What has surprised you most in your journey as a yoga teacher?
All of it has surprised me. I thought it would be hard, and for me it’s been harder than that. I thought it would be fulfilling, but it’s more fulfilling than that! What surprises me most is the effect the practitioners have on how I lead a class. If you simply open space, people fill it with the most amazing stuff- energy, drive, intention. They bring the logic to it all. I follow them!
Your upcoming workshop, In Depth: Let’s Ask Why, will dive into the question of why we practice yoga. Why do you think it’s important for yogis to discover those reasons?
It’s a question of where is the practice going? The initial curiousity for this practice is what I’m fascinated by. Why are people drawn to yoga? The reason at first is often pretty general- I want to find more peace, I want to take care of myself, etc, but that initial spark holds a very interesting clue I think. We know we’re looking for something through yoga, though we may not know what that is at first. Let’s move into a much more focused and finely honed curiosity that stems from that initial spark. A realization that we are our own best guide to what we seek. Ujjayi breath is the pathway to all of this, it’s a pathway to the Self. We’re very used to using Ujjayi to gain access to the potential in yoga postures, but it gives us access to much more that that. That starts with awareness.
Why did you choose to do a series of workshops based on Advaita Vedanta philosophy?
This philosophy can be said to supersede all other philosophical constructs. It’s beyond philosophy. It’s not a way of thinking or seeing- it’s pure realization. It’s simple and vexing at the same time. The idea for the workshop comes from two specific texts- Astavakra Samhita and Atma Bodha- and the stunning power of what lies in them. Really I think it’s impossible to base a workshop on something like this. Instead we’ll be looking at practicing much as we already do, but with a heightened awareness of Self that can transform the experience and transcend ordinary perception. After that, I hope people become curious about these texts and maybe keep one by the bedside!
What excites you about your upcoming series of workshops?
The chance to pull a wider focus on this practice. Postures and breath technique matter so, so much! It’s just so easy to get involved in the fine details of that and wooosh- 75, 90 minutes are gone! So here we can open more space for deeper experience and reflection, and through that move further into awareness. It’s how I’d teach in a perfect world, with 2 hours to spend in each session and only periodically, leaving more space for the practitioner go away and really dig into it on their own for a while.
Would you say this this series of workshops are for beginners, as well as more experienced yogis?
This workshop is for anyone who’s curiosity has led them to take a yoga class. We’re looking at bringing a deeper awareness to one’s approach, wherever one might be along that line of experience.
What is your philosophy in life in a sentence or two?
At my best I’m able to be quiet and remember who I am- and what that really means- and let that drive my choices.
