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I was fortunate enough to take my first yoga class when I was 10 years old. My mom and I went together to classes at a community center in our town. I wasn't an athletic kid-didn't run fast, wasn't good at...
Yoga holds a special place with me. I love the concept of "creating space" within the body. Having been physically active most of my life, like many, I have some areas which require my full...
Like many people, I tried yoga a handful of times and instantly liked it, but I didn't make it a priority at first. In 2005 I learned I was gluten intolerant, and it was a wakeup call that I needed...
I appreciate and enjoy asana practice as the physical aspect of the yoga tradition, which I have gradually turned into my lifestyle. Learning occurs through repetition and I try to practice...
I first decided to try Yoga in 2006 shortly after moving to Florida. I was looking for a way to get in shape and keep active, and kept hearing things about this "trendy exercise that all the stars are doing." I found a studio in Ocala and fell in love with yoga,...
There is something about practicing yoga in a group that really helps you develop your practice. The benefits of practicing yoga with others are many. When we practice together, we are challenged to keep a certain pace, try new poses, and honor our boundaries all...
April 2013 Over the past few months we “TT’s” have been deeply entrenched in the work at hand, perhaps at times feeling unequal to the task, and understandably rather self involved! Now, as we prepare to turn the last page of this life chapter, we can glance up beyond...
Crazy as it seems, we are nearing the end of The Yoga Sanctuary Teacher Training Program of 2012 – 2013. I’m not yet at the point to sit back and try to summarize the experience. Next month, perhaps. Or maybe never, as summary would most certainly fall short of any...
By Sherry Bechtold In considering the topic of Finding Your Voice, I felt it more than appropriate to ask some of my fellow students to express their feelings, thoughts, observations about their own experience in the YTT program. Their remarks appear in quotes...
A month into our Teacher Training Program and two remarkable things have happened: 1) we have learned a LOT and 2) the reality of how much is involved in this teaching yoga thing is setting in! The LOT part includes the many hours we have spent on Asana with Jennifer....
My name is Sherry. I am 66 years old and I’ve been practicing Yoga for almost 30 years….with some seriousness for the past 15 years. This is my third year practicing at The Yoga Sanctuary, and I suspect it was my experience here that put the idea of teaching into my...
At The Yoga Sanctuary you will find a community of like-minded individuals and friends who come together to practice yoga. This aspect of yoga practice—coming together as a group with similar intentions—is known as sangha, or community. Sangha originates from Buddhism...
BARBARA MELANSON, RYT My yoga journey began about 20 years ago when I integrated yoga into my fitness routine. Back then I considered yoga to be simply stretching. About five years ago I made a New Year’s Resolution to deepen my yoga practice. That resolution led me...
GWEN BURDICK Certified Yoga Ed Teacher My first experience with yoga was in a high school PE class. I was a competitive swimmer in perfect physical condition at the time, but I remember thinking, "This is really important." I didn't know why. Then I promptly went back...
MARGIT BANNON 200-hour E-RYT and a Certified Tennis Professional through the USPTA. When I first tried yoga, I absolutely hated it. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on a beach towel in a dimly lit gym, and I hated that I couldn't do the unfamiliar positions...
Anne Moore Annie is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher, specializing in Yin Yoga. She also just recently completed David Swenson's Teacher Training program for Ashtanga Yoga. My journey to yoga began in 2006, one of my most difficult years. I was a trial attorney with...
KATHERINE JOUAN MA, LMT, Duke Integrative Health Coach MA35959 Katherine is our Licensed Massage Therapist, Integrative Health Coach, and the founder of SimplyOrganix, a "live food" business that brings her passion for healthy food to the community. She is formerly of...
Sometimes all we want is a nice quiet space to practice yoga. We come to class and set down our mat in the perfect spot—with plenty of space in every direction. We enter a relaxing posture as we wait for class to begin. Then, someone sets down her mat to our right, closer than we might like. Then, someone else sets their mat down to the left, closing in. Soon, the entire room fills up with mats squeezing closer and closer together until it seems like no one else could possibly fit—until someone else does.
JENNIFER ARNOLD Favorite Yoga Instructor 2011, Natural Awakenings Magazine Jennifer is our Director of Teacher Development, Organizer of Community Events, and is currently earning her 500-hour yoga teacher certification with Master Teacher Tias Little. Over the years,...