Mike Lyons

Mike Lyons

R.Y.T. 500

Mike was introduced to yoga through an Iyengar class with Eddie Modestini back in 1988 in Amherst, Massachusetts. At the time, his ‘yoga’ was all about rock climbing, telemark skiing, mountain biking, trail running, and playing music.

In 2000, Mike rediscovered Hatha/Vinyasa yoga at a local studio in Chapel Hill NC. Since then Mike has maintained an almost daily practice. Mike has completed weekend workshops, intensives, and teacher trainings with over 20 of today’s most recognized and influential teachers. From Erich Schiffmann to Gabriel Halpern, David Swenson to Andrey Lappa, Shiva Rhea to Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley to Edward Clark, David Life and Sharron Gannon. And, 22 years later he found his way back to Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane on the island of Maui. “From each teacher I was offered a wealth of information, yet I never completely focused on one teacher’s style or methodology. I suppose I was a sponge just trying to take in everything that was offered. It is from all the wonderful teachers that I have discovered what my understanding of yoga is all about.” Mike completed a 200 hour teacher training in 2006 and recently completed his 500 hour teacher training. "

Mike has traveled to India to explore what yoga is from an Indian perspective and found his teacher Swami Umesh Yogi in Rishikesh. While there, Mike was asked to teach at the Rishikesh School of Yoga for Swami Umesh Yogi. Mike plans to return to India each year so as to celebrate the wonderful Indian culture, people, and his practice.

Mike continues to study, practice, and share yoga daily. His understanding of the practice of yoga and his approach to teaching asana is a fusion of many different Hatha yoga styles coupled with a deep seated desire to understand and embrace the practice’s origins, history and philosophy. He primarily guides an alignment based Vinyasa practice with an underlying theme of recognizing and honoring the other 7 limbs of yoga. He places an emphasis on the breath and encourages students to find an appropriate range of motion for their bodies in each of the postures. Mikes classes are a spontaneous rhythmic flow and a soulful moving meditation.