
A
warm welcome and a space of compassion, playfulness
and joyful focus are the first things you'll notice
about Ellen's classes. Each student is honored,
respected and encouraged to take the practice at
their own pace while exploring subtle details of
alignment, breath/body/spirit connection and the
radiant expression of their true nature. Students
support one another, laugh together and are lulled
into svasana by Ellen's beautiful chanting. (She is
also a professional actor and Associate Professor of
Voice and Speech and Cornish College of the Arts).
Ellen incorporates the whole of yoga's teachings
into her classes: asana, pranayama, chanting,
devotion and philosophy.
As she explains it, "I teach yoga because I want to
share this healing art by creating a space where
people can practice acceptance, challenge what they
perceive as their limitations, experience community
and realize what is highest in all of us."
One of Ellen's regular student's commented, "you
will experience incredible growth. I am a better
person for knowing her and having learned from her."
Ellen first practiced asana 25 years ago as part of
her graduate school training in Acting. Immediately
she felt the difference the poses made in her
alignment, actions and attitude. Longing to deepen
her practice she completed the 200 hour Samadhi Yoga
Teacher Training with the wonderful Kathleen Hunt in
2002 and was asked to teach immediately at Samadhi.
Grateful for the opportunity Ellen continued to
study and in 2007 completed a 500 hour teacher
training with the brilliant Robin Rothenberg of the
Yoga Barn in the Vini Yoga Tradition. Like any great
artform, yoga continues to unfold, deepen and enrich
Ellen's life and she is currently studying with the
radiant Denise Benetiz at Seattle Yoga Arts in the
Anusara tradition.
In addition to her work as a yoga teacher, voice and
speech teacher and actor, Ellen founded a small
animal rescue here in Seattle. Committed to
educating and raising consciousness about the
responsibility we have towards our animal brothers
and sisters, Ellen rescues mostly pit bulls but has
an open door to any furry one who needs some help.
Animals are some of her greatest teachers and she
feels so blessed to honor them in this way.