Yoga

I have been practicing yoga for about ten years without a commitment to any particular tradition until about three years ago when I was introduced to Anusara Yoga. Anusara means "flowing with grace" and it immediately felt like home to me for a variety of reasons.

One of the first principles of Anusara is to open to grace. This means that before we even begin to wrap our bodies up in an Asana (pose), first we must soften - first we connect to the divine. This is such a sweet principle, especially for us Westerners who tend to push our way through our lives, including our physical and spiritual practices.

Another key principle of Anusara is to look for the good. So before we look at what's not right, what isn't working, what needs to be changed, we first take joy in the beauty that is. First we have gratitude that we have legs that can ambulate - first we appreciate that our bodies can get into even a semblance of the pose - first we see our beauty. Only then do we let our focus gradually and lovingly shift towards what might be needful to do differently.

There are also a handful of alignment principles that help the practitioner safely move into the poses. I had been practicing yoga for about eight years and I could never get into Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana ), until an Anusara instructor taught me how to do the asana using the Anusara alignment principles.

Yoga is translated as "sun/moon" - the greater meaning is Union with the Divine. The concept here is that it is in the balance between polarities where we connect to the Something Greater. Anusara yoga fully embodies this principle, without sacrificing a challenging yoga practice.

The yoga postures are really not important in themselves. While that is the focus of any Hatha yoga practice, the postures/asanas are simply the tool we use to get us closer to the Divine. We know our Hatha yoga practice is working when the principles of yoga begin to translate back into our daily lives. Instead of looking for the good only in our physical structure, we begin to look for the good in those around us, rather than critiquing and finding fault first. We learn how to keep centered even when we're being challenged. We learn how not to push through pain, but to respect the message it's sending us.

In my yoga sessions, I encourage the students to have an intention for the session. We use that in the practice to learn how to embody that intention in our being so that we may fully live it. Deepening into core poses, we will often back up so that we’re not pushing into a pose with brute force ~ honoring the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence) and becoming more mindful of our internal experience. I will often ask students to do less on the outside so that they can do more from the inside. Yoga at its core is less about doing than it is about undoing so we will focus on undoing…undoing holding patterns, constrictions, negative thought patterns and beliefs which keep us from living in our full potential.

Tantric Yoga

Tantra is different from other traditions because it takes the whole person, and his/her worldly desires into account. Other spiritual traditions ordinarily teach that desire for material pleasures and spiritual aspirations are mutually exclusive, setting the stage for an endless internal struggle. Although most people are drawn into spiritual beliefs and practices, they have a natural urge to fulfill their desires. With no way to reconcile these two impulses, they fall prey to guilt and self-condemnation or become hypocritical. Tantra offers an alternative path.

The Tantric approach to life views all that exits, including our desires, as part of god. Tantra itself means "to weave, to expand, and to spread" - the fabric of life can provide fulfillment only when all the threads are woven according to the pattern designated by nature. When we are born, life naturally forms itself around that pattern. But as we grow, our ignorance, desire, attachment, fear, and false images of others and ourselves tangle and tear the threads, disfiguring the fabric. Tantra "sadhana" or practice reweaves the fabric, and restores the original pattern.

Private and Semi-Private Sessions:

Private and semi-private sessions are a wonderful way to go deeper into your practice. Here we can pay attention to the details of the asanas, the attitude with which you approach your yoga practice, and the psychological barriers that may prevent you from deepening your practice.
The intimate setting of semi-private sessions cultivates a sweet kula (spiritual community). For just a slightly higher price than large group classes, you can receive individual attention that simply isn't possible with larger groups. Semi-private sessions are held at my in-home studio and are limited to four people.

Semi-Private Course: Yoga Foundations

In this eight-week eclectic yoga course students will learn the principles of yoga, such as breathing, body alignment, moving meditation, mindfulness, and core poses to begin a grounded yoga practice. We'll take time in the poses so that you'll be able to learn the poses from the inside out - letting the outer form be a result of an inner experience. This is a perfect class for both those new to yoga, as well as those who've sort of slipped into other yoga classes without being well-rooted in the asanas. This is also a great place to be if you're struggling with injuries or other body limitations as you'll learn how to make the asanas work for you, instead of you working for the asanas.
Classes are held at my in-home studio in Louisville. Class duration is 1.5 hours. Class size is limited to 4 students so that each student can receive individual attention. Cost for the 8-week session is $150

Fall/Winter News

I am in my third and final year of my Masters program in Somatic Counseling Psychology (Body Psychotherapy and Dance Therapy). I am offering counseling sessions through Access Counseling

Yoga Classes

Yoga classes are on hiatus until 2010.