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Breath first. Always.
Everything is centered around the breath.
With a clear focus and emphasis on the breath, you can regulate your nervous system.
Whether working on strength or relaxation – whatever is happening in class – the breath is what allows the integration and consolidation of energy. Then, once energy is flowing, you can bring the mind and the body together (again with the breath) to create balance and ease.
Doesn't that sound inviting?
Yoga Therapist
Sonya Chapnick
Sonya is a certified Yoga Therapist with more than three decades of training and experience in a variety of yoga disciplines. Her unique combination of clinical training and studio teaching experience foster a soothing quality in her yoga classes.
She teaches a breath-centered practice and believes in the power of slowing down as a key to health and overall well-being.
Yoga became Sonya’s lifeline over 30 years ago when she was diagnosed with a rare retinal disorder that resulted in vision loss. Sonya credits her ongoing yoga practice for her ability to gracefully accommodate the dramatic life changes she has faced.
Her specialties include customized classes for older adults, people dealing with persistent pain, injury, or the grief process, & programs for the visually impaired.
She personalizes her approach to address individual student needs and goals along the journey toward greater well-being.
Sonya’s Yoga Lineage
The Source of my Yoga Therapy Teaching
I acknowledge I am a small piece of a multi-layered practice whose ancient roots stem from the beautiful country of India.
After starting my yoga journey with Iyengar, Ashtanga, and other forms of yoga, I found my way “home” to the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya - who is often called "the father of modern yoga."
Turns out TK was the main teacher of both BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, the men who created Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga, respectively – interestingly enough the two styles of yoga where I had gotten my start.
Learning more about TK, I sought out teachers who had learned from his lineage – and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from many of them. Since 2008, one of my greatest influences is Amy Wheeler and her Optimal State program, which is also steeped in the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram philosophy. I’m grateful and honored to be a faculty member at Optimal State since 2017. Helping to pass along the teachings of this lineage as I help mentor the next generation is of great importance to me – a part of my yoga career and continuation of this ancient lineage that I cherish.
