor fool you – this week’s spotlight recipient Stacie Archibald is a tough-as-nails mom of three, an artist, and a snarky sass mouth, bringing you Yamuna Body Rolling and Yang Bang every Thursday! Find out more about Stacie below or meet her on the mat in one of the many classes she attends at the studio alongside her students – then check out the schedule and sign up for Stacie’s Yamuna Body Rolling or Yang Bang classes this week!
Teacher Spotlight: Stacie Archibald
Teaches: Yang Bang Express, Yamuna Body Rolling
How did you come to teach at Hustle and Flow?
I began at Hustle and Flow as a student. I stumbled upon a class while searching for “hip-hop yoga.” I was hooked the first time I took Steph’s class & she just wore a sports bra. I was like FINALLY a place where I can just be in this body!!! I was 4 months postpartum with my third baby and LOVED my body, how it felt to just be in my own skin and let those muscles burn but I struggled with not having a stereotypical “fit” figure, plus my whole life I had been self-conscious about boobs, belly & booty jiggle so was afraid to push hard enough to get strong.
Once I felt safe to discover what I was made of, I wanted to give back to this beautiful, diverse community of movers. I took the Buti training with the support of Sam (who was preggo at the time) and felt confident enough to teach a class. It was so fun and I immediately felt supported by the other instructors. Moving forward I finished a long time dream of mine and completed the Yamuna Body Rolling certification – now I can enrich the community with a restorative practice that prepares our minds & bodies for the rigors of the hustle!
What informs your movement practice, what influences do you consider key to your practice?
I’m inspired by natural, intuitive movement but have a high energy & fun loving spirit. Quite simply I just like to get down, I like to get low and then pick it back up like old school pop, lock and drop style. But I was a ballet dancer for most of my teen and young adult life, so alignment and avoiding injury is really important to me. I want to keep moving for the rest of my life.
What do you do to prepare for class?
Lately, essential oils & cute outfits have been a huge part of my prep time. I’m a very visual & sensory oriented person so smells and bright colors help me transition from mama bear to Yang Bang diva. For body rolling it’s the music – I need deep sounds & chants to shift my energy to a restorative practice.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your classes – what can we expect when we’re in the room with you, what do you hope for us to take away from your class, or what kind of music or movements are you into right now? Or anything else you’d like to tell us about your life, hobbies or interests!
I LOVE to be at Hustle and Flow both as a student and instructor. I’m a busy mom and I own an art based preschool; when I’m in the studio I cherish my time to feel the freedom of movement and having time and space that’s just for me.
My Yang Bang classes are high energy & incorporate strength aspects. I keep it fun and funny if I can. As a young dancer, I was obsessed with perfection and my body image, and I developed a really negative self-image. My journey now is about enjoying myself and truly radical self-love. I hope to attract that energy and bring it out in my students.
I’m always going to play that one ridiculous twerk song that will have us sweating & cracking up! I mix it up with that style and some moody jams to stretch, breathe or work on isolations in specific muscle groups.
Yamuna Body Rolling is the opposite playlist of Yang Bang – deep cello, meditative music intended to deeply relax and focus the class as we work through the body on the ball. Body Rolling is like getting a deep tissue massage and aligning bad posture patterns all in one. The benefits I gain from being truly authentic in these modalities give me so much confidence in other areas of life, my hope is that I share that with students giving validation to living a dynamic life in a very compartmentalized world.
All my love, Stacie
Check out the schedule and join Stacie at Yang Bang Express or Yamuna Body Rolling this week – we’ll see you in the orange room soon!