Carolyn’s teaching is grounded in the understanding that yoga is a path of direct experience, not dogma. She is steadfast in keeping the practice fresh and relevant to our daily lives here and now. It has to make a difference in our lives – how we feel and what we do. Carolyn demystifies yoga philosophy and terminology, and creates opportunities to test out ideas in our own bodies and our own lives. We challenge ourselves in every way. We nourish ourselves and taste profound pleasure. We strengthen our ability to listen on the inside to our body’s wisdom and to our very funny inner chatter. We invite break-throughs that release old patterns in the body, mind and heart. We grow.

With a background in competitive sports (figure skating, water polo, triathlons and soccer), Carolyn first came to yoga in 1989 to cultivate an alert, steady state to tap the muse and write a novel. She returned to yoga again and again to relieve chronic back and neck pain, and unwind a convoluted Scoliosis spine. She became a loyal practitioner after yoga lifted her out of a stubborn depression and restored her natural happiness, and she realized yoga could help her sustain that joy.

Yoga became a full-blown love affair in 1999 when she stumbled into Anusara yoga with Hanneli Francis, who became her primary teacher, mentor and beloved friend. Carolyn has trained extensively (1,000+ hours) in Anusara and Tantric philosophy with master teachers and scholars such as John Friend, Katchie Ananda, Sianna Sherman, Noah Mazé, Darren Rhodes, Carlos Pomeda, Paul Muller-Ortega, Douglas Brooks and Sally Kempton. Carolyn’s practice is also influenced by her studies with other master yoga and meditation teachers, and her love of transformative dance and wilderness questing.

Carolyn began teaching in 2003. She loves helping people reconnect with their natural vitality, clarity and joy — and challenge themselves at their own pace. She leads an annual spring retreat in Northern California and provides one-on-one mentoring to people on the path.

Off the mat, Carolyn is active in the Green Yoga Association and is co-founder of Up2yoga, a year-round series of call-in workshops and courses about living yoga’s wisdom.

The principles of Anusara yoga abound with tree-imagery. In fact, vrksasana (tree pose) and its components are so inspiring that we utilize the metaphor and asana in almost every class. Each time we are instructed to ‘root down’ into the earth beneath us or ‘grow our branches’ toward the sun, we are nourished. The tree, in its depth, height, beauty and resilience gives us pause and insight into our lives. Within the first principle of opening to grace, we establish our roots through the foundation. Here our roots hold our intention. The roots are our faith in the Universal, consciousness, Divine, grace….whatever name you give for that which connects us to something bigger than ourselves. Roots, though unseen, are critical to the sustenance of the tree. A beautiful tree with shallow roots will eventually collapse. A person with an amazing intellect and expensive wardrobe, but with little grace is shallow and may more easily falter under durress. And then there’s my grandmother. She had little money and very little formal education. Yet she was wise and possessed an open, optimistic heart. She connected with others from an authentic, internal place. It was her faith in goodness that nurtured her and helped her persevere even the most challenging periods.

The trunk, branches and leaves are our intellect and emotions. We strive to nurture them in such a way that they not only are sustainable, but grow, give forth and give back. The fruit is a gift, yes. But it’s more than that. The seed inside, like our attitude, is the fuel that drives our intention. And for it to be received well, it should be sweet and nourishing, like the meat of the fruit.

Each component of a tree is necessary to its survival and its reproduction. For us, we look beyond mere survival.  As gregarious beings, we utilize our incredible composition to thrive in a world of connection. On this Tu B’Shevat, may we all take time to find shelter beneath a tree, recognize and nourish our gifts and talents; and give forth from a skilled, internal place. In that way, we will connect to something bigger than ourselves and help bring peace and joy to this world.

Aviva Black teaches a mixed level class on Thursdays from 12 – 1pm at YogaKula Berkeley.

Click here to register for Aviva’s class

The traditional Surya Namaskar series is made up of 12 postures that correspond with 12 aspects of the Sun. Being essential to Life, the Sun has a special place of honor in many traditions, Yoga being no exception. Each posture in the Sun Salutation is meant to be a meditation on a particular aspect of Light. When taking the postures of a Sun Salute, one is mindful of the corresponding chakra/area of the body and is repeating the mantra internally three times. For example, in Plank, which arrives with an exhalation, the focus is on the throat chakra, and the mantra is “Om Khagaya Namaha”. Khagaya refers to “The One Who Moves Through the Sky”, or “The All Pervading Light”, signifying the unending passage of time and eternal light that pervades it. As we repeat the mantra, we meditate on our own Life and the Light of Consciousness – our eternal nature and also our impermanence in this bodily form. It might occur to you that this could take awhile to contemplate! That is why the mantra is repeated three times (to slow the movements down), and the Sun Salutation series is usually repeated 12 times, or multiples of 12.

Although ever present in modern yoga classes, Chaturanga – that clever yoga push-up – is not part of the traditional Sun Salute series. Instead, Eight-Point Pose (Ashtangasana) follows Plank, still on the exhalation, offering toes-knees-chest-chin to the ground. With the attention to the Solar Plexus/Navel, this posture honors the “Giver of Strength and Nourishment”. Repeating silently “Om Pushne Namaha” we honor the aspect of the Sun “Pushne” which is the source of all our food and thus all our strength.

Inhaling into Upward Facing Dog (or sometimes Cobra), we turn our focus to the pelvic chakra and open the chest, looking upward, honoring “Hiranya Garbhaya”, the Golden Cosmic Self. Signifying the absorption of the individual into the universal Ocean of Light, our small movement becomes a bigger offering to shining interconnectedness. “Om Hiranya Garbhaya Namaha.”

With Downward Facing Dog we repeat inwardly, “Om Marichaye Namaha”. Fingers and toes spread wide, hips reaching to the sky, we shift our focus from pelvis to throat. Like rays of the sun beaming through parting clouds, our limbs mimic the brilliant rays of the Sun. We become “Marichi” – The Light.

Understanding the meaning behind the movements, the Vinyasa becomes much more than just a means to get buff yoga arms, or spice up the practice with extra heat. Each movement becomes an opportunity to connect with an aspect of your self and the Natural Order of Things.

Ultimately, the Sun Salutation is a practice that honors the Inner Light that radiates from our own Hearts. Now maybe that Chaturanga will be a little more enjoyable. Better yet, replace it every once and a while with Eight Point Pose.

The Light in me recognizes the Light in you – Namaste.

Nicole Becker teaches yoga at YogaKula Berkeley on Wednesdays from 12:30 – 1:30pm – all levels and 12:00 – 1:00pm on Fridays – all levels.

Click here to register for Nicole’s classes

~ Jessica

Jessica Archer is the Studio Manager of YogaKula San Francisco and teaches yoga classes for all levels on Mondays and Fridays from 9:00 – 10:30am at YogaKula San Francisco.

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Aviva is grateful to Alice Joanou for bringing her further into her own practice – right through the ninth month of pregnancy. She has also had the great fortune to study Anusara Yoga weekly with Jim Bernaert (2003-05) and Abby Tucker (2005-present) and completed 200 hours of training with Anusara teachers Sianna Sherman and Noah Maze. Aviva’s challenging, but accessible sequences are taught in the Anusara style and are focused on students building awareness and sensitivity, as well as strength and spaciousness… all with a healthy dose of playfulness.

Jessica began dance training at the age of eight and became a professional ballet and modern dancer working with various companies and groups around the country. She then began to teach Pilates, Gyrotonics and yoga after using those approaches to help heal chronic injuries sustained from her dance career and also trained with Carol Thaler in Richard Heckler’s Lomi Bodywork, another integrative approach incorporating Deep Tissue, energy balancing, and breathwork. She later became a certified Trager practitioner and has also been trained in Ohashiatsu, Acupressure, Body Mind Centering, Authentic Movement, DreamBody Process Work, and has a liberal arts degree centered in Somatic Education and Dance Therapy from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.

While living in New York City, Jessica worked primarily with professional artists of all kinds and created Emotional Process Work for Actors while on the faculty of the Caymichael Patten School. She then moved to the Bay Area after meeting her life partner Deane Juhan and together they created a series of transformational workshops called Balancing Self and Society: Joining the Healer and the Artist Within which they taught in the US and Europe.

Jessica now sustains a private practice in the Bay Area and immensely enjoys being on the YogaKula faculty working individually with all ages and backgrounds.

I completed the Hollistic Health Certification Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz while doing my undergraduate degree in Language and South Asian Studies.  The massage training I received focused on Swedish, deep tissue, acupressure and neuromuscular release techniques.  I have also learned much from my father, who is a gifted massage therapist.  Through my continued work, ongoing workshops and self-study I strive to deepen my skills and knowledge and pass this growth on to my clients.

My fascination with the body as the abode of spirit and as an instrument of the mind has defined my exploration and keen interest in bodywork, art, meditation and yoga (which I have been studying and practicing for the past 10 years).  Currently I am enrolled in the Anusara  Yoga Teachers Training program.

I like to celebrate the gift of embodiment through creativity and movement, singing, friendship, good food, discipline and fun!  Through my work, which I truly love, I see a chance to share an offering of kindness and healing with anyone who needs it.

“Our hands imbibe like roots
So I place them on what is beautiful in this world,
And I fold them in prayer
And they draw from the heavens light.”

Casondra has had additional massage and somatics training at the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, the San Francisco School of Massage, McKinnon Institute, Heartwood Institute, the Bodiwork Institute, and Moving on Center.  She worked extensively with Dr. Christopher Ross of Golden Gate Chiropractic over seven years; therefore, she has much experience working with a vast array of injuries and with pregnant women.    In terms of form, Casondra specializes in deep Swedish massage, but she incorporates philosophical elements of Breema and Thai.  Energy work, as a fundamental part of her experience growing up, is a given in her bodywork.  (“Mom gave us “aura fluffs” after school with our snack.”)  Casondra is a marathon runner and a mountain biker, so if you engage in those sports, be assured that she can empathize especially well with your muscles’ needs.

Both Casondra’s multimedia art and her bodywork are influenced by her passion for exploring the often fuzzy and subjective line between myth and buried history, particularly the rich history of women healers/priestesses/shamans in the Western Hermetic tradition. Casondra is elated be on the Advisory Board of the Lunafest film festival, which is co-sponsored by Clif Bar and the Breast Cancer Fund, and seeks to promote women’s health, wellness, and voices.

Her past background in yoga has provided her with a strong belief in the power of the mind-body connection, as well as its ability to heal the body’s aches and pains. Her main focus is to provide individuals with the encouragement, knowledge, and drive to transform and maintain a strong & supple body. Her classes are challenging, healing, and fun.