Finding Your Yoga

In our studio, we view the hour of yoga class as a place to find peace and harmony. The world is full of stress, fear, and all kinds of disturbances. We don't see any need introduce more of that into the yoga class than is already present in our lives. It isn't necessary to push or strive, or to achieve any idealized physical posture that looks like a picture you've seen somewhere.

To that end, I instruct people that their practice should ultimately feel good. Even if they are challenging themselves a bit, there should be some element of ease and pleasure within the challenge.

Sometimes beginners tell me that they were intimidated by yoga at first, but after my class they felt comfortable. They weren't sure they could "do yoga," but eventually came to understand that yoga is more about the process than a goal.

As a teacher, I give verbal instructions about how to get into a pose. This isn't to make students feel as if they have to have every physical detail perfect, or that they are doing anything "wrong." It is merely to help them focus, and get out of their head and into their embodied experience. My goal is to have students develop an inner focus.: a greater intimacy with themselves. That way, they can develop their own organic, inner-focused yoga: they can find their yoga.

This, to me, is the essence of yoga. It is my hope that students come away from my class with a greater sense of ease and empowerment.