My name is Chandra Herndon, and I am an advanced, certified yoga instructor (RYT500) with a passion for connecting muscle movement used in sports with yoga for maintenance and optimal performance. With my love of sports and physical activities, my personal experience as runner and basketball player, and my passion for yoga, I fully understand the demands that sport can put on the body as well as the needs of athletes in injury recovery, prevention and training. With the intense training of basketball during young adulthood, I did not understand or really have any awareness of yoga and the impactful benefits that I could have reaped had I implemented them. Like many, I simply performed my team’s 10-minute warm-up and stretch routine. This was not enough to maintain proper balance and strength. As a result, I suffered two major knee injuries resulting in surgery. I do believe had I practiced yoga consistently during that period, the risk of those injuries would’ve been reduced. On the other hand, I decided to become an avid marathon runner. I used yoga to help maintain my mind, flexibility, and strength. As a result, I did not suffer any notable injuries during running. When issues arose, I learned how to listen to my body and work on those areas both on and off the mat. The improvements in my recovery following training and the challenging poses building strength really optimized my performance. The mental discipline created space for my mind to breathe and manage stress, anxiety and jitters. Yoga has been a game changer for me, and I look forward to sharing the gift with others.

Having experienced the impact yoga had for me as a continual athlete, I am passionate about sharing this with other athletes to empower them physically and mentally to rise to their maximum potential as the best athlete they be. I will create custom yoga sequences and flows, isolating key muscle groups used in the focused sport, strengthening while building flexibility and balance to keep athletes in the game and not on the sidelines. Inner Strength Yoga is committed to going “beyond the stretch”!