ABOUT Living Tradition Yoga School
Our studio is dedicated to the practice of yoga taught by living yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar, his children Geeta and Prashant, and his senior certified teachers. We feel this method of yoga, known as “Iyengar Yoga”, provides us with the best tools available for providing an authentic, powerful, and transformative experience of yoga for our students. Therefore, we are in the process of training for certification as Iyengar Yoga instructors. (Many years of study and training are required for certification as an Iyengar Yoga teacher. For more information about Iyengar Yoga teacher certification requirements, please click this link http://www.iynaus.org/teach/certification/).
Iyengar Yoga is a well-developed and highly refined teaching methodology that is recognized worldwide for its high standard of excellence. Some of the key elements of the Iyengar approach to yoga that you can expect to find in our classes are:
- Standing Postures: We emphasize these postures (asanas) for developing strength, stamina, concentration, and confidence.
- Alignment: The use of concise, systematic instructions to help students utilize their body in a way that helps to avoid injury or pain, and maximizes the effects of practice.
- Props: The use of specialized equipment such as blankets, yoga blocks, and straps to both facilitate learning and adjust postures to suit individual needs.
- Sequencing: Tried-and-true, safe, and orderly progressions of postures both within class and from week-to-week help to ensure progress and develop students’ abilities.
- A Holistic Approach: Yoga is a tradition created and developed over thousands of years to help human beings enjoy life and live it to their fullest potential. Our practices seek to integrate yoga philosophy into the practice of asanas and pranayama (regulation of the breath).
For more information about B.K.S. Iyengar and/or Iyengar Yoga, please visit the following websites:
http://www.bksiyengar.com
http://www.iynaus.org
http://www.annarborschoolofyoga.com
http://www.iyengarnyc.org
Chris Briney, Director
Chris is the Director of Living Tradition Yoga School. He received his B.A. from Oakland University in 1997. Just as he was graduating, he began practicing yoga. It didn’t take long for his study of yoga to become the full-time pursuit it is today. His passion for and commitment to yoga has taken him around the country for numerous trainings and workshops with some of the most senior yoga teachers in the world. His studies have included: Ashtanga yoga as taught by K. Pattabhi Jois, Anusara Yoga, Vipassana and Transcendental Meditation, and numerous courses through Landmark Education. Chris began teaching yoga in 2001.
In 2002, Chris met Laurie Blakeney, a Senior Level Iyengar Yoga teacher from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and began studying with her on a weekly basis. He found in Iyengar Yoga a level of depth and profundity that has inspired him to immerse himself in its practice. He is currently in the midst of a three-year apprenticeship with Laurie as he completes the rigorous training and testing process required to become a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor.
Chris’s studies have led him to become one of Metro Detroit’s most highly trained and well-versed teachers of yoga. He is quick to point out, however, that for him teaching is a by-product of his commitment to the practice of yoga as a way of life. As a result, his teaching contains an authenticity and integrity that can only come from the experience gained through devoted practice. In his classes, you’ll find this authenticity and integrity blended with playfulness and humor to yield an experience both enjoyable and deeply transformative.
For more information about Chris’ teacher Laurie Blakeney, visit:
http://www.annarborschoolofyoga.com
For more information about the Iyengar Yoga training and certification process, visit:
http://www.iynaus.org/teach/certification/