Get to Know Them! Riverfront Yoga Instructors
Monday, July 11, 2016 at 6:51AM
By Claudia Kittock
If you happen to walk by Gold Medal Park on Saturday mornings on your way to the Farmers Market, you may have noticed a group of people practicing yoga. It began last summer with a 6-week pilot project, sponsored by the DMNA. This summer the program has expanded to every Saturday through Labor Day and is now sponsored by the Friends of the Mill District.
We are fortunate to have a group of instructors who are working cooperatively to help teach yoga to anyone who is in Gold Medal Park on Saturdays at 9 a.m. The practitioners are a diverse group, attendance averages around 30 each week, with over 100 individuals who have practiced at least once.
Libbie Brand is the leader of the instructors. She does yoga to renew the lease of her body and maintain health of her muscles, to engage and connect with her spirit and mind on a daily basis, and to take a pause in her day for meditation and reflection. Her favorite poses are Eagle Pose and the Dancing Warrior sequence. A quote that guides her practices is “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul creates the symphony of life,” by BKS Iyengar.
Laurie TeBrake, another of our instructors, does yoga because she desires to go on more adventures, be around good energy, connect with people, learn new things, and grow. Her favorite poses are Warrior II and Camel. Yoga has taught Laurie to honor her body, let go of things that no longer serve her, breathe, to be present and okay with it, and that she can achieve more than she thinks.
Instructor Nicole Simmons does yoga because it allows her time to check in with herself mentally and physically. It provides her mind with peace and calm, and teaches her ways to cope when things get overwhelming. She also loves yoga for the community of friends she’s made. Her favorite pose is Pigeon. A quote that guides her practice is “Nothing to prove, everything to share.”
Angela Bounds does yoga to connect to herself, others, and to remember to let go of what no longer serves her. Her favorite poses are Dancer and Warrior II. Two quotes that guide her practice are “Be compassionate. Not just to your friends, but to everyone,” and “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively,” both by the Dalai Lama XIV.
Instructor Elena Machlica does yoga to find gratitude in the everyday, foster self-love, maintain and tune into a healthy body-mind connection, and to connect to something much greater than herself. Her favorite poses are Garland and Reclined Bound Angle. A quote that guide her practice is “A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
Join us! All that is required is a mat or a towel and your presence. We welcome everyone who is interested for one session, or for every session.
