The Yoga Collective is a group of six yoga teachers who offer Hatha Yoga classes at the newly renovated Rivermill in Saxapahaw. With a variety of techniques and teaching styles, the Yoga Collective provides instruction for adults, children, beginners and seasoned practitioners. Please contact the individual teacher for inquiries into a class and/or to sign up. Any of us can be contacted for information about renting the space for other yoga related activites.

TEACHERS

Schedule
May, June 2008

Teacher Bios & Class Descriptions

Tim Keim

After having led an athletic, outward-bound life since childhood, middle-aged chronic pain was a surprise, and an insult! Why, my image of myself was of a guy who was rough and ready, physically competent and above all, ready for a challenge. Well, here was my challenge. At the age of 42 consistent, low-level pains began to lodge themselves in my back. This was an outrage. Not me. My Crohn’s Disease had been quiescent for years, I walked and hiked. What was going on here? The pains are just temporary, they’ll go away soon. But they persisted. Ignoring them wasn’t going to work. What could I do? As an unemployed radio jock in mid-90s Reno, Nevada, I didn’t have the dough to go to a chiropractor or massage therapist. I had to find something I could do by myself, at home that would heal my achin’ back. I mentioned my dilemma to a friend and he recommended yoga. I had taken a yoga class years before in my native San Diego, and liked it. My friend, Clay Jenkinson, gave me a booklet that contained a ten week course in hatha yoga asana or postures. I began practicing the next day. I was hooked by the immediate results.

That was almost 14 years and hundreds hours of practice ago, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Since then, I’ve been on a journey of healing, self-discovery and how I fit into this mysterious universe. As my practice deepened, I wanted to go yet deeper. I was lucky enough to find Lisa Clark and David Beadle and the Body, Mind, Centering Yoga training of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. That training strengthened my personal practice and taught me how to share this great knowledge with others. In retrospect, I now regard yoga as a type of universal tool box. It has served me in every area of my life: mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritual. I know it will do the same for you.

Give it a try, and experience the strength, flexibility, health and joy that yoga can bring to your life

Namaste,
Tim Keim

Helen Davidson Tapper

Stretching and dancing have always been a part of my life, and so I was thrilled when I discovered yoga in 1988. It was wonderful to find a system that so carefully guides the body into poses that invite a profound state of balance and calm. Over the last 20 years I have lived at Kripalu Yoga Center, received a Masters Degree in Dance and Movement Therapy, been certified as a Yoga Instructor, and have studied Body Mind Centering, Continuum and Meditation. In my experience, the yogic practice continually deepens the understanding of body, mind, and who we are beyond both. I take to heart that “yoga” means “union”.

Class Description
Hatha Yoga 1/ Deep Stretch
Tuesday 9:30-11:00 a.m.

The primary purpose of yoga practice is to still the thought waves of the mind, allowing spontaneous and natural expression. Gentleness and care will be a major focus of this class, as we observe the body mind and breath both in stillness and in movement. You will learn the difference between striving towards an imagined ideal, and letting the body unfold and open with joy and ease. Expect to find freedom of breath, a stretched and strengthened body, and a relaxed mind. This class is open to everyone.