Chris T – Exhale Yoga Instructor
Chris first encountered yoga through the books of Richard Hittleman, Roald Dahl, Aleister Crowley, and Andre Van Lysbeth. Somehow this unlikely collection of bedfellows brought him to his first yoga course at the Langley Civic Centre in 1991 and this tenuous thread, along with several martial arts injuries, brought him at last to the Wandering Yogi studio on Commercial Drive in 1999 with teachers Dave Sell, Grant Couture, and Radhasri. Here he also first encountered High Performance Yoga, Wholistic Fitness and Coach Steve Ilg, a lifelong guide and mentor. In 2002 after his first Vipassana retreat, Lakshmi incarnate as Lily Goncalves led him to It’s Yoga where he took up the practice of Ashtanga Yoga with Larry Schultz. Realizing at this time that it would be unconscionable selfishness to not attempt to return some of the light that had been shared with him thus far he took up teacher training with shakti mhi at Prana Yoga College in 2003 and has been teaching ever since. Yoga has led him to India, Thailand, China, Japan and England but always returns him to his native land of Vancouver, Canada.
How does all this translate into a class? I don’t know. When we walk through the door of the yoga studio all pre-conceived notions of why we are there must be abandoned: it is sufficient to recognize that we have arrived. I can’t tell you what yoga is, save that it is a tool for stripping away illusion, suffering and nonsense. What you find underneath is yours, nay ’tis you!
That said we’ll be flowing, without much in the way of breaks, but with some time spent in the poses to get comfortable and breathe. We will not let the form get in the way of the posture; we will not let the postures get in the way of the breath. I teach a gentler style because I find it more effective. I also enjoy more challenging postures if approached with an attitude of respect and good-humour. I encourage play and exploration. There is so much in simply coming present in whatever pose you take. Enjoy!
Yoga Instructors
