There are many different traditions or “lineages” of yoga, meaning the term yoga itself can mean a large number of things! In the West, the yoga we commonly see is a style focused on an intense practice, gymnastic movements such as hand balances, or centered on doing the post “correctly” with a teacher’s seal of approval on proper alignment.

While I do value keeping people safe with well-stacked joints, the style of yoga I teach is centered on the experience of the individual. Poses can also look very different based on the practitioner’s anatomy.

Embodied essentially means that the focus is on the sensations in the body opposed to the visual presentation of the pose. Basically, I want you to feel the pose, movement, or muscle without worrying so much how it looks. I worry about cueing the movement in a way that promotes safe movement.

This embodied movement can apply to yoga, but also can (and does!) apply to other typed of movement including traditional strength and mobility work.

Props, such as a blanket, bolster, blocks, and a strap are nice to have but almost never necessary.

Certain props, like blocks, can enhance your practice because sometimes our limbs are not quite long enough to get where we need to be and maintain contact with the ground. They also can give us something to create resistance or work into which can increase sensation.

Luckily, a thick book can often serve the same purpose as a set of blocks for your home practice.

I do! Please see my inquiry form here to request contact regarding a group event or class.

In the past, I’ve done open house events, bachelorettes, and annual brunches for groups up to 20.

The good news is: not really! It’s definitely a bonus if you can name your body parts though, as I’ll often refer to them when cueing movements.

Personally, I’m not a fan of “calling poses”, letting students find them, and calling it a day. I also do my best to offer multiple options to achieve the intent of a posture.

I have worked with a wide range of people but I am not fully familiar with every individual’s experience with a specific condition. I also do not and cannot claim to fix or cure any specific ailment through yoga or otherwise. I often refer people to work with a physical therapist, experts in movement related conditions, if I am unsure how to proceed with an issue.

Generally speaking, I abide by the following concepts:

Start low and slow

Gradually build capacity in your tissues by staying within your range of tolerance

Adjust range of motion or movement options to move in a way that does not evoke or worsen pain.

Having pain does not necessarily mean you cannot engage in movement.

I’m glad you asked! While I love to nerd out on movement courses and collect letters after my name, I have found that most people don’t particularly care about the specifics.

I particularly enjoy the yoga teachings of Jill Miller of Yoga Tune Up and have taken her Breath and Bliss Immersion. I also have completed many trainings by the founders of Functional Range Conditioning, including FRC, Functional Range Assessment, Kinstretch, and Functional Range Release (manual techniques).

I completed 1000 hours of schooling to practice as a massage therapist in NYS and 6 years of experience as a massage therapist, though I do not currently practice. I also have experience in personal training, CrossFit Instruction (lapsed certification), kettlebell training, and Olympic Weightlifting. I pull this in to understand common movement and compensation patterns for individuals with pain or other movement limitations.