I discovered yoga while seeking a way to mend and stitch together various aches and pains accumulated in strength sports (olympic weightlifting and highland games, mostly).
(Receiving 1st in 109+ M35 TN State Weightlifting Championships from 1992 Olympian Osman Manzanares. I was a super-heavyweight.)
It took a while, but the practice I’ve built has been a great help to me. And it’s fun!
Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga is a complete and practical philosophical system that heals the body and changes the mind.
Teachers, Yoga-Friends, & Guides
These are the people who through their guidance and help have influenced my practice the most and how to reach them:
- Derek Hall, Nashville
- Greg Tebb, NYC
- Joey Paz, Northern California
- David Williams, Maui (retired, contact David Swenson)
- Manju Jois, Encinitas (semi-retired, contact Greg)
- BNS Iyengar, Mysore India (retired, contact Joey or Andrew Eppler)
I believe in community. I want to experience and learn from as many people as I can. I believe that Ashtanga is an evolving practice and a living tradition rooted in a specific cultural context, not a fossil frozen forever. I believe Ashtanga can be a therapeutic practice that stiches together your body and mind.
My primary teachers are Derek, Greg, and Joey. I practice asana at least once weekly with Derek and Greg. I practice the other limbs of Ashtanga weekly with Joey and tag along on philosophy courses he hosts with teachers in India–especially those with Sri BNS Iyengar.
None of this would be available to me without David’s efforts in the early 70s to travel to India in search of yoga–and Manju’s openness and generosity.
Om Śrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ
Timeline and Journey
- 2026: Soul Education Sadhana; the complete Asana, Pranayama, & Mudra system of BNS Iyengar facilitated by Joey Paz. 10-months totalling over 70-hours of direct lecture and instruction.
- 2026: Bhagavad Gita learning modules with Greg Tebb.
- 2026: Narayana Upanishad course with Dr. MA Jayashree hosted by Joey Paz.
- 2026: Sankhya Karika course with Dr. HV Nagaraj Rao hosted by Andrew Eppler.
- 2026: Pranayama Course with Andrew Eppler, in the tradition of Sri BNS Iyengar. 4-weeks, totalling 40-hours.
- 2024-current: Nashville Ashtanga (formerly Yoga Shala Nashville). I practice here with Derek and our small, local Ashtanga community.
- 2024: Asana Kitchen Online Program (Ashtanga).
- 2023-25: Small World Yoga (Hatha Yoga, occasional Power Yoga class). Community classes with Sarah, Gilbert, and my wife.
- 2023-24: Chestnut Hill Yoga (Iyengar, formerly 12South Yoga).
- 2023-24: Heart of Wisdom Yoga (Viniyoga/Restorative).
- 2014-16: Fahrenheit Yoga (Hot 26) at the old Brentwood studio.