Some times you find people in your life that inspire you. Someone who you can spill your guts to. A person that can make you laugh even when it feels like the entire world is coming down on you. Ladies and gentleman let me introduce to you, one of those people.
Name: Sara Taeschler
Age: 23
Born and Raised: Mountainside NJ
Education: Textile Design, Philadelphia University
Occupation: Men's CAD Designer- American Eagle Outfitters, NYC
Height: 5'11" of pure gorgeous
Type 1 Diabetic
Yogi
Name: Sara Taeschler
Age: 23
Born and Raised: Mountainside NJ
Education: Textile Design, Philadelphia University
Occupation: Men's CAD Designer- American Eagle Outfitters, NYC
Height: 5'11" of pure gorgeous
Type 1 Diabetic
Yogi
I had the privilege of meeting Sara during our time together at Philadelphia University. As she recalls it, "I remember it like it was literally yesterday - the first day I met Kassie and our other close friend Hannah Knight. I was sitting in my Area Studies of Africa class which for all three of us I can easily say was the best class to improve our notebook doodling skills. I remember the first day I asked this and it quickly became the every Tuesday/Thursday routine. "Yo, did you read and journal today?" as Kassie responds, "Yeah, No!" And right there instant friendship" There is a certain bond you very easily make when it comes to design students, and not doing work for your non-design classes. Some professors actually felt bad for us. This Area Studies professor frequently asked us how many hours we had slept due to the dark circles under our eyes, and the number of caffeinated beverages on our desks. Needless to say, you can quite easily become friends with people who share in your pain, and together despise the people who sleep every night. But Sara was not just a friend based on our mutual sleeping habits. She very quickly became a pivotal part of my everyday life. From coffee runs, to her helping me through frequent meltdowns, she was always a constant smiling face that I was glad to see. "Over the next three years our friendship blossomed so beautifully! Kassie is one of the most bright and positive people I know - and I would be lying if I said she didn't have an impact on the path I am currently on. We would bounce off of each other, ideas regarding our current collections, as therapists when we just needed to "vent it out" I excitedly accepted to be her fit model shortly after becoming her friend, and we would just constantly support each other which I didn't realize was as big of a deal as it was until now." | Sara hadn't originally gone to PhilaU for Textile Design. She'd actually planed to go for Fashion Design, like myself. She had a love for fashion. She took sewing lessons, illustration courses at FIT on the weekends, and so obviously this meant the FD program. Good ole guidance counselors doing there guiding jobs, helped Sara realize that her love was of textiles. The print, color, pattern of clothing is what inspired her, so... "boom switched to Textile Design for second semester!" Talking about college, Sara said, "Textile Design is just a topic that literally no one is educated yet it is such an essential part of everyone's everyday life...from the cars you drive in, the clothing you wear, to medical, to interiors, it is applied to so many different fields. So that was a blessing that I was able to take away from school - being introduced to that as a career path, which furthered my skills in painting, drawing, furthering inspiration and applying that to my collections. But mainly for me there were only two things that made college remotely bearable - the dear friends that leave a mark on a person, and sunrise yoga with Kiki." |
Sara first did yoga at her local YMCA in high school, and it became a much needed outlet at about the same time that college became almost unbearably stressful. Being the morning person that she is, she would go to the 7:15, "sunrise yoga with Kiki" class. She describes the class saying, "meeting the sun was the best therapy". Whenever she was feeling unbalanced it was the constant there holding it all together. In her junior year of college she began thinking about the possibility of getting yoga certified, and she knew that with her new 'chapter" after graduation, this was something she wanted to do. I love hearing Sara talk of her passion of yoga. I've learned from her that it isn't just physical, but equally mental. It's feeling balanced, and it's something that she wants to consume her. And for her, she loves the yogic lifestyle. "you can be practicing yoga all day long and I don't mean physically. It occurs in ones attitude, their outlook on life, how they deal with situations, how they process things, their vibes that they put out, and how the treat others but most importantly how they value and treat themselves."
She continues saying, "Some of you must think I'm crazy and a few years ago if I were reading this I may have thought the same. I used to be super negative, and my humor was my weapon for a long time, the sarcasm, because it almost seemed easier to play that role. I mean don't get me wrong there are times where I'm negative still, have zero patience, and I like to think I'm still hilarious. But I believe that it is just SO much easier to radiate positivity, love, and good vibes towards people and just in general, whereas it takes so much more out of a person to be negative."
Since graduating PhilaU, Sara has gone on this adventure of getting certified, and is currently finishing up her training with Satsang Yoga Studio in NJ completing her 200 hr RYT. While juggling her full time job in New York, she has worked non stop through her training which includes, "looking at the history of yoga, sacred texts, assigned readings and books, papers, asana or physical pose work and sequencing, practicing a certain number of times a week, as well as towards the end teaching, teaching that involves giving back to people or your community, the final exam where you have to teach the kula (class), and some other bits and pieces to form the whole pie!"
Her love for yoga is clear, and she doesn't plan to stop here. She is already doing research, and is looking forward to continuing her yoga training!
She continues saying, "Some of you must think I'm crazy and a few years ago if I were reading this I may have thought the same. I used to be super negative, and my humor was my weapon for a long time, the sarcasm, because it almost seemed easier to play that role. I mean don't get me wrong there are times where I'm negative still, have zero patience, and I like to think I'm still hilarious. But I believe that it is just SO much easier to radiate positivity, love, and good vibes towards people and just in general, whereas it takes so much more out of a person to be negative."
Since graduating PhilaU, Sara has gone on this adventure of getting certified, and is currently finishing up her training with Satsang Yoga Studio in NJ completing her 200 hr RYT. While juggling her full time job in New York, she has worked non stop through her training which includes, "looking at the history of yoga, sacred texts, assigned readings and books, papers, asana or physical pose work and sequencing, practicing a certain number of times a week, as well as towards the end teaching, teaching that involves giving back to people or your community, the final exam where you have to teach the kula (class), and some other bits and pieces to form the whole pie!"
Her love for yoga is clear, and she doesn't plan to stop here. She is already doing research, and is looking forward to continuing her yoga training!
I can say from knowing Sara for several years, that she is a very healthy eater! We can thank her mother Patty for teaching her the balance of food, but healthy eating became more of a necessity on June 10, 2007, when Sara was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. For those of you, like me who don't exactly know what this means, in layman's terms, her pancreas does not produce insulin on it's own. So many of us take for granted what our bodies naturally do for us when we eat, exercise, or drink alcohol, where Sara acts on behalf of her pancreas and manually injects insulin. She pairs this with a low carb diet, but over the years has experimented with many different types of diets including vegetarian for three years, gluten free, and had the privilege of working with Grace Van Berkum, who she refers to at the vegan angel, and took a three day vegan course. Our odd diets have always been common ground for Sara and I, and together I believe we made the load easier to bare. Everything is easier when you have someone there supporting you. I was a vegan for three years, and then found out about many intolerences I had including gluten, which made for an interesting college experience! Along with our friend, Hannah, who is a pescatarian, we were the nightmare of every restaurant, but we had each other there to hold us accountable. Here are some things you should know about Sara.
The whole idea of this blog is about beauty, so naturally I asked Sara what she thinks makes the world a beautiful place. "For me its nature. I know that seems like such a cliche almost, but for me this is the utmost truth. We have the Reservation right near my house and it doesn't matter what time of day or night... I mean I've gone there at 1:00 AM before that place is home for me. The tightness I get in my chest often when life... happens when I set foot on those trails and breath that air it's a release for me. As well as when I stand on my beach in LBI. At this age and stage in my life when it comes to religion I'm not super clear with what I truly believe in, but I know for a fact that there is some higher power or god out there and when I'm in nature that's when it is most clear and true to me. I think the beauty that surrounds us through nature and the outdoors is something that can't be touched. There is no comparison. I mean there will be times where I'm looking at a body of water, something slow like a creak or stream and I'll start crying, or I'll be in awe staring at how clear the water is one day on my beach in LBI, and then smiling ear to ear almost laughing when I'm at the bottom staring up at a huge waterfall. Waterfalls are my favorite... so magical". I have always known Sara to be a woman of passion, whether about her path to living a yogic lifestyle, or the colorful note she left on a car that was taking up two parking spaces. Our bond over single hood, love of scruffy faced men, and coffee are only some of the reasons why she is one of my favorite people. I am honored to call her a friend, and believe that she is an amazing example of living beautifully. |