Ticket to ride! Yogi's heartwarming story wins scholarship to India

Michelle Pitzer. Courtesy Yogis Heart.

This December, twenty-three year-old Michelle Pitzer, of Montclair, New Jersey, will travel to Mysore, India for a paid, month-long stay and study opportunity at the prestigious K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute based there.

Pitzer recently won the $5000 study abroad scholarship, which is sponsored by Yogis Heart, in collaboration with yogi figure, Kino MacGregor.

The New Jersey-based volunteer organization provides yearly, unlimited yoga...
scholarships to young adults between the ages of 15 and 25, who are seeking a consistent yoga practice.  

Pitzer’s essay was selected out of 400 applicants, and described yoga's healing effects after her father passed away when she was 17.

Michelle Pitzer. Courtesy Yogis Heart.

“When I first started yoga at Ashtanga Yoga Montclair, something resonated with me. Seeing the same people every morning was comforting. They became a family for me. The practice was the only constant in my life at the time,” says Pitzer.

Yogis Heart’s scholarship process required a second and third essay, and Pitzer says it was her commitment to the practice that shined through the paperwork.

“I practice six days a week and assist with classes three days weekly, too. I’m so dedicated. Financially, I wouldn’t be able to go to India without the scholarship,” says Pitzer.

Looking forward to her journey abroad, “Everyone goes to practice in the mornings. I can take Sanskrit and chanting classes and explore the country as well. It’s going to be an amazing, life-changing trip to see how people live on the other side of the world and learn from the teacher there. I’m really so grateful for the whole experience,” says Pitzer.

For others eager to follow in this yogi’s footsteps, get inspired by Pitzer’s take on lucking out, “I’ve really been so grateful for this whole experience. It made me believe that things happen for a reason.”

Follow Pitzer’s journey to India on Instagram @Michbeachyogini.