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Our Teachers

I first tried yoga as a new freshman in college. I was immediately hooked after my first class. What initially drew me to the practice was yoga being a form of exercise that wasn't competitive in nature. I soon recognized the shifts that were happening to me in my life off the mat, which is ultimately what kept me coming back multiple times a week. I don't believe I would be the person I am today if I hadn't found the practice at such a pivotal time in my life. For that I express gratitude everyday! It has also been extremely rewarding sharing the practice with those close to me, and getting to witness the same transformation that happened to myself, occur in others.

Ande

I have been lucky to have many great teachers. I grew up with a meditation & martial arts background before the amputation of my right leg following a motorcycle accident at the age of 12.
After a decade of struggling with the resulting back and hip pain, I started searching for yoga studios near me, craving something beyond the mainly physical practices I had tried in the past. I wanted to heal my mind as well.
I found Return Yoga's website, and deep dived into reading about yoga philosophy in Karin's blog. It felt like a calling home. In classes, I began to deliberately explored my breath for the first time. Karin is still my mentor and main teacher, passing on the teachings of T.K.V. Desikachar and Sri T. Krishnamacharya. Through my personal practices and study I have found some tools to more ethically approach reality & my personal experience of it; including living a more Earth & resource conscious lifestyle. It has changed everything, and nothing at the same time.

Brook

The spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda ignited my interest. That book introduces the reader to many spiritual giants, who demonstrate what is possible through dedicated yoga practice.

Diane

Taking classes locally and on vacations. It took me awhile to realize the full benefits of the practice.

Julie

I came to yoga during college in efforts to find a way to connect with myself, retreat from the noise of the world, and learn to be with myself. It was a studio class, and I remember loving being able to move my body, connect the movements with breath, notice the thoughts passing through and have permission to not believe them. The final resting posture (shavasana) as the sweetest nectar, and I wanted more...

Laura

My daughter, Anna, a longtime practitioner and also a certified teacher introduced me by turning me on to Yoga Today, an online yoga project in Jackson Hole, WY. Although it wasn't like being in a class, the teachers did have students in house (actually, on a mountain!) to help demo. I immediately felt the difficulties and rewards of a yoga practice--even online.

Mary

I came to yoga during a very challenging time in my life and found not only a practice that allowed me to find a new appreciation for my body but also an incredible community.

Rachel

I began practicing yoga in 2010 to increase my flexibility and improve overall fitness. I fell in love with the calmness that it created in myself along with a centering and confidence that I had never experienced before. Yoga is more than the postures, it's a lifestyle.

Becki

I came to yoga as a dancer looking to enhance my performance at the time, but stayed for what it was doing for the mind.

Celeste

I started practicing yoga in college as a means of managing insomnia and headaches. Shortly into the practice, I discovered the benefits extended into my recreational athletic endeavors. I loved to run and lift weights but did very little mobility and stretching. I discovered yoga gave me strength and stability in a different way, it helped me calm my mind and focus. I was injury free and the headaches and sleeplessness started to go away. Meditation became a significant part of my daily rituals and extended into my graduate school work and beyond.

Jessie

My sister in-law Lori invited me to a yoga class March of 2007. I instantly fell in love with yoga after my first class which was delivered with a passionate, powerful, yet peaceful voice. That night led me to my greatest learning of yoga, especially the breath work. I really gained an appreciation of yoga after that night. I incorporate yoga principles into my daily living. I find interest in the yoga sutras of Patanjali, the eight limbs of yoga. I need to be fully engaged on and off the mat for growth. Some days I nail it and some days I fail. I realize it is just a practice, not perfection.

Kelly

I was teaching a stretch/flowing movement class and our club brought in a few different yoga trainings - my first was SAFAX and then YogaFit came and I knew it was for me. At the time they were making yoga palatable to group exercise instructors and personal trainers.

Laurie

I was exploring alternative means to live a more spiritual life. I had the good fortune of this pursuit leading me to India and that catalyzed a quickly growing love for the practice.

Nate

I came to yoga through the physical practice when my swim coach noticed some hyperextension issues. She recommended yoga for stability. I loved it right away for so many reasons. My first teacher was wonderful, grounding, and inclusive in the way she taught which made it very accessible for someone who was a little intimidated to try something totally new.

Tracy

Is it dramatic to say that yoga and meditation saved me?
You bet, as we say in Minnesota.
And yet it’s true. In the same year, I had cancer, chemo, and a divorce I didn’t want.
So trust me when I say—when life gets hard, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns, habits, ways of being that may no longer serve us.
But what about choosing to fall forward instead? Into our bodies? Into our breath?
You and me—let’s step bravely into a sacred space, otherwise known as Now, shall we?

Betsy

Although I have been teaching in the fitness industry for years, my love for Yoga didn’t truly transform until I became certified in corrective exercise. I realized I didn’t need to achieve the perfect pose in order to succeed on the mat! I began to experience the practice in a playful manner.

Chris

Joanna

I came to yoga as a way to start intentionally moving my body. When I was driving home from a yoga class one day I remember feeling a deep sense of calm, my mind being so clear, and having an unprovoked feeling of joy. I felt a profound connection to my family and to myself, better able to remain present and to listen. That day I understood that yoga is so much more than moving our bodies. This sent me on an exploration of yoga so I could learn how to access this feeling more.

Kristin

I had a therapist that told me about a yoga teacher that I had to meet. With a lot of persuasion, I finally stumbled into her studio called Return Yoga. I still remember the smell of incense and the feel of the floorboards in my first class- the echo of unity. I met my teacher, and I was instantly curious, she taught with such presence. I instantly wanted more; yoga made me feel in ways that I didn't know were possible. Yoga gave me a breath or air, on the days my anxiety and depression felt suffocating. Yoga saved my life, I continued to come back to the practice.

Mariah

From my background in dance and fitness, but I quickly realized it was so much more than just another fitness class.

Paula

My wife wanted to try it, & dragged me along. (Fortunately, I took to it right away.)

Tram

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