About

I have decided to change the name of my yoga project from Found Yoga to Counterpose Yoga. Originally, my intention with Found Yoga was to host yoga in various places like a “pop-up” event and also to highlight the idea that the spirit and philosophy of yoga can be found anywhere we look.

While the activity and idea still remains, I wanted to shift the focus to what I rarely see in the majority of group classes and in the mainstream press: the importance of maintaining or returning to balance through the intentional sequencing of yoga practices and postures. In the honor of master teacher, Sri Krishnamacharya, a counterpose or pratikriya is counteracting what we have previously done to return the mind, breath and body to neutral. For example in practicing postures or asana, one might move from a backbend to a neutral spine, then from a gentle twist to finally a forwardbend. In daily life, one  may be in a chair at a computer. To counter that you might take an upper backbend in your chair to open the shoulders, move the neck and wrists in some alternate way, and stand up, walk around or squat to counter the effects of sitting in a chair.  You may have practiced this in class at some point, however, I intend to highlight this logic in classes so that practitioners may feel more empowered to take it with them into the functions of daily life and a self or home practice. My attitude is that yoga practice should aid us in achieving strength with flexibility, stability and support with ease, activity with rest and so forth. There is never an overarching prescription as to which counterpose is best for you in a given practice. My hope is to give practitioners the guidance to tap into their own intuition to find the most optimal and beneficial place for the body to move or be. That said, you are always free to move in a different way than I suggest in class.

As a second meaning, “counterpose” also refers to the movement that runs counter to popular ideas and static images of what yoga practice looks like in a magazine or product ad. It points to the dynamism intrinsic in each position and transition.

Bio
After a childhood on the go, from soccer practice and gymnastics to piano lessons and tree climbing, to dealing with life’s tests, I discovered that the best tool for balancing movement and stillness in my life was yoga. Since 1999, my yoga gusto grew into an urgent desire to share the unique experience that yoga can bring to each individual. I trained to facilitate yoga classes in Seattle at The Samarya Center for Integrated Movement Therapy and Ashtanga Yoga™ in 2006. Since then I’ve been digging deeper. I taught group and private sessions in New York City including kid’s yoga, yoga for cyclists, YMCA group exercise, hosting monthly yoga brunches and workshops, managing a small community yoga studio in Bed Stuy to teaching tense hedge fund managers and co-teaching a retreat in Costa Rica or teaching in unlikely spaces with an independent project called Dig Yoga. I’ve also collaborated with musicians like Mayteana Morales and Saretta Wesley and AJ Block with the Didge Project for yoga classes with live music.

I studied Yoga Anatomy with Leslie Kaminoff at the Breathing Project, Sanskrit with Manorama, and practice asana both independently and with brilliant instructors like Genny Kapuler. Most recently, I completed a Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Summer Quashie. I read classic yogic texts and strive for a sattvic lifestyle.

By good use of asana, pranayama, meditation, philosophy and its applications, yoga can enhance all aspects of living. To me, the practice is a celebration of being alive and able in the world: Inspiration (breath) + Action (kriya). Influenced by the lineage of Sri T. Krishnamacharya, my classes move dynamically and settle into moments of bringing individual consciousness to one’s body, breath and mind. My highest interest lies in infusing awareness and curiosity with my students and helping them to ignite their innate power and strength. My hope is that we can be better in our communities and the world by working on ourselves. In addition to teaching yoga, I’ve taught English and Interpersonal Communications and worked at a Physical Therapy clinic. Off the mat, I like to ride bikes, write poetry and started a neon company called Noble Neon with my partner, Cedar Mannan.