How well do you know me?
Asheville Yoga Center runs a sweet little feature on a different teacher each month. This month, it's me. You can check it out
- or, below.
Why do you teach yoga?
It seems to me that we are yoga; that the union of body, mind and spirit is our true state. If we are lucky, the time on our mats is a remembering of a way back to our true selves, a way to experience our infinity, as well as our accord not only with ourselves but with all life. Yoga has been the path to the altar within my own heart- to think that I could illuminate that path in any way, however small, for another person is my reason for teaching.
What is your teaching history?
I began sharing the practice at Ahimsa Ashram in Washington, DC in 1992. We left DC in 1994 adn did some traveling, arriving in Asheville in 1995. I have taught in various studios in Asheville over the years, as well as Warren Wilson College. I have been with Asheville Yoga Center since they opened, in 1996.
What is your favorite pose at the moment?
I give my best effort at loving which ever pose I am in, at any given moment. With that said, I am experiencing a special fondness for inversions lately.
What's your sign? (astrological)
Gemini #AirSign #AirIsLife
What is your most challenging pose?
Kurmasana. I am somewhat resigned to never experiencing this posture in full, along with a few others, due to shoulder injuries.
How long have you been practicing yoga?
Since sometime in the mid-eighties. Then it was quite sporadic and more of a gymnastic mind set for me than the way I've viewed my practice since 1992.
Describe yourself in three words:
Learning, Loving, Grateful
What is your favorite quote?
Aadil Palkhivala said this and it inspires me every single day: "True yoga is not about the shape of your body but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn't care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied."
What is your favorite word?
Always changing. Right now it is luminous.
What are you reading right now?
Reading
Love Letter to the Earth
by Thich Nhat Hanh;
An Open Heart- Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
by the Dalai Lama;
The Radiance Sutras
by Lorin Roche. I've just finished
Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age
by Clark Strand and it was an awesome read!
What are some favorite songs on your playlist?
Lean In
and
Rivermouth
both by Rising Appalachia, off their newest release,
Wider Circles. Nectar Drop
by DJ Drez, and re-appreciating Krishna Das, all songs.
What is your favorite food?
I really love leafy green salads and smoothies with superfood add-ins
What is your favorite movie?
My absolute favorite movie is
I heart Huckabees
What inspires you?
Kindness, Compassion, Authenticity, all efforts to participate in co-creating the more beautiful world that we know in our hearts is possible.
Sierra's classes at Asheville Yoga Center happen:
Mondays 10:15 am & Thursdays 7:00 pm