October 12, 2025

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

In person at Open Door Integrative Wellness, White River Junction, Vermont

$30

See here for more details and contact me to register!

Jyotish is a comprehensive system of astrology developed in India, also known as Vedic astrology. In the Jyotish tradition, each planet and constellation correspond to certain qualities and characteristics, and they interact with each other based on their positioning in the sky relative to Earth, and to each other, to create different circumstances and potentialities. In this introductory workshop, you will learn about some of the basic principles of Jyotish and explore the personalities and both higher and lower influences of the Navagrahas, the nine “planets”): Surya (the Sun), Chandra (Moon), Budha (Mercury), Shukra (Venus), Mangala (Mars), Guru/Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu (the two lunar eclipse points). 

As a Vedic science, Jyotish is related to both yoga and Ayurveda, and is treated as an integrated part of the rich yogic tradition. I am delighted to share some of the wisdom from these teachings with anybody interested in learning.

Join me at Upper Valley Yoga for an Introduction to Yoga in a condensed, 3-week format. No experience is needed, just your own yoga mat and a willingness to play!

This series will also be interesting and enriching for seasoned practitioners with the invitation to always look again, and begin again and again. Explore the basics of yoga practice through breath, internal alignment, posture, movement, and focus. Bring your sense of curiosity!

Sundays, 3:30-5:00pm

March 30, April 6, April 13

Details and registration are here

Sundays 9:00-10:30am

Winter/Spring 2025

Join me every few weeks on Sunday mornings at Upper Valley Yoga this winter for a guided practice of the Ashtanga Primary Series. Called Yoga Chikitsa in Sanskrit, meaning “yoga therapy” or “yoga medicine,” this is a powerfully strengthening and balancing practice. The poses are deliberately grounding in nature, with the effect of stabilizing not only the nervous system, but all physiological systems over time, and helping you become more fully embodied as you move through the world. Individual variations on postures are absolutely welcome and different options will be offered, particularly for the more complex positions. Practice begins and ends with traditional chanting and includes a nice, long rest.

Register here.

Mysore

Weekly Mysore classes are currently on hold this winter, but please email Aleah if you’re interested in joining for private pop-up Mysore classes in the area. And join us for led Primary Series in January and February 2025!

at Upper Valley Yoga

Mysore class is a self-directed yoga practice in an uplifting, supportive environment, with individual assistance from the teacher (including optional physical touch). Each student practices at their own pace, following the dynamic Ashtanga series of postures, breath, and focus—you will learn the sequence gradually over time, and we also have reference sheets available. First time coming to a Mysore class? Welcome! Modifications and variations on the conventional postures are absolutely encouraged and will be offered by the teacher. Feel free to arrive and finish at any time within the class period, although we ask that you not leave during the final 10 minutes of class, which is dedicated to group savasana.

Register here.

Upcoming dates:

April 13, May 11

3:30-5:30 pm

at Upper Valley Yoga

Please join me once a month for a long-format complete yoga practice, which seems to be increasingly rare in yoga studios these days. In a kind, unhurried way, we use movement and focus of the body, breath, and mind to explore the experience of yoga and being alive, tapping a deep well of potential. This class includes a bit of Sanskrit chanting, an invigorating and balancing physical practice drawing on the structure and selected postures from the Ashtanga primary and second series, along with breath technique and meditation. Along the way, we will address and perhaps uncover for ourselves some of the more subtle and esoteric aspects of yoga. No particular experience is necessary; everyone is welcome. Experienced students will find this class helpful to enrich and refine their practice.

Register here.

Last summer in Alaska, I had the pleasure of talking with artist/photographer Ryland West about my research studying glaciers and the water that drains beneath them. Here is the interview:

http://rylandwest.com/researchers-of-the-cryosphere

November 6, 13, and 20

4-6 pm

Open Door Integrative Wellness in White River Junction, Vermont

In this 3-week series, learn the foundations of Ashtanga yoga to establish a grounding, uplifting, and sustainable personal yoga practice. We will begin from where we are, progressively adding to the practice each week, with attention to proper alignment, breath, focus, and internal awareness. Individual adaptations will be offered to serve any circumstances. By the end of the series, you will be equipped with a solid yoga practice to do at home and take with you anywhere, and you will be ready to practice in a Mysore class (in which each student practices at their own pace, with personal assistance and guidance from the teacher). This series is appropriate for those new to yoga or new to the Ashtanga form; more experienced students will also find it enriching to revisit the foundations in detail, look again, and begin again.

DETAILS AND REGISTRATION

A 3-part workshop at Upper Valley Yoga

September 25 / October 2 / October 9, 2022

Register here (opening early September).

What is the point of being in a body? In this three-part series, we will explore the fundamental patterns involved in the practice of yoga, tasting for ourselves the enormous potential held in our own bodies. Each 2-hour workshop will involve a guided practice, based on postures from the Ashtanga tradition, along with seated visualization and breath practices.

1.Grounding
Apana, the downward pattern of sensation typically associated with the exhalation and curling-inward forms, is stabilizing to our nervous system and psyche. 
 
2.Expanding 
Prana, the upward-rising pattern of sensation typically associated with the inhalation and front-opening forms, has an uplifting and energizing effect on our nervous system and state of mind. 
 
3.Integrating 
The true magic of waking up to the world and finding ourselves in a balanced, calm, clear state of equanimity depends on the successful merging of prana and apana. This powerful union is at the heart of all potent yogic practices and holds unfathomable potential. 

Register here.

In June, I had the joy of teaching for a couple of weeks as part of the International Summer School in Glaciology held in the remote town of McCarthy, Alaska. I spent some time in McCarthy back in 2014, helping with fieldwork on Kennicott Glacier, and it was sweet to be back in this quirky town and out on the ice.

A few highlights: lecturing about glacier hydrology in bare feet in a log cabin, getting to know graduate students and faculty from all over the world, advising two students on a research project applying the SHAKTI model to simulate water drainage beneath Haute Glacier d’Otemma in the Swiss Alps, spending time with senior faculty over breakfast, beers, and scientific discussions, learning more about remote sensing and glacier mass balance terminology than ever before, swimming in ice-water lakes, exploring an ice cave, practicing yoga in the mornings on the rocky beach of McCarthy Creek with a stunning view of Mt. Sourdough and thousands of mosquitoes, a soccer game between the US and the rest of the world (the rest of the world won), and lots of inspiring questions for research!

Thanks for having me. 🙂

On new moon and full moon days, the convention in Ashtanga yoga is to take a day of rest from your usual practices. The full moon (May 16) and new moon (May 30) both happen to fall on Mondays this month… Since we only meet once a week, instead of canceling class I will be leading a guided practice on these days in place of the usual self-paced Mysore practice. This will include guided asana (postures), pranayama (breathing technique), and meditation – with some chanting and singing bowl, of course. I hope you’ll join us!

In summary, we will have class every Monday from 5-7 pm:

Mysore: May 2, 9, 23

Guided full moon practice: May 16

Guided new moon practice: May 30

Please register here in advance: https://www.opendooruv.com/somatics-yoga/mysore-ashtanga-yoga