Check Out Bridget Peterson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridget Peterson.

Bridget, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was first exposed to yoga at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC while studying in the Dance Department. Following my Bachelor of Arts in Dance Education, I moved to New York City to pursue my professional dance career. In 2009, after several years in NYC, many of which I danced with a small collaborative dance company, I obtained my 200-hour yoga teaching certification through Om Yoga Center, under the direction of Cyndi Lee. I was fortunate to quickly become a full-time yoga teacher, primarily focused in the suburbs of NYC, as well as teaching in New Jersey and Connecticut. I obtained my 500-hour yoga teaching certification through Om Yoga Center, again under the direction of Cyndi Lee in 2012. In 2013 my first daughter was born. I have spent the past 15 years teaching and learning as much as I can in order to bring more accessibility of varieties of yoga practices to my students. I hold 2 Restorative Yoga Certifications, one through Cyndi Lee and one through Judith Lasater, a Pranayama Certification, 3 Meditation Certifications through Cyndi Lee, a Yin Yoga Certification through Wake Up Yoga, a Kids Yoga Certification through Karma Kids Yoga, 2 Prenatal Yoga Certifications, one through Janice Clarefield and one through Breathe N Flow Yoga, and 3 trauma-informed yoga certifications through United We Om, one being focused on addiction recovery. In 2014 I formed my brand, Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness, and in 2015 we opened our physical location in New City, NY. I began working therapeutically through yoga in 2014, assisting individuals with physical needs within their yoga practice as well as working through mental health challenges, addiction, divorce, etc. I became an ambassador and supporter with United We Om in 2018, a non-profit whose message is bringing accessible yoga to underserved populations. I began leading yoga retreats around the world in 2018, with 2 retreats to Costa Rica and one retreat to India prior to the pandemic. In 2020, Covid hit New York very hard and we unfortunately were brought to the point of closure of our NY studio. I decided to move my family back to my NC roots in 2020, coming back to the Wake County area. In 2022 my second daughter was born. In 2023, after a few years of working in dance studios and yoga studios in the area, I had the wonderful opportunity to reopen Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness in the Apex area. As I surveyed the yoga opportunities in the area, I knew the opening of Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness Studio needed to serve a specific niche. We opened as a trauma-informed, authentic, alignment-based yoga studio, bringing authentic, safe, mindful alignment-based, and inclusive yoga to the Apex area. During that time I began working with UNC Health in the opening of their new Youth Behavioral Hospital in Butner. I was fortunate to join the YBH team as their Yoga Therapist, working with the youth to bring the benefits of yoga therapy to the already high quality of care they were receiving. I was fortunate to work at YBH until August of 2024, when I decided to leave to focus on my family and my business. Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness in Apex is currently bringing creative, safe, alignment-based, trauma-informed yoga classes to the community, as well as yoga teacher training, yoga retreats, workshops, events, and even kids yoga. We are in the process of even more growth and expansion in order to ensure the local and outstretched communities are able to feel the deepest benefits of yoga in their physical bodies and for their mental health. I am also currently enrolled in the Masters of Science in Yoga Therapy program at Maryland University of Integrated Health to further my work as a Yoga Therapist and bring more of the therapeutic benefits of yoga through the Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness platform.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
no. owning a business is never smooth. lol! But it is absolutely worth it! Covid was perhaps our greatest struggle, as it forced us to close the doors on a community that had been growing for over a decade and to leave the supportive environment we were developing. But that forced decision led us to NC where this new vision of Lucky Elephant Yoga and Wellness can now manifest.
In order to respond to the financial and outreach challenges of yoga studio ownership, we have become creative and diverse in our programming to broaden our reach. We continue to work to help people understand the immense benefits of yoga for their physical and mental health. Many do not know what the philosophy of yoga truly is and how it can fit in their everyday life, or of the vast ways yoga can grow their health.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I come from a very authentic, alignment-based practice of yoga. I began yoga as a way to develop strength and flexibility for my dance training, but along the way, it became a lifestyle for me. It has supported me through life’s shifts and changes, health challenges, physical challenges, and through the ability to develop as a business owner, wife and mother. I believe deeply in the philosophy of yoga and in the ways it can truly fit into the life and belief systems of so many. I have seen firsthand the physical and emotional benefits it has brought to people. I began to acquire many different certifications within my yoga training to bring diversity within my classes and to meet my students where they are in the physical, emotional, and mental spaces they bring to the mat. And along that path, I began to work more therapeutically with individuals. I believe the practices of yoga should be safe, alignment-based for individual bodies, challenging and creative, and fun. I believe in presenting the authentic forms as they fit within the trauma stories we bring to our mat. I believe yoga is accessible to all. And it is just about finding the practice that supports your nervous system and physical abilities and limitations. I think this is what I am known for the most. Yoga doesn’t need weights, loud music, or anything added to it. It is a practice that has lasted for thousands of years and will last long after the loud music stops. And to truly understand and appreciate its benefits, we have to tune into ourselves and let it support our life journey and our healing.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Come to the studio! Take class with me or any of my amazing teachers. I also love community collaboration. Community is one of my core values. I am always looking for ways I can work with other individuals to bring joy to others. Send me a message, give me a call or stop by the studio!

Pricing:

• Introductory Offer: 3 weeks Unlimited classes for $49
• Travel with us! We are headed to India in March 2025!
• Travel with us! We are headed to Costa Rica in September 2025!
• We hold 200-hour Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Trainings
• We have classes 7 days a week for all abilities of practitioners

Contact Info:

• Website: www.luckyelephantyogaandwellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckyelephantyogaandwellness/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luckyelephantyogaandwellness
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-peterson-7b80881bb/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@luckyelephantyogaandwellness
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lucky-elephant-yoga-and-wellness-apex