My approach to practice:
I am committed to making yoga accessible and valuable to every body. Whatever your journey -- where ever you've been, where ever you are, where ever you're going -- I am committed to working with you to develop a yoga practice that honors your past and supports you as you move into your future. There is no single practice that is best for all people all the time. My job as a yoga therapist is to help you develop a safe, enjoyable practice that is specific to your current needs; that practice should be organic and adaptable so you can flourish and thrive.
My yoga training:
I began practicing yoga while I was a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1990's. I fell in love with the practice immediately, and I continued exploring, principally with teachers of Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga, both in the U.S. and India. I ultimately got my teacher's certification at Mount Madonna, in California, in 2007. I am most grateful to the teachers who influenced me early in my practice, including Donald Moyer, Mark Stevens, and Baba Hari Dass. I moved to Victoria in 2017 to study for my certification as a Yoga Therapist at Ajna Yoga College; I expect to complete that program in December 2019. I have additional training in Anatomy and Physiology from Pacific Rim College and in Trauma-Sensitive Yoga from Yoga Outreach; I am certified as an Emergency Medical Responder. While in California, I taught in the Rec Program at San Jose State University; here in Victoria, I've taught at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Gorge Road Hospital, as well as at CoolAid.
I came to yoga with a background in gymnastics and martial arts, and I originally engaged in a more acrobatic style of practice. These days, I am more interested in subtler explorations. The goal of the practice is the same, regardless: Immediately, it is to find balance, both mental and physical; ultimately, it is to find truth, both personal and universal.
The deep background:
Before taking up yoga therapy, I was a documentary linguist and college lecturer. I have a Ph.D in Linguistics and I worked for seven years in Peru and Vanuatu, documenting endangered languages there. I've taught writing, Linguistics, and English at various universities in the US, China, and Quebec, including San Jose State University, California State University at Monterey Bay, Beijing Normal University, and Laval University.
I am committed to making yoga accessible and valuable to every body. Whatever your journey -- where ever you've been, where ever you are, where ever you're going -- I am committed to working with you to develop a yoga practice that honors your past and supports you as you move into your future. There is no single practice that is best for all people all the time. My job as a yoga therapist is to help you develop a safe, enjoyable practice that is specific to your current needs; that practice should be organic and adaptable so you can flourish and thrive.
My yoga training:
I began practicing yoga while I was a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1990's. I fell in love with the practice immediately, and I continued exploring, principally with teachers of Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga, both in the U.S. and India. I ultimately got my teacher's certification at Mount Madonna, in California, in 2007. I am most grateful to the teachers who influenced me early in my practice, including Donald Moyer, Mark Stevens, and Baba Hari Dass. I moved to Victoria in 2017 to study for my certification as a Yoga Therapist at Ajna Yoga College; I expect to complete that program in December 2019. I have additional training in Anatomy and Physiology from Pacific Rim College and in Trauma-Sensitive Yoga from Yoga Outreach; I am certified as an Emergency Medical Responder. While in California, I taught in the Rec Program at San Jose State University; here in Victoria, I've taught at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and Gorge Road Hospital, as well as at CoolAid.
I came to yoga with a background in gymnastics and martial arts, and I originally engaged in a more acrobatic style of practice. These days, I am more interested in subtler explorations. The goal of the practice is the same, regardless: Immediately, it is to find balance, both mental and physical; ultimately, it is to find truth, both personal and universal.
The deep background:
Before taking up yoga therapy, I was a documentary linguist and college lecturer. I have a Ph.D in Linguistics and I worked for seven years in Peru and Vanuatu, documenting endangered languages there. I've taught writing, Linguistics, and English at various universities in the US, China, and Quebec, including San Jose State University, California State University at Monterey Bay, Beijing Normal University, and Laval University.
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Aviva in the Andes - hanumanasana
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Aviva at Choquequirao - urdhva vrksana (variation)
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Aviva at work in Vanuatu