Hello! I’m Courtney, and I’m new to Sellwood Yoga. I’ve been in Portland for a little over two years, and in the past ten years, I have taught yoga in DC, Richmond, and Austin. I’m very happy to establish roots in Portland. I’ve been teaching yoga since 2013 and took my first yoga class in 2001. When not practicing, I can often be found walking or running in Foster Powell with my partner and our Great Pyrenees pup. I also love hiking and backpacking. I’ve thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and a couple other destination hikes. Very into Type II Fun. In my calmer endeavors, I am an amateur painter, and I enjoy painting landscapes with acrylics. 

In hiking and running, I find a similar meditative quality as practicing yoga. Each of these activities is rhythmic, equally focused on the whole as well as individual parts, and you’re in it for however long you’re in it. I have about a dozen axioms derived from hiking that apply in yoga — my favorite might be “the mountain will not move” meaning that moving through an obstacle is up to you and the only thing you can really affect is your own reaction. 

When I’m teaching a class, I want to provide students a space where they feel safe to explore their own practice at the pace that makes sense to them. I encourage sustainability and authenticity for each person which means we might not all be doing the same thing or looking or feeling similar. I feel content when I can see the diversity of shapes and movements in my students without them sacrificing their commitment to themselves. I cue alignment for a balance of effort and ease so that we can build a consistent practice. Vinyasa is my favorite style to teach because sometimes it just feels like dancing and moving meditation leading to the experience of simply being. I’m also very interested in yogic philosophy, so I attempt to weave this into classes while keeping the themes accessible. I truly hope to see you in class soon.