Yogis at Yoga NW
Phillip Cullinan
Anne ha
Melissa Jaffe
Susie Neighbors
SHEILA SCHMID
Mike Shvartsman
Jennifer Slater
Aimee jean Williams
Sheila SCHMID
I took my first yoga class in 1985 Bellingham, Washington while attending Western Washington University. It's a yoga story. I was walking to my early morning psychology class, looked into the window of Fairhaven college and noticed a group of people doing yoga. I decided to attend the class; longhaired students, incense, and chanting....yes, old-school yoga, and fell instantly in love. I knew there was something good going on and have been practicing ever since.
Along the way, I acquired degrees in psychology and counseling, working as a professional counselor for 15 years in various settings including schools, hospitals, private practice and community clinics. I have always taught yoga classes and maintained my personal practice.
In 2000, I realized I was doing 'therapy' while teaching, and 'yoga' while with my counseling clients. The line between what was getting my clients better was starting to blur...the yoga and the counseling were starting to intersect in the areas of relaxation, breathing techniques, mediation practice, guided imagery, and the yoga poses I asked clients to do to alleviate their symptoms of depression, anxiety, and grief.
In 2005, I made the transition into teaching yoga and yoga therapy full time. I have taught all over the country at various studios and locations, conducted retreats and workshops for both students and new yoga teachers. I have helped open as well as managed yoga studios both in Portland, and Hood River, OR.
I teach a high-level, professional, safe, accessible yoga class with beginning meditation. My students feel welcome, in good hands, and get their yoga needs met. I maintain a private psychotherapy practice for clients. Please contact me directly to schedule an appointment.
Susie Neighbors
Susie brings 16 years of teaching experience inspired by some of the Worlds’ Greatest Masters. An eclectic upbeat style influenced by the Athletic Ashtanga/”Power Yoga” (studied w/ Tim Miller , Beryl Bender & Thom Birch, students of Patthabi Jois, who invented this style), the Allignment of Iyengar (studied w/ Patricia Walden, Rodney Yee, Pyllis Pilgram, students of Iyengar himself, as well as Julie Lawrene, Elise Miller, Bob Smith etc). & also Anusara (studied w/ John Friend,SaraJoy Marsh)
An ex-competitive Runner(Track & XC @ UO) , Susie enjoyed her 1st yoga class in the ‘70’s taught by a guy in a turban, though her father told her to go to Mass instead!! She benefitted from the lighthearted relaxed feeling from this class, singing “May the light within me guide my way home” on dark, rainy Eugene days.
In 1995, yoga was prescribed in Physical Therapy after a terrible downhill ski crash, ER surgery for a broken femur. The physical, mental & emotional effects were amazing & she began teaching right away. Pictured here with “my old dog Bud, who may have kept me from doing full splits in this photo, but he taught me how to do downward dog better than any human & he forced upon me some of the higher yoga wisdom especially late in life; moving more slowly, taking time, celebrating every day, every moment, every sniff, taste, touch with gratitude & grace & pure Love despite his pain.”
Jennifer Slater
Jennifer has been practicing yoga and holistic healing for as long as she can remenber. Over the years she has explored the wisdom of the yoga therapy including the practices of Viniyoga, alignment and therapeutics of Iyengar, and the power and breath of Astanga Vinyasa. Under the wisdom and guidance of her primary teacher Tias Little and Prajna Yoga, she has structured her daily mental and asana practice to focus on wisdom of insight into alignment, restorative healing, conditioning of the nervous system, breath, and the fine line of listening to the body’s response of daily emotional and physical awareness. It is from this experience that she bases her teaching with the continual support of her community, students, and inner breath of guidance.
Jennifer’s daily practice and teaching style blends the Iyengar therapeutic approach to the use of props, opening the body to proper alignment along with the sequencing and breath of Vinyasa . Her passion is in finding the innate place of healing and life force each individual holds inside of them. Jennifer blends the anatomical transverse pathways of the body with the breath and life of the knowledge of the still mind. Her experience as a food and healing nutritionist, cranial sacral therapist, yoga therapist, and somatic psychotherapist allows her clients and students to create possibilities consciously and lovingly. Jennifer uses these approaches to deepen presence and awareness of our inner being until we are able to know ourselves more fully and out of that knowing we are moved to embrace the opportunity for change, growth and enhanced well-being in the body and sprit.
She encourages personal introspection and reflection, believing that what we cultivate on the mat must be brought into our lives. Our life is our yoga practice. Jennifer is now in the process of getting her PhD in somatic psychology and her hours are spent on the matt, teaching, with clients, and learning how to reverse computer slump asana.
Aimee jean Williams
I was first introduced to Yoga, as a student of Art History, in 1990, while attending the University of Oregon. As I studied Ancient Art, I became very interested in East Asian Art and the Art and Science of Yoga. The two books that changed my life forever were, The Upanishads, which discuss the core teachings of Vedanta, and Yoga: a Gem for Women, by Geeta Iyengar. Before the birth of my first child, I decided I wanted to practice Yoga regularly so I photocopied every posture from, Yoga:A Gem for Women, pasted them on my walls and began ASANA, the physical practice of Yoga. From that point in my life, I began to seriously study the various traditions of Yoga. My first exploration was the practice of Iyengar, which showed me the foundations of Alignment and Technique, then came Bikram, showing me that through DISCIPLINE, one can receive an enormous amount of FREEDOM physically,mentally, and energetically, and then Power Yoga, which allowed me to explore Yoga As Movement and the unlimited potential of the BREATH, finally came the stillness of Yin, and an exploration of the deeper layers of the body and conciousness.
My Yoga Practice opened many doors in my life, but the most memorable was the day I was asked to teach my first Hot Yoga class, from there I went on to take a 200hr training, and learned the fundamentals of teaching HOT Yoga. Soon I found myself working full time managing a Yoga studio, leading teacher training, teaching lots of Yoga, and staying dedicated to my own practice. I then connected to the greater community, became a volunteer @ Street Yoga, and developed Yogatecture @ LRS Architects. My mission as a Yoga teacher is to share the practice and wisdom of Yoga, in a safe, supportive environment, that encourages students of all levels to connect more deeply with themselves, others, and the greater community.
Outside of my practice and teaching I am the mother of two spirited children and a Flower Essence Practitioner, and I have lived in Portland my entire life.
anne ha (visiting teacher)
ANNE HA began to practice yoga in 1988 while experiencing severe back pain. She immediately saw its benefits extend far beyond the physical, and became a lifelong fan. Born to a Buddhist family, Anne also meditated, performed prostrations and recited mantras as a child with her grandmother. Despite this fortuitous start, she has many times been humbled to find she has much to learn, and her educational experiences have come with a high tuition. (She is still paying back the loans on some of them.)
Perhaps brashly, then, Anne began to teach yoga in 2002. She did have some training, however. She has explored a variety of yoga lineages and taken workshops and classes with John Friend, Ana Forrest, Shiva Rea, Rusty Wells, Jason Crandell and many well-known Iyengar teachers. Her strongest influences are Andrey Lappa and Paul Grilley, the foremost teacher of Yin Yoga, with whom she has studied in person. She is also inspired by Sarah Powers, a highly respected Yin Yoga teacher who incorporates the principles of Insight Meditation. Additionally, Anne completed a 200-hour Ashtanga vinyasa teacher training in 2003 and a 70-hour prenatal yoga teacher training in 2005.
In class Anne leads students through and beyond the physical poses. She gives compassionate care both to outer form and inner alignment, attending to students' mental, emotional and spiritual development as well as to tight muscles and sore backs. Her studies in comparative anatomy with Paul Grilley--as well as years of observation and personal experience--have convinced her that bone structure varies greatly and should always be taken into account. She adjusts the practice to fit the students, rather than the reverse.
Come just as you are, and be open to whatever unfolds.
Phillip Cullinan
I was drawn to the practice of yoga while fencing in college. I was intrigued and inspired by how the simple practice of deep lunging and side body warm-ups before fencing matches had a wonderfully positive effect in all areas of my life.
My direct yoga experience started in 2001 and has progressed to the present day. In 2006 I trained and became certified as a Power Vinyasa teacher. My teaching practice is strongly influenced in Power Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Anusara styles of yoga.
My classes are an exploration into the dynamic opposition that is inherent in all asanas. My Yoga practice has been maturing over the last 7 years, and my teaching style continues to be an energetic expression of the passion that Yoga has brought about in my life.
Mike Shvartsman
In May of 2009 I was feeling very stressed out, out of shape and generally unhealthy. I had tried many different things in terms of diet and exercise over the years, but even though they would work for a time, inevitably I would get bored of them, drop the healthy habits and get back to being unhealthy and out of shape again L So at this time in my life, I was looking for a type of exercise that was fun, healthy, de-stressing and would get me back into shape. I also wanted something that I could do on the road, because I was away from home quite a bit and something that wouldn’t get boring after a couple of months of repetitive routines. So my good friend recommended I try a Yoga workout.
I hopped on Netflix and opened up Baron Baptiste’s Long and Lean Yoga workout. By my first Up Dog I was sold. It felt so good to get my back into such a deep stretch. Twenty minutes after I finished the routine, and took a nice shower I felt so good. My body felt like it was singing in joy from releasing so much tension J As the weeks turned into months, and I showed no signs of starting to get bored with Yoga I finally started to feel like I found a form of healthy exercise that I could stick to for the first time in my life. Eventually I started taking classes, and that took my practice much further. Slowly and subtly as my Yoga practice improved, I started to feel more centered and relaxed. Without even seeking them out, meditation and spirituality began to enter my life through my Yoga practice and I felt much happier for that.
After a couple of years of intensive practice I had gotten so relaxed, healthy and fit, that I decided that I wanted to make Yoga an even greater part of my life, and to share the wonderful benefits of Yoga with others. So I went to the White Lotus Foundation, near Santa Barbara in March of 2011 to do my teacher training with Ganga White and Tracey Rich. There I studied their very popular Flow Yoga series and absorbed as much Yogic knowledge and wisdom from them and my fellow students as I could. Ever since I’m happy to discover that I truly love teaching Yoga classes. It’s so incredibly rewarding to see the smiling faces of Yogis and Yoginis looking around in joy after an awesome Yoga class, there’s nothing like it.
melissa jaffe
Melissa has been a regularly practicing yogi and meditator for the past 18 years. She has studied Hatha, Iyengar, Bikram, Vinyasa Flow, Anusara, Partner, Kundalini, and Jivamukti yoga in places such as San Francisco, New York City, Maui, Costa Rica and most recently Portland, Oregon. Melissa is extremely grateful for the opportunity to share her practice with others and considers herself more of a "guide" then a teacher. She gladly offers suggestions for alignment adjustments, breathing , sequencing, and muscle strengthening, but she does not demand any particular outcome. Melissa encourages class participation, questions, and laughter. All levels are encouraged to join this class.