Yoga CLASSES with Sarah Baumert: BODY MATTER

People often ask me, “What kind of yoga is this? I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.”

I started learning about yoga when I was 8 years old from the book The Sivananda Companion to Yoga . I was so intrigued by the physical practices, but also intrigued by the yogic way of life, including philosophy, right action, nutrition, and meditation. My intrigue with the physical body, and it’s importance in our overall health continued as I grew older. I studied dance and kinesiology in college and promptly went to study at a yoga training program in NYC to receive my first certification. As I grew older, I was more and more curious to deepen my understanding of the practice, as it helped me through difficult times in my life, including depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and illness.

My teaching melds years of studying the body as a dancer, an anatomy nerd, a Buddhist meditator, a student of Body Mind Centering, and the Feldenkrais method. My formal yoga training includes vinyasa yoga (flowing in and out of poses with the breath), yoga therapeutics, and the Iyengar method of yoga. My most influential teacher is Barbara Benagh, of whom I studied with for six years leading to my 1000 hour training.

It’s hard to explain in words what my teaching is like and how learning yoga can be quite different with different teachers. I aim to direct my students to be able to feel and sense more and more of themselves. I aspire to facilitate whole body alignment in my students, both physically and energetically. Physically, a class extends far beyond yoga poses, guiding students to deepen their own learning process through imaginative sensory rich movement experiments, helping students to feel from the inside out.

Most yoga that is taught in the west often moves students into an asana or posture. The practice of each pose is about discovering our boundaries, (physically, mentally, and emotionally) and softening into them. We use the art of stretching the muscles & aligning the skeleton with awareness, feeling each subtle adjustment that can be made for a bigger sense of space and ease. We notice what arises in our thoughts and emotions and we work with our thoughts in non-judgemental ways.

Asanas, the postures practiced in yoga, are the third of the eight limbs of yoga. This is the limb that focuses the most on the physical aspect of the practice, and the body is what holds the spirit. The care of the physical body thus becomes an important stage of our spiritual growth. In yoga, it is suggested that the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies are not separate at all, but are one in the same. Through the practice of asanas (yoga postures), we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation and for working skillfully with our thoughts and emotions as they arise.

Why yoga? It can be challenging & also deeply relaxing. It can ease your nerves, nourish your soul with movement, and stretch beyond what you thought possible, creating a balance of strength and mobility. For me, yoga has a different way of making me feel in my body.

An important thing not to underestimate or forget, is that both Feldenkrais & Yoga can offer you a place of community with others, a way to expand the way you embody your life. In many of my classes I begin with a Feldenkrais awareness exercise that helps to inform the asana practice. This creates a greater sense of ease in the asanas and more awareness of how you are doing each pose.

Benefits of Yoga

• Relieves stress

• Builds strength and flexibility

• Non-competitive way of being with your body

• Low-impact and something you can do at any age and ability

• Builds body awareness and mental focus

Who is Yoga for?

• I truly believe yoga can be for anyone. People often come to yoga with the idea that they are there to stretch, to relax, or to twist their bodies into grand impressive-looking postures. But the allure that usually hooks people is that through yoga, they connect with a deeper and calmer place within themselves. Ultimately, this is the goal of the yoga that I teach: to allow us to reconnect with ourselves in a more authentic loving way.

And also…

• People in pain or who have lost mobility.

• People who are looking for a gentle entry into being in their bodies. 

• People looking to gain strength and flexibility

Sarah is currently offering multiple levels of group yoga classes online via Zoom, as well as private yoga lessons both remotely and in person. Contact Sarah for scheduling a private lesson and her current rates.