Andrea Knight

In 2001 Andrea Knight met her first Hatha Yoga teacher and mentor, Yogi Nataraja Kallio at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Currently, he is the head of Naropa University’s Yoga program. Andrea apprenticed with Nataraja to learn the art, science, lifestyle and teaching methodologies of Hatha Yoga. His teachings enabled her to progress to higher levels of Sadhana, or yogic practices. Aadil Palkhivala of Yoga Centers in Washington is who Andrea now studies her love of Yoga with. Aadil certified Andrea to teach Purna Yoga from a holistic perspective of alignment. Purna means “complete” and is based on the premise that, to live in true health, we must care for all aspects of our being: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The fount of wisdom that creates and evolves Purna Yoga emerges from the wellspring of the Yogic tradition and flows toward the ever-changing future of Yoga. In addition, Andrea attended other teacher’s training at the Yoga Journal Conference and at the Integral Yoga Ashram. In 2004, she received a double major: Bachelor of Arts in Traditional Eastern Arts, Yoga emphasis and in Contemplative Psychology, concentrating in Health and Healing. The degree in Yoga includes an in depth study of Yoga and its authentic roots. The program includes classes like four levels of Hatha Yoga, Yoga Mediation, Yoga History, Theory and Philosophy, Psychology of Yoga, Buddhist Psychology, Sanskrit, Contemplative Hinduism, Devi Tantra, Anatomy and Physiology, experiential and practical weekend and ten-day retreats, Indian Ragas and Devotional Singing, Independent research on Subtle Body Theory, Group research on Meditation, which was published under the direction of Dr. Peter Grossenbacher and finally the Senior Year Teaching Internship with Nataraja. Naropa’s program is the most comprehensive and academic study of authentic Yoga offered in the entire Country. To promote the regenerative practices and heart-centered philosophy of Yoga, Andrea promotes its native origin, original purpose, and ultimate goal, while making the appropriate adaptations for our modern-day lifestyles. Andrea offers Yogic teachings based on listening, feeling and seeing within, to the point of surrender, which is what she and her students experience as a conscious opening to wholeness- to embrace all of who you are and all of what is, moment-by-moment. Her classes are presented in a holistic light, integrating the traditional elements of Classical, yet intuitive alignment-based Hatha Yoga including: asana, pranayama, mudra, bhanda, concentration, and meditation. Besides teaching Yoga, Andrea’s professional background is in providing Recreational Therapy and Counseling for elders in nursing homes, retirement communities, and Hospice centers in Colorado, as an Anatomy and Physiology Lab Tech and teacher’s assistant at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, as a Physical Therapist Assistant with Benchmark Physical Therapy in Towne Lake, Georgia, and as a Youth Tennis Coach at the Cherokee Tennis Center, in Woodstock, Georgia. Currently, Andrea works as a Chiropractor’s Assistant at Cherokee Wellness Center in Canton, Georgia and she is attending Life University in Marietta, Georgia, pursuing a doctorate in Chiropractic.