I want to thank my all of my teachers. Bearing in mind that teachers are not only people with qualifications who lead a class. They are your family, your friends. They are your struggles and your failures. We learn lessons in life from grief and joy alike. From success as much as from broken bones. Some of my greatest teachers are experiences that shed light to the nature of my darkness. While other experiences have taught me how to connect with and amplify my inner light.
Seeing as how this is a blog devoted to yoga lessons through my lens of understanding and experience, it seems fitting that this first entry would include special thanks to the yoga instructors that have and continue to facilitate my journey. To Julie Verhoff-Pipes whose classes at Columbus Sports Connection first inspired me to become a yoga instructor myself. To my yoga and meditation professors at Pima Community College and OSU who gave me loads of resources, practical tools and techniques. Who first introduced me to yoga theory and the research and lessons of meditation, somatics and mindfulness based stress reduction.
I especially honor my Yoga Teacher Trainers Allison Eaton, Shane, and Craig Perkins at Yandara Yoga Institute. Vidya Heisel and Jennilee Toner at Frog Lotus International and Laura Gilmore at Bristol School of Yoga. To all of the inspiring yoga teachers I’ve trained with and all the yoga enthusiasts I’ve met or worked with along the way. I thank my students who continue to inspire, support and motivate me. And for making it all look so beautiful out on the world wide web, I’m so grateful to my sister, Mary Schafrath, along with her team at Distilled Studios in New York for designing and building this gorgeous website so that I can share the practice with you all.