|
Mary says...
|
How long have you been teaching yoga?
I’ve been teaching yoga since I was six years old and I lined up my five year old friends, taught them headstand, and then gave them each a report card! We used to perform movement-asanas whenever we had an audience, in particular, local parades, seriously! In real adult time I have been loving, teaching yoga in studios, workshops, and privately for almost 10 years now.
Our teaching style are evolving constantly from the day we taught our first class:
When do you think your authentic and original style of teaching crystallized?
The day I felt a sense of relief, as I realized my style is forever recrystallizing. That was freeing, to know deep down that to learn, unlearn, and relearn is authentic, and truly Vinyasa, my essence. As stated in the 1st Sutra by Patanjali:
Atha Yoga Nirshasanam translates :
NOW begins the practice of yoga, as I know it today.
You play the most inspirational music during your classes: how does music and sound effect your yoga?
Yoga of sound-vibration, known traditionally as Nada Yoga is essential to my classes as I teach in flow format. The rhythm, or pulse of the sounds I play inspire the pace and depth of immersion in movement, allows student to explore their own movements as creative expression.
The depth and sophistication of your Vinyassa flow classes are so dancerly—how has dance evolved you into yogini?
Vinyasa Yoga allows for evolution of movement, inspired by breath, and in my case, my classes are often called Fusion Flow as I allow dance, art, challenges, day-to-day to flow through me to the class as intuitive and spontaneous.
Now you are teaching and creating great works of art from fiber. Can you share how yoga as influenced your art, or how art has inspired your yoga?
The play of Yoga as Art and Art as Yoga is palpable, daily as I practice and paint in fiber. I am fortunate to give workshops in both, and to share with students, Vinyasa as unfolding intuitive expression in both movement and painterly flow. They inspire each other.
What of the connection between Dance, Yoga and your current Fiber Art creations?
FusionFlow in Form and Fiber, my artwork comes from opening to changing presence and a willingness to play with everchanging inspirations, around us everywhere.
Now I HAVE to ask for this from you since I LOVE the music you choose to play during your classes: can you suggest a playlist for a yoga and art session?
Sounds inspire movements, so I have put together over 80 playlists for my Yoga classes, and my art. For deep rhythmic sounds I draw from Russill Paul, Chinamaya Dunster, Rasa, Gabriel Roth, Subway Bhaktis, Wah, Wynne Paris and of course Krishna Das.
For artworkshops the sounds a softer, quieter to allow students space to drop in to their own creative process. Sounds from:
Chakra Meditation, Steve Gorn, Stephen Halperin, and Yoga for Wellbeing Series are just the beginning.
I feel a need to acknowledge my teachers who continue to inspire me along the way, Krishnamacharya, TKV Desikcachar, Shiva Rea, Ram Dass, and Sri K Pattabi Jois, Ashtanga foundation from which my flow formed, re-forms, breath by breath!
From Ram Dass:
The freer I get, the higher I go,
and the higher I go, the more I see,
The more I see, the less I know,
and the less I know, the more I am free.
  |
 | del.icio.us |  | digg |  |  | newsvine |  | yahoo |
|
