I enjoy the physical precision of yoga and that it requires unity of breath, thought and movement of weight. Theory can only take you so far, it is practice that brings new understanding and possibility. This mindset is undervalued in today’s information retention age and it takes some humility to not “know”.

To bring these things together, we have to think of the body as a channel rather than the most important unit, which our frustrations, desires and fragile egos often trick us into feeling. This focus on the flow of breath and weight and thought through the body reveals our habits, which muscle groups are dominant and which are weak and need to be woken up and integrated into our regular movements. This is intentional work that doesn’t happen through simply repeating poses.

Yoga is not perfect. It’s just a tool and like all tools can be useful or harmful and has been used for both. The history of yoga is intertwined with the oppression of lower caste people and dalits, who were not even allowed to read or speak Sanskrit. This is why I almost never use the Sanskrit that is so associated with yoga and instead focus on teaching people the names and actions of the muscles they are using.

My style is strong and anatomically precise, I do every pose and I tailor each class to the students present. My yoga inspiration has come from the playfulness of Dharma Mittra and the care, creativity and attention of Ana Forrest.