Alison Pignolet

I first studied yoga in high school but drifted away. In 1999, I started to practice again and I fell in love with yoga. It has kept me physically strong and flexible, but more importantly I am much calmer, more centered. I guess you could say mentally strong and flexible! That’s the amazing thing about yoga—you start because you want to achieve some physical goal, but then something happens. You notice that you deal with stress better, you are less angry, more open minded.

A couple of years ago I decided I was ready to start sharing what I had learned. While I will always be a student, I was ready to teach. I studied the art of teaching yoga with the amazing Marni Task, earning my certification in February of 2010. Now I’ve fallen in love with teaching!

What are my classes like? I teach for all abilities, offering modifications for newer students and opportunities to go deep for the more experienced. I always like to highlight the therapeutic value of the yoga practice, whether we are doing a rigorous or gentle class. The most basic description is moving with the breath. There is centering, there is easy movement, there is some challenging movement. There is balancing and sometimes going upside down. There is music and there is silence. My goal is to sequence each class intelligently taking each body through its range of motion and finding some new space. And there is always the bliss of savasana to close. I feel good about the class I’ve taught when my students have that serene look when we “om” at the end.

Being a bit of a geek, I keep studying and learning - especially the therapeutic side of yoga. Since completing my 200 Hour training, I have taken over 350 additional hours mostly emphasizing anatomy and therapeutics. I love to help people feel better with yoga.

A yoga teacher is a conduit, passing along the teachings they've received. I am blessed to have studied with some wonderful, skilled and giving teachers. Here’s a highlight list: I have completed a 100 hour Body Balance Yoga Therapy certification program with Jenny Otto. I have also completed: 50 (+) hour Yoga as Therapy Training with Doug Keller; 30 hour Yin Yoga and Skeletal Anatomy Training with Paul and Suzee Grilley; 45 hours of Therapeutics and Restoratives with Judith Lasater; an amazing 10 hour weekend workshop with Jason Crandell; well over 100 hours of Anusara yoga with John Friend, Desiree Rumbaugh, Jamie and Justin Allison, Tiffany Fraser, Todd Norian, Mitchel Bleier (Anusara and post-Anusara), Sianna Sherman and, of course, Marni Task; various workshops with Baron Baptiste, Girish and Simon Park. I have also been privileged to practice with and learn from Tammy Schneider and Diana Vitantonio.