I have been teaching yoga for over 10 years. I took my first yoga class about 14 years ago at a gym. It was a time in my life when I was struggling with anorexia nervosa, and part of my disorder was over-exercising. I walked into the yoga class with a thought of it being another hour of exercise to continue to burn calories on top of my vigorous cardio routine. The first blessing I received was an instructor who was physically strong, had a strong muscular body with curves, and she seemed very comfortable in her body. She moved it in a way that was beautiful, strong and peaceful all at once. I quickly realized this practice was so beyond just the physical. It was the only time during the day that I didn’t hate my body and use that hatred as motivation to move. I was moving my body with an intention of making peace with it, with me, with who I was.
Years after that first yoga class, and after years of recovery, I decided it was time to give that gift back to the community…in any way I could. I have taught almost all ‘populations’ of students from prenatal, to elderly, teen and tween yoga, yoga for people with MS, etc…. I have practiced almost all forms of yoga from Kripalu (gentle yoga stretches), Kundalini (working with the energy at the base of the spine and working the Chakras …energetic centers within the body), yin(holding poses for a long time), Bikram (a series of postures done in high heat), Iyengar (focus on alignment using props to get into the poses), and Vinyasa (moving with the breath connecting one pose to another). My passion is Vinyasa, and that’s what i most organically teach. My Sunday morning class is a challenging Vinyasa practice, that helps build strength as well as flexibility. We set an intention for the practice to allow it to have a focus that goes beyond the physical benefits, to start to find the ability to tap into our intuition and become the facilitators of our own healing…physically, emotionally, mentally. The practice is somewhat like a ‘dance’ with the breath and the body moving in unison, learning how the breath can help the body support in strength, or open up in flexibility.
I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday’s at 8:15 to get our yoga on together!