‘When I practice I’m a philosopher. When I teach I am a scientist. When I demonstrate I am an artist’
BKS Iyengar.
My yoga journey started as a physical practice. What I mean is, I mainly began practicing yoga to increase my flexibility and to engage in exercise that was beneficial for me. I tried different styles of yoga to see which best suited my needs and found I was drawn to the Bikram style of yoga done in a heated room.
In September 2012, I spent two months at the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in Los Angeles learning about the Bishnu Ghosh lineage of Hatha yoga. I then continued my Hatha yoga training with Tony Sanchez in May 2014, completing the 84 Asanas: Masters’ Core System.
In May 2017 I went to Vancouver and received my Yin Yoga training with Bernie Clark and Dianna Batts.
Then in June 2019 I went to San Jose, California and continued my Yin training with Paul and Suzee Grilley. At this time I learned about Functional Yoga. More specifically, how to take a functional approach to yin yoga, as well as any yang styles of yoga. Functional yoga is not about the correct placement of your hands and feet, it is more about understanding your anatomical differences to safely get into poses while working the target areas. You can read more about this in my journal entry – Functional Yoga.
Today, I am currently enrolled in a 500 hour advanced teacher training program with Tiffany Cruickshank, founder of Yoga Medicine. Through this training I hope to gain a deeper understanding of anatomy, physiology, and teachings from Eastern and Western medicine, with the focus on their applications to traditional yoga practices. With this increased understanding I hope to enhance my group classes, and to provide individual therapeutic yoga programs for people at all levels with the focus on Hatha, Hatha Flow and Yin yoga. I hope to finish my 500 hour teacher training program by the end of 2024.
I currently teach Hatha, Flow and Yin yoga.
I truly believe the combination of doing Hatha and Yin Yoga helps with anti-aging and can be very therapeutic, helping with many common ailments such as: arthritis, back, hip, and knee problems. People who have suffered from these injuries claim that the yin and yang practice outlined above is the only thing that has helped them with their pain.
I’ve attached a link to Paulie Zink’s website where you can read a story by one of his students who suffers from back and hip pain. She outlines her experience with Bikram and Yin yoga and how the two practices have helped with her disabilities.
Paulie Zink is a martial arts champion and teacher of Taoist yoga. My teacher, Paul Grilley attended classes with Paulie Zink in 1989 and learned his style of Taoist yoga – holding poses for 5 minutes or longer. Paul then went on to further develop what he calls Yin yoga. For more information on the history of Yin yoga and Paul’s teaching I would recommend his book: Yin Yoga, Principles & Practices. For more information on Taoist and Yin yoga you can visit Paulie Zink’s website.
http://www.pauliezink.com/blog/
Types of Yoga
For many people yoga begins as a physical practice, an activity they can do to increase flexibility, tone their muscles, and become leaner. With regular practice they can achieve these physical benefits, but there are many other benefits that come along with a consistent practice. You become more focused on your breath, and your awareness of your body, mind, and the world around you begins to form with clarity. You begin to look deeper within yourself for the meaning of life, and you become more at peace with what you have.
If you are just starting out in your yoga journey I would recommend you try different styles of yoga to see which one suits your needs. The two styles of yoga I practice the most are Hatha and Yin yoga.
Hatha Yoga
According to Yoga Journal, Hatha yoga has been around since the ninth or tenth century. Over time, it has changed as different teachers took this ancient tradition and began to create a yoga that worked for their students.
Bikram yoga is a form of Hatha yoga done in a heated room. This practice incorporates two pranayama (breathing) techniques and 24 hatha asanas. The asanas are a combination of standing poses, backbends, balancing and twists. I find this style of yoga to be therapeutic and healing for many ailments such as back pain, arthritis, and knee problems. This sequence of poses hope to improve your balance, strength, and flexibility. Once you get used to the heat, it feels good to sweat the toxins from your body and you may notice your skin taking on a healthier look.
Whether you come to a Bikram, Hatha or a Flow yoga class you will experience a combination of asanas and breathing associated with each posture.
Hatha yoga is considered to be a yang practice, a more active and dynamic practice working the muscle tissues of the body while doing repetitive movements.
Yin Yoga
Yin yoga works the other half of the body, the Yin tissues. Our Yin tissues are the connective tissues which include the fascia, ligaments, tendons and joints. In Yin yoga we also stress our bones, but we do so in a safe way. When we practice Yin yoga, it is important to relax our muscles to work deeper into the other tissues of the body. Along with relaxing our muscles, we hold poses in stillness for a longer period of time – generally 3-5 minutes.
There are many reasons to engage in a Yin yoga practice. There are not only physical benefits such as increased flexibility and joint mobility, but also numerous energetic benefits that affect organ health, our thoughts, and emotions.
Just as we need to engage in yang types of activity, we also need to introduce yin into our life.
PRIVATE OR SMALL GROUP CLASSES
Private classes: $95.00 for 1.5 hours
Semi Private: add $15 pp (up to 4 people)
Life can get busy, and it’s not always easy to get into a yoga studio to take a class, or maybe you prefer to do a class tailored to your needs to deepen your practice. Taking private classes can be very rewarding as it brings together both the physical and energetic benefits of yoga based on the personal needs of the client. Private sessions allow the teacher to put together sequences that work for the specific needs of individuals and assist with personal modifications that may be difficult to do in a larger class.
I offer private or small group lessons in Hatha and Yin Yoga as well as Mindful Meditation.
If you are interested in private or small group classes please contact me to schedule your introductory session.
If you are interested in a larger group class please contact me to schedule a time to discuss your group needs, logistics and cost.
