Centering Practices

Centering practices offer a subtle and nuanced approach, suitable for students with a foundational yoga practice. In asana, we will explore whole body versus localized movement for balanced strength and resilience.

In yoga we aspire to soften and release the intensity of our identification with the outer body. Each practice is an inner pilgrimage in which we allow all aspects of ourselves (tissues, nerves, marrow, organs, attention . . . .) to be soaked in the deep tides of the asanas, breath, and vibratory pulses of the subtle body. Tias Little refers to this experience as “the alchemy of silence”, when “in the midst of our overburdened lives we connect to that still, quiet place inside.” 

Essence & Metamorphosis ~ April ~ July, 2025

In April practices, we’ll move and strengthen your upper body ~ hands, elbows, shoulders, and movement for your heart and lungs; like spring cleaning for your body ~ metamorphosis. We’ll integrate traditional asanas and playful practices that are easy to sneak into your day to release tension and sweep or clear places of immobilization in your body.

Before you feel your lightness and spaciousness, a relaxed AND dynamic energetic body, it’s helpful to first experience the heaviness of the body/mind and explore giving up this weight to the ground. Deep-seated tensions can be so ingrained that we may hardly be aware of them.April classes will include extra time and guidance in the relaxation/assimilation (Savasana) portion of class, to listen to your body, release the holding, and allow the body as sensation and essence to awaken. These “art of listening” practices follow the teachings of Jean Klein.

“One may think of metamorphosis as the principle by which creative energy is saved from being bound in static forms. Growth proceeds by metamorphosis . . . 

From the seed grows a root, then a sprout; from the sprout, the seedling leaves; from the leaves, the stem; around the stem, the branches; at the top the flower; in the flower the seeds, the death of the plant, the seed falls to earth, then another root and sprout. We cannot say that the seed caused the growth, nor that the soil does. We can say that the potentialities for growth lie within the seed, in mysterious life forces, which, when properly fostered, take on certain forms, one form seeming to develop out of another, each needing that which went before in order that it may function at its own time and level in a total process which culminates in the production of another seed – that is to say, in a new life capacity, the future, the new unique being continually developing out of the changing forms of its nature, in time . . . 

It is not a concept that I wish to convey. It is, rather, an experience of nature which I wish to summon into consciousness. It comes in like a light, clearing the mind. We want our minds to be clear – not so we can think clearly, but so we can be open in our perceptions.”  
~ M.C. Richards, Centering in Pottery, Poetry, and the Person

The online ‘live’ practices will include recordings that you can use at home OR attend by recording only.

The body, not the thinking brain, is where we experience most of our pain, pleasure, and joy, and where we process most of what happens to us. It is also where we do most of our healing, including our emotional and psychological healing. And it is where we experience resilience and a sense of flow.

~ Resmaa Menakem from My Grandmother’s Hands

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Payment Options

Sliding Scale Payment Options

Sliding scale is a tool that allows my services to be obtained at multiple price points based on the circumstances of my students and clients. The sliding scale addresses economic justice and represents the idea that financial resources, including income, are not and should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access services/care/etc. I’ve made a commitment to offering a sliding scale model as a way to contribute to a more equitable world.

For a sliding scale model to work, it relies on truthfulness, respect for complexity, and accountability. I trust you to be honest in your assessment of your financial reality. I do not receive any outside funding to supplement sliding scale discounts. This model is an attempt to balance the fair value of my time and energy and the multiple realities of economic access and privilege that exist within our community. I’m open to ongoing communication about our economic experiences and this model.

Please choose a level that is best for you now.

A portion of class proceeds will be contributed to organizations that are centering marginalized voices, at the intersection of spirituality and justice, and committed to creating a beloved community of mutual care.

Contributions in 2022 include:

• Lake City Partners, Seattle WA mission is to end homelessness by providing shelter, respite care, work opportunities and other services, so that people have increased opportunities for stabilization, recovery, and permanent housing.
• Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), Seattle WA cultivates the power of diverse young women to be creative leaders and courageous change makers through transformative programs within a collaborative community of belonging.
• Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, NYC, is on of New York City’s most highly regarded volunteer choral ensembles. It is known for its eclectic repertoire, interpretive depth, and technical expertise in many styles. In 2023 the ensemble will collaborate with The Unsung Collective. Since 2011, the ensemble annually offers world premiers from its Emerging Composers Competition.
• Social Justice Fund (SJF), Seattle WA, is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change. SJF funds organizations led by people who are most directly affected by the problems that the organization or project is addressing. SJF uses Giving Projects, a unique participatory model which provides significant financial resources to organizations that work toward long-term progressive social change.

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