“Come to the root of the root of your self.” –Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī
Through Greenroot Yoga LLC, I offer gentle, mindful community yoga classes and individual sessions for people of all ages and abilities. I’m especially interested in offering yoga for emotional relief and healing after experiences of marginalization, trauma, bereavement, anxiety or depression. I also enjoy sharing yoga with older adults, and with children and families.
I have been practicing and studying various aspects of yoga since 2003, and teaching since 2007. In many ways this makes me a latecomer to yoga, and a relative beginner—still and always learning. As a teacher I like to offer a variety of possibilities, then support you as you explore and and feel into your own ways of being with yoga, developing practices that work for your body and for your life.
In Sanskrit the word yoga means to yoke or to unite, and historically all forms of yoga have been centered in uniting body, heart, mind, and spirit. I respect, and share with some of my classes, aspects of the eight limbs of yoga described in the Yoga Sutras around 2000 years ago by the Indian sage Patanjali, and considered by many to be the foundation of all yoga practice. The eight limbs include the yamas and niyamas (guides for ethical living and personal behavior); pranayama (breathing practices); asana (the physical forms and practices of yoga), pratyahara (awareness or control of the senses); dharana (focused concentration); dhyana (meditation and insight); and samadhi (oneness with the universe, with the source).
I also appreciate that yoga practices have taken many diverse paths in the centuries since Patanjali, both maintaining and extending beyond their roots in India: flowing into some forms of Buddhism, Jainism, Sufism, Taoism, Christianity, and into more secular realms where people also seek to deepen connections and cultivate peace. I center my practice and my teaching within this diversity, with respect for yoga’s roots and appreciation for its many and varied possibilities. Within that, my interest is always in helping yoga be accessible to people without a lot of money, as a path that can support physical and emotional well-being and increase our skills for self-care and self-determination in challenging times.
I offer:
- Chair Yoga
- Flow Yoga
- Gentle Yoga
- Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
- Yin Yoga
- Yoga & Dance
- Yoga for Older Students
- Yoga, Music, and Movement for Young Children
- Yoga Suave en Español
I also offer presentations in English and in Spanish on complex trauma and body-centered healing.
My training as a yoga teacher includes:
- 200 hour teaching certification in hatha yoga, Shambhava School of Yoga, 2007
- 70 hours Yin Yoga, Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, 2010
- 300 hours and certification in Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), with David Emerson, 2016
I’ve taken additional trainings in teaching yoga to children, youth, and adults with autism or Aspergers through Samarya Center in Seattle; trainings in Alignment Yoga, Anusara Yoga, and yoga for older adults; and many non-yoga trainings for supporting people who are in recovery from trauma
Through my LLC, Greenroot Yoga, I’m certified by the Dane County Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) program to offer TCTSY and other yoga for people on Medicaid who have mental health or drug and alcohol diagnoses. This has been my primary work since 2018.
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have, and would love to share some yoga with you if you’re interested.
Wishing you peace,
Clare
Short presentations on Complex Trauma and Body-Centered Healing (in pdf form)
Complex Trauma and Body Centered Healing, Part 1
Complex Trauma and Body Centered Healing, Part 2
Complex Trauma and Body Centered Healing, Part 3
Complex Trauma and Body Centered Healing, Part 4
Complex Trauma and Body Centered Healing, Part 5
