Find me at a studio!
Yoga One: Click for this week's classes.
p. 704.332.9911 | yogaonewellness.com
1111 Central Avenue, Suite 100
Breathing Room: Click for this week's classes.
p. 704.335.3315 | breathingonline.com
214 West Tremont Ave.
MC³ Salon: Private Session by appointment
p. 704.375.5545 | mc3salon.com
307 East Boulevard
Contact Me!
Please get in touch with me if you have questions, comments or want to schedule private instruction.
Email: daniel (at) yogaincharlotte.com
Phone: 704.678.5556
About Me
Although I only discovered yoga in the past several years, I feel as if the practice has been buried inside me my whole life. My first asana practice was challenging and exciting, but it was as if my body had finally realized years of intention. Instead of being mercilessly tossed about by the whirlwind of life, yoga gives me wings to fly.
The past few years have led me through a variety of colleges and jobs. I've been an interior designer, a graphic designer, an artist, a photographer, a barista, a project manager, a student, a phone operator, and a cubicle drone - many of these all at once. I look back on each job I've had with gratitude and excitement. In each position I met interesting people, learned new skills and incorporated those experiences with my next venture. Most recently, I have been a manager at Yoga One. Now, I am making the move into teaching yoga as my primary job.
So, whaddya teach?
I cannot really convey the changes I have gone through since starting my yoga practice. Becoming a teacher is just another step on that journey. My yoga career began when I started assisting in classes at Yoga One. I felt such a strong connection with students in the hands-on work that I knew I would be taking a teacher training as soon as I could. My desire to go to training inspired me to break free of some post-college debt that had been hanging over my head and start tackling a dream.
My first training was with Baron Baptiste in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York. His power vinyasa flow is challenging but accessible to most all practitioners. His specialty is distilling the esoteric ideas behind yoga and bringing them into a practical and comprehensible forum. Coaching alongside the physical practice reinforce the mind, body and soul connection.
I was priviledged to take part in the inaugural 200 hour teacher training program at Yoga One under the instruction of Johnna Smith. She combined the accessibility of Baron Baptiste with the deeply moving teachings of Rod Stryker. I have taken Para Yoga training with Rod Stryker and plan on attending more in the future!
Where are you going with this? And what is that red flaming thing?
I wanted a logo that spoke to my yogic roots, but wasn't typical. Although I tried to avoid using the lotus because its image is rampant, I kept coming back to its symbolism. After toying with it I finally feel that it is individualized and really fits the themes that I work with in my every day life. The imagery is a combination of the lotus and the sacred flame.
In Sanskrit, "Om mana padme hum" literally translates into "behold the jewel-lotus." The lotus flower takes root in the muddiest of waters only to burst forth into the light with a large blossom. The mud that once contained the bud is cast off. This jewel of a flower parallels the physical and spiritual growth that accompanies a yogi's practice.
The sacred flame is that fire we seek to ignite with a dedicated practice. It is a purifying flame that burns away old thought patterns--habits that keep us from acheiving our desires. It is also the flame that fuels our intentions. When we stoke the fires in our heart and in our bellies, we give energy to those things we want to manifest in our lives, our sankalpa.