What prompted her to begin practicing yoga?

Amanda first experienced yoga in a modern dance class as an undergraduate. Each class began with a sun salutation sequence. The repetition felt like an anchor in her busy academic semester and through the salutations, she first learned how to connect breath with movement. Later, with a “corporate” job in tow, she knew she needed more structure in her yoga practice to reduce stress and lower back pain from sitting at a computer. She found an Iyengar-influenced studio in Tampa where the class sizes were small and the focus was on anatomical alignment. The instructors were attentive to her physical limitations and provided individualized attention. It was there, at Palm Yoga, that her practice became more consistent and her back pain became a distant memory.

Yoga Training and Experience

Amanda has a B.A. in Studio Art and has been practicing yoga since 2000.  She completed her teacher training with Rebecca Wood at Palm Yoga in 2008 and is a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher at the 200-hour level (RYT 200). Her classes incorporate the alignment principles of Iyengar yoga in a format that is accessible to beginning students or those with unique needs. She has had the good fortune of attending workshops with Judith Lasater, Elise Browning Miller, Amy Weintraub, Roger Cole and Deborah Wolk, and she continues to study with Karin Stephan in the Iyengar tradition. Amanda is always seeking to expand her knowledge of yoga, particularly in the therapeutic benefits of yoga.

Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, Amanda has observed that the routine use of appropriate props (blocks, bolsters, etc.) and modifications allows students to experience freedom of movement they previously thought impossible.  As a practitioner, she has personally experienced this while addressing her own physical challenges – ultimately learning that being compassionate requires first being kind to oneself.  Her teaching intention is to share this wisdom with her students, inviting equanimity through improved physical alignment and emotional balance.

What is her favorite yoga pose?

Sirsasana (Headstand).  Headstand always reminds us that, to overcome any obstacle, all we need to do is change our perspective.  “Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.” – Yoda

Amanda in Virabhadrasana II