Yoga Teaching Philosophy

Teaching yoga is not just about teaching physical movements; it is also about knowing how to guide people through their internal self-exploration.  I direct my students with awareness and breath so they can fully explore their practice on the mat.  My hope is they walk off the mat with their expanded awareness and breath, taking their yoga off the mat.  If you have awareness you can manifest the change needed to shine and live up to your true potential.

My teachings intend to bring awareness to how connected we are in body, mind and spirit.  I want my students to feel safe and comfortable moving through various breath exercises and postures. Yoga on the mat becomes a playground for life where you build and practice positive coping skills to deal with life’s many transitions and stresses.  I believe the way you move, think and feel on the mat represents the way you carry yourself in the world.  Through a consistent practice, one is able to release thoughts of self-judgment and open the doors of compassion.  As we consciously move through the postures we tune into our bodies messages and gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.  We learn to embrace every facet of our being and see the beauty in everything, the dark and the light.  We find this balance amongst the softness and strength, explore the superficial and deep aspects of poses and accept the contemplative nature of the practice as well as the laughter. I love attending classes where I feel respected and comfortable, where I can explore my practice on the mat and be inspired, encouraged and supported to move from a place of awareness and purpose.  I aspire to offer my students this same kind of experience.

My classes are welcoming, invigorating and joyful!  I like to create an atmosphere that allows students to listen to their bodies, find joy in their practice and develop enthusiasm for all aspects of Yoga.  It is important to bring a sense of humor to the mat, to listen to your innate wisdom and to expand your self-awareness from a place of non-attachment.  I emphasize practicing in the here and now with the breath to get grounded in the present moment.  Depending on the style and level of the class, my classes can be quite challenging.  My classes offer creativity and familiarity to encourage playfulness and finding novelty in the routine.  If you can find the excitement in getting into Downward Facing Dog pose for the 200th time then you will look forward to unrolling your mat day after day with an attitude of curiosity, compassion and gratitude for this amazing practice.

• Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
• Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyengar
• The Tree of Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
• Yoga: the spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffman
• Living Yoga by George Feuerstein
• Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope
• The Heart of Yoga by T. K.V. Desikachar
• Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zin

Supplies:

• www.Manduka.com (My favorite yoga mat)
• www.huggermugger.com (Great place to get props such as blocks and straps)
• www.yogalifestyle.com

Inspiration

“The way that we see things today does not have to be the way we saw them yesterday. That is because the situations, our relationships to them, and we ourselves have changed in the interim. This notion of constant change suggests that we do not have to be discouraged.”
T.K.V. Desikachar

“Whether things get better or worse depends to a considerable extent on our own actions. The recommendation of a yoga practice follows the principle that through practice we can learn to stay present in every moment, and thereby achieve much that we were previously incapable of.”
T.K.V. Desikachar

“I feel certain that the change wrought by my practice also changes the world. I don’t see how it can be otherwise. Everything is interconnected in the fabric of oneness. Awakening affects the entire world.”
Richard Miller

"The Guest House":
"This being human is a guest house / Every morning a new arrival. / A joy, a depression, a meanness / some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. / Welcome and entertain them all! / Even if they're a crowd of sorrows / who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture. / Still, treat each guest honorably. / He may be clearing you out for some new delight."
The Essential Rumi. Coleman Barks, HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.

The mind is everything; what you think, you become.
(Buddha)

Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.
Patanjali, translated from Sanskrit

Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity.  This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization.  Yoga means union - the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul.  Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions.
B.K.S. Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala

Asana is a steady, comfortable posture.
Asana (yoga posture) means the posture that brings comfort and steadiness.  Any pose that brings this comfort and steadiness is a yoga asana.  If you can achieve one pose, that is enough.  It may sound easy, but in how many poses are we really comfortable and steady? Before we can relax the mind and bring more balance into our lives we need to work on the physical body by using yoga practices such as posture work and breath control.
The Yoga Sutras of Pantajali (Book two Chapter 46) 300BC

"What really matters is what happens in us, not to us."
John C. Maxwell

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."
Carl Jung