BY: HEATHER KENYON
Staff Writer
Originally from Springfield, Missouri, Bethany Bogosian was a child of a blended family with five siblings. “I was a really shy kid”, Bogosian began, with a slight chuckle. A yoga instructor at STLCC-Meramec, Bogosian said she never would’ve expected she’d turn out the way she did.
“Depression had a big effect on upbringing”, Bogosian said, her tone softening as she delved into her past. Though she wasn’t diagnosed until college, she said as early as age 13 she struggled with depression but didn’t know it, living with her dad in Springfield. Once in college, Bogosian said, she saw a psychiatrist and was officially diagnosed. “Always called myself a late bloomer, socially for sure,” she said about her upbringing, as she brushed her nearly hip-length red hair to the side.
Bogosian also grew up with a few religious influences. Her dad’s side is Baptist, and her mother’s side is 7th-day Adventist. As a teenager, Bogosian also attended Alateen meetings, created for teens struggling with a family member’s substance abuse. Bogosian found aspects of spirituality within these meetings, she said, her hands gesturing gently. “The influence of 12-step program meetings raised my consciousness,” she said.
When she was 19, she came across the School of Metaphysics in Webster, and attended those meetings for about 9 months, Bogosian said, acknowledging the impact of spirituality on her life. “I’m a really spiritual person,” she added. She explained that the meetings included discussions on spirituality, reincarnation, concentration, and mindfulness.
“I hated school,” Bogosian said with a wry grin. “I just wanted to work, make money, move out of my parent’s house,” she said. Bogosian described herself as pretty independent.
Bogosian ultimately didn’t graduate college until she was 31 and transitioned to work in education, teaching kindergarten and first grade for 15 years, at a local private school. “Whenever I get a chance I work with kids,” she said.
Bogosian was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2009, she said, from which she has recovered. However, in that time, she practiced yoga when recovering from a major 7-hour surgery, she said. “That’s when I really started, I was evolving, I was growing,” she said.
She would often take yoga classes, she said, and got to be friends with one of her teachers, who urged her to become a yoga teacher herself. “I’m not advanced; I can’t do that,” Bogosian initially said. However, in her last year of teaching kindergarten, she received certification for teaching yoga to children.
When she left teaching grade school, she acquired her job at STLCC Meramec, teaching yoga to college students. Right after that, Bogosian founded “Yoga for You!”–a nonprofit organization aimed at making yoga accessible to underserved communities and at-risk youth. Bogosian was initially discouraged and mentioned she was afraid she couldn’t do it at first. She put it on the back burner for a few years, but when the Child Development Learning Center was added to Meramec, “It hit me, I’m going to do it, I’m going to go back to my nonprofit,” she said confidently.
“I’ve got more to do, more to give,” Bogosian said when reflecting on her nonprofit. “I just want to be out there and heal, and I want them to find joy and peace,” she said.
As Bogosian reflects on her journey, she acknowledges the transformative power of self-discovery and personal growth. “I have to get over myself, over my self-doubt and low self-esteem, just feeling of not being enough and just work my way out of it, ” she said, her voice steady. Through her personal journey of self-discovery, she has developed a deep sense of purpose and a commitment to ongoing growth, aiming to positively influence those she encounters, she said.
“I learn from my students; I learn from everything,” Bogosian said. Looking ahead, Bogosian remains driven by her passion and purpose for helping others as she says, “If you pay attention you’ll find it, it’ll be right there, it’ll be put right in front of you.” When asked to relay one message to young students, Bogosian smiled, and shared, “Keep the faith baby, keep the faith.”
