At present, I am taking a break from teaching. I share this backstory to help inspire others. The aim of the Yoga classes is to share the reality and joy of yoga with the community. I have taught yoga and other movement forms for over ten years, and including EDGU, evolutionary spinal maintenance, created by Jeffrey Page Redman, which sprung out of the yoga teachings, for 15 years. I teach from a place of sharing a self-care practice for gentle fitness, and relaxation. It can be a coping tool as well as an art and science. I draw from many traditions and have studied with a few key guides, namely, Genny Kapuler, and Sujita Sklenar. They have imparted the wisdom of yoga from their perspectives. Genny offers alignment and structural, as well as anatomical knowledge important to the practice. Genny Kapuler is my aunt, and she studied with B.K.S. Iyengar, traveling to India 9 times, and has been teaching yoga and anatomy for over 40 years in New York. 

 

B.K.S. Iyengar writes in The Tree of Yoga: “Yoga is known to almost everyone as a philosophy, or a path, but very few know that yoga is also an art.” He goes on to write, “Arts can be of many kinds, including useful arts, healing arts, fine arts, performing arts and so on. The art of yoga embraces all these levels and is thus the fundamental art. Through yoga, the human being comes into contact with the soul; thus yoga is a spiritual art. Each asana has a geometrical and architectural shape thus it is a fine art. Yoga brings health and happiness to the practitioner, thus it is both a healing and a useful art. When the beauty and harmony of the asanas are appreciated by onlookers, yoga also becomes a performing art.” 

 

Sujita Sklenar, whom I studied with for over 15 years, took guidance from Ramana Maharishi and others. Sujita offered beautiful flows and encouragement of freedom and following internal guidance. She climbed mountains, and did yoga on mountain tops, teaching at Oregon State University for over 20 years. She was a great inspiration, and sadly passed last year.

I am deeply grateful for Sujita, Genny, and others, who have encouraged my yoga path. In addition, Nature has been and continues to be one of my deepest guides and teachers in yoga, and practicing outside near rivers, in water, and with lakes and mountains, hills and valleys, remains a calling. The era of Covid-19 has brought new challenges and opportunities. It is my hope that yoga brings great joy to those who practice it, insight, and peace. Love, Kusra

 

Testimonial

I've enjoyed the benefits of Kusra's in-person and online yoga classes for a few years. I recommend them to others. She creates a welcoming environment that is open to a variety of students from older students and beginners to those like me who are continuing their yoga practice. I like her flow style of yoga. After class, I feel like I've stretched all the areas of my body, and I'm less stressed. I've seen the long-term benefits of a yoga practice in increases to my flexibility and muscle strength, and my ability to manage stress.

-David B.