John Verlenden

Hi! I'm new to New Orleans yoga. I received teacher training at the 200-hr level from the Sivananda Yoga Ranch in Woodbourne, NY, a fully spiritual program. My spiritual name is Sambhu (a derivative of Siva), but I am called John. I began to contemplate teaching students who were more like me than like the athletes and gymnasts who decorate the pages of yoga magazines and youtube videos. And why not? I'd been practicing off and on for 30 years and I could still barely touch my toes. Going to Sivananda Yoga Ranch cured me of thinking I was simply a non-learner, muscle-wise. The fact is, we're differently built and we've lived individual lives. Surely a yoga practice should exist for the former athlete with knee-injury or the person working with high blood pressure -- and on and on. So my practice evolved in two different directions: working with adults who were still fully mobile (could get down on the yoga mat and up again without external aids) and working with adults who needed a chair throughout the session. So far I have begun classes in the first category at Mia's TransformNOLA, a great little studio at 8422 Oak Street in a quiet spot away from the street. Probably I'll confine the chair yoga to assisted living homes and to private lessons. Write me if you have questions about whether my classes are right for you or for a family member or friend. I look forward to meeting you.