Aerobics

Yoga

Barre

Anonymous

IP location

I have been leading folks through intentional breathing and moving practices since 1995. I surely didn’t reference these experiences as mindfulness or yoga in those early years, I was supporting others in their exercise regimen. Now that it is conscious discipline and a formal, investigative practice, I am more comfortable referencing my role as a guide. When I slow down and I pay attention, I feel an almost impossibly large responsibility in naming what I do, that “I teach.” Time and experience prove to me that teachings clearly rise up from within. Humbly, I acknowledge that I learn immeasurably, while guiding and instructing others. Accountability; this is what is most compelling now that I near 20 years of experience in sharing what I have collected along the way. It is enlivening to testify to yoga’s principles and techniques, how they awaken my complexity, and grace me with an ease while chaos (internal and external) can seemingly be unending. I offer these methods and encourage my company to explore and research their own unique way, and together – we practice. I can light-heartedly reference myself as a bit of a gypsy. My attention span might yawn in attempting to list and name the certificates I have obtained, the trainings that I have attended, the disciplines that I have studied, and the characters that have and continue to inspire me. Alternatively, I delight in referring to the awakenings and treasures found in my own character, that are the result of having traveled to and explored 15 countries. A few of these travels were dedicated to residential bouts of studying or instructing and offering bodywork services. More of the travel finds me as an observer of life and how vast it can be, admiring and appreciating with eyes and heart wide open. I’ve acquired a couple formal, beyond the yoga industry, credits; a B.S. (degree in community health education from Portland State University), and qualifications with experience as a massage therapist (licensed since December, 2000). Off the mat and outside of my role in bodywork therapy, I feel most vital when I play recreationally; cycling, snowboarding, rock climbing, skateboarding, surfing, dancing, and frolicking with my 2 dog friends. Oh, and then there’s napping, I really enjoy naps. I would be charmed to cross paths with you, practicing the practices, exploring connection, and embodying conscious play.

Shaney Aalbers

Instructor at The People's Yoga