Susan:

I have been practicing yoga for 30 years, and teaching for nearly 20. My own practice began when my daughter was very young and I was learning how to become a single parent. As a former dancer, I was immediately drawn to the exploration of asana (yoga poses) as a tool, not only for physical health, but to enhance awareness and attention, and to steady the heart within the present moment.

My original 500-hour certification with OM Yoga, an influential Center in New York City founded by Cyndi Lee, reflected these interests. Our training included the use of precise alignment (influenced by the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar) as a foundation to explore Vinyasa Yoga as a vehicle for building Mindfulness. This training set the course and my teaching became deeply influenced by Buddhist teachings and practice. For me, Yoga is a path of awareness and compassion.

Part of the joy of teaching has also been ongoing study; finding what resonates most deeply in my own changing body and mind and sharing what I learn as an offering to my students. I was particularly inspired by two years of Embodied Anatomy with the irreverent Amy Matthews and have been supported by a lifetime of creative and therapeutic somatic and energy-based practices, such as Alexander technique, Reiki, Pilates and Modern Dance. I have studied Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR-the invaluable teachings of Jon Kabat Zinn) and, in February 2021, completed a two-year Training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach to become a Certified Mindfulness Teacher.

A big bow of gratitude to some of the other wonderful teachers with whom I have studied directly, including: Frank Boccio, Jennifer Brilliant, Elena Brower, Christie Clark,, Frank Mauro, Richard Freeman, Rolf Gates, and Sharon Salzberg. They have helped and influenced me in countless ways: Namaste to each and every one, as well as to my students, friends and family, brilliant teachers all.

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Other bits and pieces:

During the Covid pandemic, I developed a unique, web-based archive of audio classes to support students in a screen-free practice, and created a daily online sitting group (Put Your Tush on the Cush) that continues to sustain a small community of meditators around the country. I’ve taught Yoga for large corporations and small non-profits, and well as an adjunct faculty member at Brooklyn College. I’ve been a lead teacher on retreats and in teacher training programs internationally. Mostly, I love to go deep and, besides in-person and online group classes, work one-on-one, resourcing all of yoga’s good medicine to support living well as best we can. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to learn more!

My writing about yoga and meditation, as well as random thoughts on the way that the practices intersect with daily life, can be found in my monthly newsletter (subscribe below), this site’s blog, as well as publications such as elephant journal, Yoga International and Dance Teacher Magazine.