Mission Statement and Values

Background:

My calling to teach yoga is about paying forward what I get out of yoga as a student. For a long time, I practiced yoga at home and on videos, but never in a studio. I thought classroom yoga was not for me. All the photos and advertising I saw showed one particular body type. I was not (and I am not) that type. In the ads, the bodies were usually in highly ambitious shapes that looked like gymnastics or contortions to me.

At some point, I tried a class for “beginners” but I quickly found that even the assumptions around beginners could exclude me and my body. That’s a story for another post. The point for today is, I was lucky enough to find a few creative and caring people who showed me that yoga is for everyone. 

Through yoga, I began to know my body a little better, to find more strength, flexibility, and balance, and to feel more comfortable in my own skin.

Mission Statement:

I feel called to teach so that I help others find out what yoga can do for them. I want to offer classes that are as safe or as challenging as you need them to be on that particular day. I will offer a range of choices and invite you to make your own choices in your practice.

Values:

• Yoga is for everyone and everybody.

• Yoga meets you where you are, now, in the body you inhabit, today, and I will work with you to help you discover your own personal yoga practice.

• Yoga is a reflection of the outer world.  We turn inward while we practice, and we bring the outer world with us.  This means that our traumas, griefs, worries, beliefs, loves, and joys are all part of our practice. The goal is not to ignore them but to integrate them.

• As such, my yoga class will be a brave space. When I say a “brave space,” I mean that I commit to the following:

  • Everyone is welcome, regardless of gender expression, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, shape, size, ability, and learning style.

  • I acknowledge my points of privilege and try to be mindful of how privilege plays out in groups. I ask that my students do the same. I reserve the right to remove anyone whose presence or behavior makes others feel unsafe.

  • Feedback is a learning opportunity, and I am grateful for it.