ophelia picture Clumsily, I first stumbled into a yoga practice (through an endless stream of VHS tapes), as a means of finding more grace in my body. I certainly had an ulterior motive of building strength and flexibility. In other words, I began this journey rather informally, through my own unguided private practice, with a pile of books and manuals at my side to aid in my efforts to find the correct positions.

As a graduate student at Binghamton University in New York, I was asked to lead weekly classes that were held in the basement of the student union. This initial teaching experience (where there is always a tremendous give and take) propelled my study even further. That said, it took a cross-nation move to Portland two years ago, and a trial membership at Yoga Pearl before I began to fully understand the deeper implications that a regular yoga practice brings. I realized in my first class here that what perhaps drew me to yoga all those years prior was the drive for a sense and understanding of inner peace, a deep calmness and true self-acceptance.

These difficult endeavors can be practiced in any yoga class, but I found myself particularly drawn to yin yoga. This practice truly provides priceless tools to help us guide ourselves away from negative and agitated thinking. True to my teacher, Uma, I approach yin yoga as a form of meditation, and a quiet place to practice techniques for calm and controlled thinking and breathing while having the rare chance to stretch and elongate the connective tissues, or ligaments, of our body.