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About Kevin

In the "About our Teachers" sections of virtually every yoga studio, you'll read a bio that starts something like this…

"I discovered yoga in 1998 and knew instantly that this was what I wanted to do with my life. I quit my job and entered an intense study with [insert yoga luminary] and [insert yoga luminary], then went to India where I practiced and studied with [guru]. I believe that yoga can unlock the beauty and joy and light in every being…(etc)"

Ok, I'm kind of teasing. Don't get me wrong...I don't really mean to heckle these folks. They're my friends, and I admire them. They stepped onto the mat one day and it resonated, deeply and completely with them. They've been in love with the practice ever since.

I seem to have taken the bumpier road. When I first stepped on my mat, touching my toes and touching Pluto inhabited roughly the same realm of probability, and my mind hopped around like a cross between a Mexican jumping bean and an espresso bean. Fourteen years later, my toes have gotten closer, but my yoga practice is far from effortless. I sweat when I practice. I fall down, sometimes hard. Frequently I have to talk myself onto my mat, especially early in the morning. I still have my favorite poses, and those that I have to force myself to do. I like coffee.

The funny thing is that in my practice, the struggle and the draw are inhabit the same spaces. Getting onto the mat is as much of a practice as the practice. Once I step onto my mat, the craving and grasping melts away. My practice may not always look easy, but my experience of it has become easier and richer over the years. The joy of the practice - the synchronicity between breath and movement - has long since overwhelmed the tension of striving for a particular outcome. I'll often point out in class our tendency to let the tension and unfocused energy of the mind invade the body. I suggest that instead, we let the natural stillness and groundedness of the body invade the mind. That is the best way I can think of to express my own experience of yoga practice.

As for teaching, it's a joy and a gift. I've taught thousands of classes and I can't remember ever not wanting to be there. Even when I'm exhausted and late and stuck in traffic I look forward to stepping into that studio and bathing in the energy of class. It's just magic.

My class has been profoundly influenced by some brilliant teachers - Bryan Kest, Baron Baptiste and David Moreno to name three. My practice has also been influenced by some inspiring yoga teachers I'm fortunate to call friends. I've been lucky enough to teach in studios infused with the warmth and energy of some gifted yogis - Christina McLeod, Toi Lynn and Jordan Wyle and Audrey Allen , among others. More than anything else though, my yoga and my teaching have been informed by a community of caring, involved students. I know, I know…cue "Wind Beneath My Wings". Ok, I'll cut it out.

If you're wondering what to expect from my class, it's pretty straightforward. You do NOT have to be flexible. Don't let your friends who come to class regularly lie to you…it's hard. You'll sweat, and you'll be tired. Most people have to take breaks at some point during the 90 minutes, and that's totally fine. It's the point, really. You'll make it through, and by most accounts, you'll be happy that you did. Oh, and we laugh in class. We explore. We fall down. We leave energized, and usually smiling. We know that putting your leg behind your head has nothing at all to do with the quality of your yoga practice.