Lisa Charney

All my life I've been interested in fitness and exercise and eventually gravitated toward aerobics and running.  Then, in my late 20's, something pulled me in the direction of a yoga class.  I was always intrigued by Eastern philosophy and mysticism, so I tried an Ashtanga class.  And then I was completely and utterly hooked and knew that I found something that I was looking for all along. The calm grounding I felt in the class was unmistakable.  My special teacher was someone who's been around yoga since he was a child, and his experience came through everytime he taught our class.  I couldn't wait to get to another class once it was over. 

While I was invoved in a few moves, my main concern was always to find where the nearest yoga studio was.  And my curiousity and thirst for knowledge brought me to the realization that I would love to delve deeper into yoga - if not to be a teacher, but for the knowledge itself. 

After trying out many different types of yoga (Ashtanga, Anusara, Kundalini, Iyengar), I then found Integral Yoga, a class designed by Swami Satchidinanda.  This yoga is the ultimate for me and my last stop in finding the right yoga that resonates fully.  The incredible director there, Margabandu, has been instrumental in guiding me toward a deeper understanding of what yoga is.  I'm eternally grateful and thoroughly enjoy teaching groups and privates.

In addition to yoga, I also teach a form of Tai Chi (Yi Gun Gin), which helps to loosen up the joints and clear out blockages in the meridians - this practice is very effective for those people who have arthritis and it's also been known to create more awareness in autistic and down syndrome children.