We had the good fortune of connecting with Mercedes Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mercedes, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Since the pandemic I have missed the energy from group classes so I decided to start my own studio to keep us all connected.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was never the most fit or knowledgeable person to go to when it came to working out. I wasn’t the person you looked at and said, “I want to be like her.” It’s been a long and trusting process to become what I am today, and there is still so much to learn. I started my yoga journey at the end of 2017 because I was in a time of my life where I just needed to slow down to listen to myself. My luck in the world of love had taken me away from myself. Right after high school, I was in a physically and mentally abusive relationship. After a broken eye socket, many bruises, and broken arm, I decided to leave for good. About a year later, I thought I was ready to go back into the world of dating. I quickly found myself in a relationship that was less than perfect but, hey, it was better than the last one. Still, I found myself unsatisfied yet jumped in to a marriage that I wasn’t going to be completely happy in. Working 6 days a week from 7 in the morning to 9 at night, and wearing myself as thin as possible. I wasn’t taking care of myself, and taking all my anger out on whoever was around. I was a person that I hated. About three months of a consistent yoga practice and changing jobs, I was finally able to see that my life was that way because I let it be, that my happiness was truly up to me, and not anyone else. If I wasn’t happy, then it was my fault. I had been through so much because I chose to stay there instead of change my situation. By the end of 2018, I decided to file for divorce and move on with my life. It was hard, I cried A LOT, and I blamed everyone else for my problems for a while. Looking back now, I can see I just completely broke and in denial that I was the reason for my pain. I started focusing more on work; I had just begun teaching trapeze yoga and working full time at the studio, so it was easy for me to keep busy. I just gave it all to my work, and it helped. I started focusing on the present moment, just like all my yoga teachers had said so many times before. That is when my whole life began to change. I started focusing on me for once. I started eating vegan, kept up my practice, and let go of whatever did not serve me. I stopped being as selfish and tried to look at situations as if I was in the other person’s shoes. Now, I’ve been teaching Trapeze Yoga for two years, have my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate, and teach Inferno Hot Pilates. Life couldn’t be any better!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to the national forest to practice some yoga and meditate every morning. Hike during the day, and finish again with meditation and a swim in Lake Conroe. I like to spend most of my time outdoors, so we would be spending each day finding a new spot in town to explore.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To all my family and friends who have watched me grow over the years.

Website: www.themercywalker.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/themercywalker

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