T Mac Vogt

Aerial Yogini, Businesswoman, Mother

Hi wellness family *_*

Huge thanks to Gala, for inviting me to be a part of this community.

My name is Tracy however I prefer to be called "T Mac" by my yoga family. I was born in Trinidad and Tobago, grew up in the USA, and now live in Switzerland with my husband and two baby boys. I consider my identical twin sister Nadiah my greatest gift. Through her, I learned unconditional love, kindness, and communication skills. I have been teaching various forms of yoga since 2010 when I received my training from Yogaworks in New York City. I am certified in many modalities such as Reiki level-2, sound healing, and spirit woman moon cycles to share a few. I feel that the journey of life is about learning, sharing, and growing.

How and why did you start Aerial Yoga?
What is your story?

I believe we are all looking for a safe place to be and for me, aerial yoga is that place as well as my healing modality. The silks help me to listen to my inner child, my needs, and my feelings. When I sit quietly in my silk and feel its softness I realize to treat myself and my soul with this same kindness. I enjoy teaching aerial yoga classes, because it feels to me like a spiritual experience.

What aerial yoga can also provide is a close-knit community. For me, it started at Aerial Revolution in San Diego CA. The generous owner Jessica Flores trained me in aerial silks and entrusted me with teaching at her incredible studio for 7 years.

Along this journey, I opened my aerial yoga studio Galaxy Lifestyle in 2013, which led me to help other owners open many studios around the world. I ended up closing the physical location of Galaxy Lifestyle studio and venturing off to develop the Aerial Yoga program at Pier to Point Wellness Center in Ocean Beach, California.

I believe it is important to always keep evolving, so I have created and developed several workshops along the way. Here are two examples:

After having two boys I was interested in the healing aspect of the silks. I met Sound Healing Guru Bob Grimmick and joined him on a Gong Retreat journey to Spain by Tone of Life. This is where I learned and improved my sound baths to combine them with aerial hammocks.
My passion for dying fabrics stems from my education and background in Fashion Design. This is why I have created Aerial Fabrics Tie Dye workshops for others to learn to do it themselves. You can find a short tutorial video on my YouTube channel Aerial Yoga Sesh.

You are also an entrepreneur (founder of Galaxy Lifestyle). can you explain your brand to us? How did this journey begin?

Yes, I am the S.H.EO of Galaxy Lifestyle where millions of stars (you) are gravitationally attached to a happier and healthier lifestyle. What was founded in 2013 as a Yoga studio continues today as a business providing services and products, as well as an online platform.

I strive to create a supportive community where fellow aerial yogis can interact and spread the love of aerial yoga. I would like to contribute to the well-being of our community through exercise, sound, herbs, and self-care.

On galaxylifestyle.com I offer my services as a teacher, be it for teacher training or individual sessions, and sell products such as Aerial Yoga equipment and accessories. I also offer to consult for Aerial Yoga Studios.

I hosted my first aerial yoga teacher training in 2014 which blossomed into training 108+ teachers up to this day. Hosting training is so magical to me. It is that time to hold space for future teachers to dig deep to find their niche and talents in aerial. Some express it through art others through dance, sound, compassion, strength, grit, or healing.

In 2017 I developed and patented the first aerial yoga app, which was available in the app store and had over 6000 downloads. I had the help of my husband Oliver in designing, UI experience, coding, and building iPhone and android app. It was a new and challenging endeavor for both of us. While trying to get investors on board for the platform I was told many times that it was a fad. I learned a lot from this project and maybe I was ahead of my time. So I ended up changing direction and moved to an online platform for clients to have access to classes consistently. The platform that evolved from this, is called Aerial Yoga Sesh located at www.sesh.vhx.tv . It provides full classes, instructional videos on poses, and videos on lifestyle topics.

The one part I miss most about the app was the community forum where we would share pictures and videos of what we were doing in the aerial community and communicate with one another. I'm so grateful for this community to prove over the 10 years I have been involved, that Aerial Yoga is not just a fad and it is here to stay. Maybe one day I'll revisit this project. It was a good lesson to learn to pivot a project and keep moving.

How do you combine being a businesswoman & aerial yoga teacher? Can you still find time to practice?

The businesswoman and the yogi in me balance each other out. I know practicing and teaching yoga makes me stronger mentally which helps me be a better businesswoman while being a businesswoman gives me a certain purpose.

To support me with the business aspect I like to surround myself with phenomenal women like my business partner Olivia Hughes (@yogaliv) who has co-created the aerial yoga teacher training for the last 7 years. She has guided me to create contracts, and set healthy boundaries with others to keep it professional and to keep everyone on the same page among other things. Thanks to Emily Artalejo (@elevatedelementsyoga) for assisting in my last AYTT it truly takes a team of devoted people to make the trainings a success. In businesswomen, it is important to empower each other to make this journey more enjoyable and to find time for yourself.

What is your daily routine, if you have one? What is a typical day for you?

My ideal morning is starting with a glass of water, Deepak Chopra meditation, 20-minute aerial yoga practice, and pulling a card from my Empowerment Edition Aerial Yoga Deck. However, most mommy mornings start with taking care of my two baby boys, a cup of fresh juice or coffee, and pulling from my Empowerment Edition Aerial Yoga Deck. Then fitting an aerial whenever I can run to my yoga room while my boys are distracted with activities. My self-care routine is more my night routine after I put my boys (4 and 3 years old) to sleep. I listen to a Deepak Chopra meditation while taking a shower in the complete dark. Then I usually play my crystal sound bowls and do yin yoga in my aerial hammock.

Do you have other passions besides aerial?

Women's Womb Care is a subject I am very passionate about. I have two healthy boys and during both pregnancies, I taught until 3 weeks before giving birth. Practicing and teaching were wonderful while being pregnant and I used the silks as a tool to deepen and assist me in flowing through poses. If your doctor approves you to practice aerial yoga, I highly recommend it to help with blood flow and hip opening.

I use natural herbs to steam my yoni, ritual healing baths, and movement of my body and womb to maintain healthy menstrual cycles. I also suggest following a full moon cycle to regulate your period or consuming certain plant seeds at a specific time of the month to help regulate your hormones for being pain-free and maintaining a healthy cycle.

Sound healing with tuning forks and crystal bowls is another creative outlet for me. I have been studying with Amanda Domnitz at Sacred Sound of the Soul Studio. Music has immense healing power on a cellular level. So I like to incorporate my Reiki with aerial yoga hammocks and sound tools to help bring balance to my clients and friends.

As you might be able to tell I am often combining my passions with aerial yoga to multiply its effects.

What are your upcoming projects?
Can you share some insights with us?

Keep an eye out on my social media channel @aerial_yoga in Mid August I will be hosting live streams to share a relaxing aerial yoga hammock experience accompanied by crystal sound bath and card readings.

To finish, do you have any RESOURCES you particularly love and would like to share?

Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss

Sacred Woman: A guide to healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit by Queen Afua

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

“In gratitude dream, ask, believe and know it is yours”

— Hillary Gittens (My Mother)

I share this beautiful quote in my affirmation deck and find that it can resonate with you in many ways. It reminds me to be grateful for the blessings in my life and to keep dreaming and creating. It challenges me to ask for what I need and want and most importantly to know that what I dream and ask for is mine.

Do you have anything you want to share with the community?

I found myself at the end of my cards reading oracle decks to my students. So I decided to make a special one for our aerial community called Galaxy Lifestyle Empowerment Edition Affirmation deck. It is the only deck available focusing on Aerial Yoga and I put all my love into this project. The cards help to stay focused on intention and action daily.