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Sarah Plumer's Bio
 Yoga
came into my life through the influence of a mentor during
the final years of my dance training. I found that certain
asanas (yoga postures) helped me attain a greater sense of
core strength in my body, as well as an unequivocal mental
focus for performing dance.
After receiving a BFA in Modern dance in 1994 and moving to
New York in l995, I began searching for a yoga practice that
suited me as I continued to pursue my dance career. I soon
discovered Ashtanga Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga is a traditional practice
where one moves from one asana to another in a specific flowing
sequence.) Ashtanga Yoga is practiced at one's individual
pace, which appealed to my desire to learn through quiet practice
and inner listening. I also enjoyed the flowing sequence of
movements.
I was fortunate to have found a well-respected teacher who
has challenged me to move beyond mental and physical limitations.
One of the most powerful benefits is that, with consistent
practice, old injuries from years of classical and modern
dance and running have healed. Along with physical healing,
yoga offered ways of improving my mental attitudes about myself
and the world around me.
I traveled to Mysore, India during that first year to study
with Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois. Taking that first step out of
my fast-paced New York lifestyle offered me the opportunity
to explore what stillness and an unaccustomed abundance of
time could do for me. In India, along with my asana practice,
I learned a pranayama (breathing) practice. This became an
important tool to facilitate sitting still for periods of
time and becoming the observer of my thoughts. I found that
meditation is the key to experiencing deeper states of peace
and overall well-being.
Back in New York, soon after returning from India, I continued
yoga teacher training informally. I immersed myself in ancient
and contemporary yoga texts and practiced yoga daily. Gradually,
over the course of two years, I felt more and more drawn into
welcoming yoga to the forefront of my life, and less desire
to perform as a dancer. This has meant heightening my awareness
and love of myself, as well as accepting the whole range of
life: both the pleasant and the painful.
At the request of a friend, I began sharing what I learned
with other dancers. Several months later, I began teaching
regularly in health clubs. I created yoga classes with flowing
movement sequences which linked asanas, natural breathing,
and meditation. I found that my dance training--that daily
work with alignment--in addition to the study of anatomy and
kinesiology--the study of the principles of mechanics and
anatomy in relation to human movement--have all been essential
to the development of balanced yoga sessions. From my experience
and observations, teaching is also about sharing from an open,
loving place within oneself. I love helping others to find
their own inner light by guiding them toward making consistent,
positive changes in their yoga practice, thought patterns,
and, ultimately, lifestyles.
In the fall of 1999, I was asked to begin an Ashtanga Yoga
program for Crunch's "Yoga Shanti." This wonderful opportunity
has allowed me the consistent space, time and students to
use all that I have learned about working with each individual's
needs. At present, I teach an Ashtanga
Yoga program at Crunch, which has a studio dedicated exclusively
to yoga, located at 623 Broadway at Houston Street (Tel: 212-420-0507).
INTRODUCTION TO YOGA
WHAT CAN YOGA DO FOR ME
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