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The Joy of Yoga
with Gillian Stahl
Sunday, February 8th 1-3pm
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Saturday, February 28th, 2:30-4:30pm
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with Rachael Bercey, RMT
Saturday, February 21st, 12-1:30pm
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April 4-June 20
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Teacher Highlight: Interview with Brigitte Edery
"The Joy of Yoga" by Gillian Stahl |
 Teacher Highlight
Interview with Brigitte Edery
Brigitte Edery teaches our Focus on Form classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 9:30 AM. Her classes are active, yet therapeutic, and incorporate specific alignment work. I have learned something new every time I have attended one of her classes. I had the opportunity to chat with Brigitte to find out what brought her to yoga, and what advice she has for beginners.
Juan: How long have you been practicing yoga?
Brigitte: I have been practicing yoga for 23 years.
Juan: When and where was your first yoga class?
Brigitte: My first yoga class was at a Swami Satchidananda Integral Yoga Studio in Manhattan.
Juan: What or who inspired/encouraged you to go to your first class?
Brigitte: I had already been doing yoga for a few months before I went to my first yoga class. It was the Fourth of July and I was walking with some friends and someone threw some fireworks out of their car and they exploded right by my face. This is how I lost my right eye. The moment of impact was very healing for me in that I felt supported by the universe during that moment when I had to just let it all go and be in the moment.
During my recovery my father gave me the video tapes of Lillias Folan’s television show that he watched and practiced with after receiving radiation for cancer. This was my first introduction to yoga.
Later, after I met my future husband at an aikido school, he suggested I attend a yoga class at Integral Yoga.
Juan: How was it?
Brigitte: I loved it. It was peaceful. The lights were low and the teacher wore white. I remember it being warm and very quiet and the only voice you heard was the teacher’s voice. It wasn’t a very physical practice. It was a repetitive sequence that allowed me to be more meditative in the postures since I knew what to expect. It helped me to stay present. The building was pink and it reminded me of a beating heart. It was a nice place to have this heart-oriented practice.
It was later that I experienced Iyengar yoga and I found it worked better for my body. The focus on the alignment taught me to find the muscular work in the practice and it helped a lot because I was already quite flexible.
Juan: What advice do you have for beginners?
Brigitte: Find a teacher that inspires you in whatever way it takes shape whether it’s physical, mental or spiritual. Hopefully it will be all three. Also, be patient with the practice. Don’t make it about striving. Go in and discover how you can use the outer body to make your inner light grow brighter.
As a beginner it is easy to get caught up on what is happening on the outside. This can be a real trap.
Juan: Do you have a favorite book on yoga? It doesn’t have to be asana related.
Brigitte: That depends on what is going on. Back then it was Beyond Words by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Right now, it is the Bhagavad Gita.
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