Teaching Hours:

Rocket Ashtanga Yoga, Thurs 6:00-7:15pm, Sat Noon-1:15pm,  Amara
Other Private Yoga or Personal Training, upon request
Frequent sub for other classes so check the Amara schedule

My Yoga Philosophy:

I’m not one who believes that Yoga is what you make of it. I believe that it means something special, though unique to each one of us.

Yoga means “yoked”. We are all connected by our feet and hands as we touch our mats, the floor, the Earth. The more we can remove all that binds us to make this connection, the closer we will be. Be transparent in both your physical being and the beliefs of your mind.

The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali say that yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind; Yogas chitta vritti nirodha. When yoga first came about 5,000 years ago, it was about sitting in meditation, Dhyana. It is difficult to remove the chaos of our thoughts when our bodies aren’t prepared. We open our bodies through Asana to find a better seat. We gather and release energy, Prana, so these fluctuations are removed. We find focus, Dharana, as we exclude external influences, Pratyahara. Our ultimate goal is to achieve the feeling of peace or bliss, Samadhi. These traits encompass the 8 Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga as we practice personal observances and disciplines, Niyamas and Yamas.

So, yoga is not what we make of it. A side effect of strenuous practice can be health. But the goal of yoga is NOT fitness. It is not about achieving a better looking body. It is not to be a contortionist or circus performer. It is not a competition. It is about something much deeper.

Parampara:

definition – a succession of learning that reflects a lineage

My Rocket Lineage
Krishnamachurya (father of modern yoga)
→Patthabi Jois (founder of Ashtanga)
→→Larry Schultz (founder Rocket Yoga)
→→→Amber Gean Espelage (Yoga Ah)
→→→→Andy Yoga

Vinyasa Yoga:

Vinyāsa (/vɪnˈjɑːsə/ vi-nyaah-sa; Kannada;Sanskrit: विन्यास; IAST:vinyāsa) is a Sanskrit term often employed in relation to certain styles of yoga, that usually refers to a transition between two different positions. The term vinyāsa may be broken down into its Sanskritic roots to assist in decoding its meaning. Nyasa denotes “to place” and vi denotes “in a special way.” Like many Sanskrit words, vinyāsa is a term that has many meanings.- Wikipedia