I love yoga for the moments when my body, mind and breath unify and flow together in the present moment. While a certain level of physical fitness is a great benefit and a healthy body and mind are worthy goals in themselves, it's those moments of unified awareness, even in small glimpses, that keep me coming back to my mat every day.
My classes provide foundations in strength, endurance, balance, flexibility and awareness of the breath. While each class flow is different, in general I focus on intelligent strength building through fun and creative sequencing, longer holds, dynamic motion and arm balancing postures. I encourage transitioning with grace, articulation and control from one posture to the next to develop whole-body core strength, stable alignment, focused concentration and a greater range of controlled motion. Each class is taught with light-hearted purpose and with great respect for my students' health and safety.
I do not consider what I teach to be of any one "style" of yoga. I draw from many influences including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Forrest, Shadow, PranaVayu, Budokon, various martial arts, acrobatics/circus arts, physical therapy and structural bodywork. I do not believe that yoga is defined by the path one takes, but by the intention and dedication that one brings to his or her path.
The classes I teach are challenging, requiring strong intent and concentration, and you will spend a decent amount of time not only in more traditional standing and seated yoga postures, but in dynamic motion and on your hands. While I always encourage students to practice safely and within your limits, I also encourage you to challenge yourself.
A Note About Inversions and Arm Balancing: The muscles of the wrists need to strengthen just like any other, and some soreness is to be expected with a change in physical practice. As a former full-time web designer, spending endless hours in front of a computer, I found that balancing on my hands actually helped alleviate symptoms of carpal tunnel or general wrist and forearm aches. Of course this is only my experience, but as one of my teachers says, “the worst thing you can do for the body is nothing”.
If you are interested in private sessions, please read my note about privates on the schedule page.