Bess Lovec

I took my first yoga class in 1972, when I was 18, then took 2 accredited yoga classes the University of Utah in the early 1970s. I studied Iyengar yoga weekly for over a decade prior to attending the Feathered Pipe Ranch and taking weeklong intensives with each of the following: Erich Schiffmann, John Schumacher, Baxter Bell, Marla Apt, and Judith Hansen Lasater. My Yoga Alliance training was in Boise, Idaho where I studied Forrest yoga for 4 weeks. I teach accredited classes in both Pilates and yoga at Montana State University-Billings, low-impact aerobics and PiYo at the Billings YMCA, yoga at Yellowstone Fitness, yoga at Rimrock Foundation (a medical treatment setting), and yoga privately. I have 20 years in the Montana Teachers' Retirement system as a high school teacher, also. I help people find their best selves, working with who and where they are now, respecting that they are their best teachers. I also hike, ski, cycle, teach Pilates, and lift weights, plus participate in 3 reading groups and serve voluntarily on two state boards. Even though most of my training is Iyengar, I usually teach a slow vinyasa flow, incorporating core strength. I emphasize pranayama throughout, and use props as needed. Having attended Yoga Journal and Wanderlust workshops, I also am influenced by Kundalini, Anusara, and Yin yoga.