Instructor Rob Aranyosi’s yoga story shows that not every path is a straight one, but if we listen to our inner selves, we get where we’re going in the end.

Growing up, Rob was always active, and throughout his early life he pursued everything from soccer to skateboarding to snowboarding. When a series of injuries forced him to take a small step back from his active lifestyle, Rob began to pursue his interests in both music and cars. Writing, producing and playing music became his hobby and his passion, while he put his interests in cars to work as a mechanic.

Torn between these different paths, Rob took a backpacking trip to gain clarity and found himself inspired by the passionate, grounded teachers he met in his travels. He vowed to devote himself to a single, focused path that would integrate his life and work.

(Re)-enter yoga.

Rob had been introduced to yoga by his sister—Elevate’s own Lizl Fleury—a few years back, and although he’d found it helpful for dealing with stress and anxiety, he assumed he didn’t have time to make it a part of his life. Now, with a renewed sense of focus and purpose, Rob felt certain that yoga was his path. He took a leap, signed up for teacher training, and hasn’t looked back. Through his own practice and as a teacher, Rob has come to realize that yoga will teach you as much as you are willing to learn and accept about yourself.

Today Rob teaches yoga, but he hasn’t lost his passion for pursuing a wide range of exciting hobbies, including music, vegan desserts, rock-climbing and sensory deprivation tanks.