ARLINGTON, Texas—David Weiland is the owner and instructor of Arlington Yoga Center, a place he said he hopes people can come to find balance, peace and wellness.
Weiland said technological change offers a shadow image of his own professional journey.
Reflecting on his childhood, Weiland said cell phones were not yet widespread.
“When I was growing up, cell phones were around, but not popular or prominent,” Weiland said. “Everybody just had the landline at home. If you wanted to get ahold of somebody, you just called the line, and maybe they were there, or maybe they weren’t.”
Weiland said his early reliance on landlines shifted when he got his first cell phone in high school in 2007.
“I could communicate with all my friends whenever I wanted, and my parents could get ahold of me, no matter where I was,” Weiland said. “That was a big difference.”
Weiland said the combination of phone and camera into one device significantly changed his experience with media.
“We used to have a camera and a phone,” he said. “Now the phone is the camera—it’s an amazing advancement.”
This evolution mirrors the changes in his own professional life, from teaching yoga to becoming the owner of the Arlington Yoga Center.
Weiland said his path to yoga began at a young age, when he sought a way to find balance and inner peace.
“I started doing yoga when I was 18 or 19, and that practice really helped me to find some inner peace and self-control,” Weiland said.
Weiland said the impact yoga had on his life led him to pursue a career in the field.
“Being a yoga instructor is great,” Weiland said. “It’s positive for me and for everybody else.”
After years of teaching, Weiland took a major step in 2014 when the previous owner of the Arlington Yoga Center decided to retire. Weiland said his approach to teaching yoga emphasizes personal awareness and peace.
“I don’t lean into the spiritual aspect of it too much,” Weiland said. “I just want to help people come to a better awareness, control and inner peace.”
Looking back on the evolution of both technology and his career, Weiland said he sees a unique connection between the two. Technology has transformed the way we communicate, but it also plays a role in making wellness more accessible.
“It’s all about finding that balance—whether it’s through technology or through yoga,” Weiland said.
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