Rebecca

Rebecca doesn't really have a home town, as she grew up all over Texas and New Mexico. But she says that Austin, where she moved in 2004, feels like home. She has 3 amazing sisters who continue to support and inspire her, and she considers herself blessed to have 3 built-in best friends. Rebecca graduated from University of Dallas with a degree in psychology.

The first yoga teacher Rebecca worked with taught in the Iyengar style, which gave her a strong foundation in the principles of alignment. Since then she' s practiced other traditions with other teachers, all of whom have taught her about how much more there is to yoga. A few of the teachers who have influenced her are Judith Lasater, Erich Schiffmann, Paul Grilley, and John Friend. "They all shine a very different light on my practice and certainly influence my teaching style," Rebecca says.

Rebecca's Hatha and Hatha Star classes lean toward the gentle side. She encourages students to listen to the teacher within and move at their own pace. She keeps her Restorative classes simple and quiet. Restorative students usually only do a few postures during class, and Rebecca uses as little verbal instruction as possible so the student is able to relax in silence. As for her Yoga Nidra/Deep Relaxation classes, the class typically begins either with some gentle movement or a restorative pose or two, followed by an extended guided meditation in savasana.

Rebecca recognized the influence yoga would have in her life before she tried it. As she walked out of her first yoga class she felt about a foot taller, and had a sense that an emotional revolution had begun. Her yoga practice helped her find confidence that she had never experienced before. "It sounds ridiculous, but I remember saying that I wanted to teach years before I'd even taken a class."

Yoga has brought many things to Rebecca's life - friends, health, healing and more. As a teacher she has observed that yoga can help anyone, and it's just a matter of finding the right personal practice. As a student of yoga, Rebecca loves practicing with her yogi friends, where laughter and movement make a beautiful blend.

Rebecca likes to spend her free time gardening, floating on the river in the Texas summer, and making jewelry - especially learning about the meanings and properties of different stones and stringing them together.

Click here to see when Rebecca teaches.

Click here to read an interview with Rebecca from February 2009.

Rebecca recommends:
Books:
Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann
Relax and Renew by Judith Lasater
Music:
Jai Uttal's "Loveland"
Benji Wertheimer's "Soul of the Esraj"
Craig Pruess's "Sacred Chants of Devi"
Benjamin Iobst's "Seven Metals Singing Bowls"

Favorite quote:
Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~Harold Whitman