my yoga story
It was the early to mid nineties, and yoga was taking my home town of Los Angeles by
storm. Almost everyone I knew was on their way to yoga, just leaving yoga, or talking
about yoga, but I wasn't that interested. I loved to dance; I loved to rollerblade. Anything
involving sitting still didn't really appeal. However, after literally two years of my dance
friends saying, "You have to try yoga! You'll love it!" I capitulated.
I began my search for a class and teacher that clicked with me. It took me about 9 or 10
tries before I stumbled upon Vinyasa Yoga. Aha - home! I loved the fusion of breath,
movement, and music. My first Vinyasa experience was in a class far too hard for me
(one of my dance friends took me, of course!) but I still had a wonderful time. And
afterward I even sat in meditation for a good three minutes – unheard of for me at the
time. And so it was I began to get an inkling of the power behind the poses.
For a while I took classes with Steve Ross, the original rock 'n' roll yogi. Great fun; great sweat. After about a year, another teacher came to Steve's studio, and that was how I met my teacher Max. Max Strom is one of those wonderful and rare finds: a teacher who can not only teach, but also lives the life about which he speaks. He teaches a mix of Vinyasa yoga, Chi Gong, and Sufi thought, with plenty of his own wisdom and humor thrown in. If you ever get the chance to study with him, jump on it.
I took my first teacher training with Max in 2001 – not because I wanted to teach, but
because I wanted to deepen my own practice. I didn't begin to teach until I moved to
Humboldt County in 2002. I wanted to combine an eclectic mix of music that I found
conducive to yoga and stillness with a challenging flow class. So I rented a space at The
Community Yoga Center, where they were incredibly supportive to new teachers just
getting started…and now here I am.
I am continually amazed and grateful for yoga and what it offers. I don't need to tell you
all the benefits and possibilities; if you've read this far in my bio you've probably read
them elsewhere. And not only that, but the experience is different for everyone. The one
thing I will say is this: if even one moment in an experience leads you to greater
compassion, whether toward yourself or toward others, then that experience is a gift.
I still study primarily with Max. I've also completed a teacher training with Erich Schiffmann, who is the world's biggest sweetie-pie teddy bear yogi, and have had the great good fortune to practice with countless other teachers and friends across the country. Thanks to all of you who have found something to resonate with in Groove Yoga and have made it such an incredible community.
Love & Namaste!