This month marks the grand opening of my mom’s fourth yoga studio. I am so proud of her for following her true calling and for all her success. In this month of giving thanks, I would like to thank her for all that she does—for me, my family and for the world—she truly makes it a better place.

Two years ago, my mother left her corporate job to follow her passion for yoga and for helping others. It amazes me even more in retrospect how brave she was to leave her old job and begin her own business. By working seven days a week, being dedicated to her clients and instructors, and striving to be at the forefront of the wellness industry, she is ready to expand yet again. Her path illustrates that it is worth pursuing your dreams, no matter the material or immediate sacrifice.

She devised a fitting mission statement for her yoga studios: “the art of self study.” She pours her energy into these studios to create a space for her clients to challenge themselves and grow. She helps them confront their doubts and deepest feelings and make positive changes toward a healthy life. 

Not only has starting a business made her a revered figure in the yoga world, but it has also bolstered our family’s health and brought us closer together. She has become an even more empathetic and altruistic being than she already was. Her essential oils and sage burning have grown on me so much that I allowed her to purchase me an oil diffuser for my college bedroom. Just absorbing her energy or talking to her calms and centers me. She no longer needs to mask her true identity during the workday. She is a yogi incarnate at home and at work.

Additionally, I appreciate her hard work because she sets a model for me to aspire toward. Watching her expand to new locations gives me the courage to take on challenging roles and responsibilities in the hope that it will make me a stronger person like her. I see before my eyes as she opens studio after studio, hardly being satisfied with herself; always pushing herself more. 

As I revel in all her accomplishments, I think that it is important to remind her of her own superpowers. On the yoga mat is where she belongs, where she can let her soul dance and sing and be free. I am in the front row, supporting her however I can, grateful for the fact that she is my mother. 

Jared Zornitzer is a full-time college student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY studying engineering. An advocate of balancing work and school with exercise and healthy living, he loves hiking, biking, running, cooking, spending time with family and friends, and learning in his classes.