My intention for my students is for them to develop their own agency over their bodies – to recognize their power within, feeling a sense of belonging, and enJOYing movement!
Basically, I see the mat as a place of play, discipline and connection. I meet students where they are, offering different options to allow students to feel confident about their own practice.
My movement background consists primarily of dance with a consistent practice of functional fitness. I discovered yoga when my mom received a Baron Baptiste power yoga DVD when I was an adolescent, and my brother and I took to it with great amusement. I found the physical rigor to be a welcomed challenge and continued to supplement my dancing with yoga for years to come.
However, yoga is not only a physical practice.
The eightfold path
Yoga means union. Union of self, and union with others. Yoga is not just a once a week or so practice where we forget about the outside world. Rather, it is a continuous practice of transformation. “It provides tools and a guided pathway toward unity, in which we discover within ourselves what has separated us, and costs harm for ourselves and others” (Susanna Barkataki, 2020).
As originated in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras the path of yoga incorporates not only asanas, or physical postures, but 7 other limbs:
- Yamas – 5 moral restraints
- Niyama – 5 self-observations
- Pranayama – control of the breath
- Pratyahara – withdrawal of the senses; turning inward
- Dharana – concentration; focus & attention
- Dhyana – meditation; observation & reflection
- Samadhi – identification with pure consciousness
Yoga is a deeply internal practice, & serious practitioners will find value in their own self study of the 8 limbs of yoga. However, I do my best to incorporate other limbs into my classes to honor the roots of the tradition. After all, yoga started as a philosophical oral tradition.
See more resources at bottom.
Yoga is for everyone.
& if you have ever been told otherwise, I encourage you to seek out a different instructor.
While I believe it is important to challenge ourselves in order to grow, I have also learned from the Elemental Body Alignment System, the importance of each individual’s unique body. Flexibility looks different for everyone, and my teaching is about accessing your own mobility, wherever you are.
History & Resources:
I am committed to creating a just and equitable environment. I am constantly learning myself and am open to constructive feedback & conversation!
Difference Between Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Appreciation in the Context of Yoga
8 Signs Your Yoga Practice Is Culturally Appropriated – And Why It Matters