Lance Westendarp

I have been studying yoga for the past 8 years, and teaching since 2004. originally, I was professionally trained as a classical pianist, and was drawn to yoga as a means of harnessing and focusing my creative energy, and relieving tension and stress. Over time, my journey on the path of yoga has become a frame of mind, passion, and way of life, which I hope to share with all of my students. I draw my teaching style mainly from vinyasa krama yoga, as taught to me by my teachers, srivatsa ramaswami (a personal student of Sri T. Krishnamacharya), pam johnson, and debbie mills, though I’ve been influenced by a variety of practices including qi gong, ashtanga yoga, and viniyoga. my teachers have always reminded me that the flow of energy through the body depends on our ability to breathe, and hence, my teaching philosophy heavily emphasizes learning fluid breathing during a yoga practice in order to access that flow and unlock energetic holding patterns that we’ve all accumulated through the course of our lives. my teaching style ranges from rigorous and energizing to more deep and relaxing depending on the needs of my students from day to day. while my classes are always in a flowing vinyasa format, I’ve also done a lot of work with the therapeutic applications of yoga both in a class and one-on-one setting. Practicing yoga is about tuning in to what our bodies need at any given moment, and honoring that. I aspire to giving people tools that they can use inside and outside of class to help them live healthier and happier lives on and off the mat. stillness exists within all of us, no matter how active our minds!

Link to Lance's blog posts