Location: Hampshire, UK

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga has brought me home.It’s brought me into the most delicious, sometimes raw, but always truthful relationship with myself and this bountiful body that I’m currently in and no matter what internal conversations have been going on between us, when I come onto the mat, my body and I kiss and make up each and every time.Yoga gives us a opportunity to explore our landscape, to know ourselves and our bodies better through movement and total emBODYment – I want this for every woman – that’s why I teach.Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Love.Here in the western world, women are cutting and ‘enhancing’ chunks of their body in order to conform to an advertisers ideal of so-called perfection.Yoga takes us to a place before all that.A place where we are grateful and have mad respect for the beautiful, messy, imperfect bodies that we’re in. Where we dance at it’s edges and exist alongside any thoughts and feelings we might have about it.That place is love.What can folks expect when they take a class from you? An invitation to leave any thoughts or expectations about yoga, yourself, your life or other people at the door and enter a totally non-judgy space where together, we’ll awaken a delicious relationship with our bodies through the awesomeness of stretching, breathing and divine movement.

When we’ve moved and meditated, we’ll tune into the moon (it’s what all the awesome women do) and we’ll riff – heart to heart, woman to woman – while eating dark chocolate.

My classes are for ALL shapes, sizes, ages and abilities, in fact, it’s for any member o’ ladykind who wants to know her magick, feel her fire and fall in heart-thump-y love with her sweet-ass self.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Anna.

They say that when you need them, the teacher will appear. Anna is THAT teacher.

Big hearted, wise and loving – the information, insight, support and resources that Anna has provided throughout the certification process means that I am able to feel super comfy in passing on her wisdom, through me, to my students.

How can people get in touch with you? Head over to sassyology.com/sassy-she/sassy-flow/ where you can get more information about SASSY Flow and sign up for priority mail when in person and on-line classes launch.

Debra Benfield

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I have been dancing with yoga casually for about 10 years and actually practicing with more intention for about 4 years now.  During a class on a Saturday morning about 6 years ago, I experienced an embodiment that I wanted to bring to my clients, so I spoke with my teacher about offering workshops together, which we have been doing ever since.  About a year ago, it became clear to me that I wanted to bring yoga to more of my clients, so I started the journey of becoming a yoga teacher myself.  Curvy yoga was a “just right” fit for me, as I feel so strongly aligned with the body-positive, inner-directed, empowering “Curvy Matifesto”!  This may sound a bit over the top, but I genuinely feel as if my personal and professional evolution is culminating now in my offering this transformative experience to others.  I better stop there!

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I want to share the transformative power of yoga with everyone (as my friends and family clearly know!), but I have a special place in my heart for those who are struggling with eating, weight and body image.  After more than 25 years of practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist specializing in the treatment of eating and weight issues, I am keenly aware of the disempowering experience of being uncomfortable with your body, no matter what your size, shape, gender, orientation, race or age.  Through my clinical experience and through the growing body of research, I know that yoga can play a pivotal role in the healing of this personal and cultural struggle with eating and body.  I am honored (and silly excited) to be able to incorporate Curvy Yoga into my work with individual clients and to be offering workshops and classes.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? My sessions, workshops and classes offer a safe, compassionate and nurturing environment to support the process of embodiment.  My intention is to teach with modifications that make yoga accessible for every Body.  My deepest desire is for my students to leave with a feeling of greater ease and sense of confidence within their own bodies.  I am committed to creating an experience where clients use poses to be in their bodies rather than using their bodies to be in poses.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Choosing a favorite part of the Curvy Yoga Certification process is like asking me to choose a favorite book, food or flower-I love so many!!  But if I were pushed to make a choice, I would say that my favorite part of the certification process was learning and practicing modifications so that poses are accessible.  A close second is learning empowering languaging with which I can lead my students into and out of poses-SO important.  I think I will be spending time on this the rest of my teaching life!  I am so very grateful to Anna and the Curvy Yoga community for all that I have learned and am continuing to learn.

How can people get in touch with you? Online at www.BodyInMindNutrition.com

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BodyInMindNutrition

On Twitter at @dlbenfieldRDN

On Instagram at http://instagram.com/dlbenfieldrdn

Via email Debra@bimnutrition.com

Whitney Simpson

Location: Nashville, TN

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Unfortunately, it was crisis that brought me to my yoga mat.  Fortunately, it was healing that kept me on my yoga mat.  My practice began after a surprising stroke and brain surgery in 2005. A doctor “prescribed” yoga for the chronic pain that ensued and my journey toward healing began.  While I had challenges on the mat to start, my teacher was wonderful to provide modifications that worked with my body!  At times, I doubted that yoga could help me feel better and swayed a bit from my practice. Thankfully, my doubts didn’t last long. I returned to regular practice and discovered the healing of breath and movement for my body and my soul.  Today, yoga offers my body, mind, and spirit space for growth and healing on this journey of life.

My healing journey has led me toward certification as a spiritual director, retreat leader and yoga instructor.  Currently, I offer private yoga and spiritual direction sessions as well as weekly yoga classes.  Each is designed for yogis of all shapes, sizes, and abilities and includes an extra emphasis on care of the soul.

Yes, my relationship with yoga has changed my body.  But, most importantly, it has been life-giving for my spirit.  I’m thankful this practice has offered me an opportunity to explore peace with body, mind, and spirit.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Since pose modifications were foundational for my yoga practice, I desired the knowledge to share yoga that could be modified for each individual.  Curvy Yoga helps me offer yoga for individuals who (like me) may not otherwise have felt comfortable stepping on a yoga mat.  Anna’s formula for teaching aligns beautifully for yogis of all shapes, sizes, and abilities and meets them at their stage on the journey.  I truly believe that “the journey awakens the soul.”  Yoga has been a foundational part of my own journey and I hope that through offering “curvy friendly” classes and private sessions, others will be open to experiencing it as a tool for healing on their journey as well.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? Yogis can expect a welcome and friendly environment, an opportunity to listen to their body and soul, a safe space, a moment of peace, a listening ear, and time to simply make space for wholeness and healing – both on and off the mat.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Community.  I’m a sucker for passionate like-minded people who have a desire to share health and wellness on the journey of life.

How can people get in touch with you? You can find out more at www.exploringpeace.com.  Exploring Peace is my little corner of the world where I encourage and companion others on their own journey toward peace.

For those local to Nashville (or Mt. Juliet), you’ll find details to schedule a private session (and the first one is always free).  Group classes and upcoming soul care retreats for 2014 are also listed at the blog.  Free resources and opportunities will be added in 2014 for those who are not in the Nashville area.  So, be sure to connect on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date!

And, may you find peace on your journey.

Jennifer Mueller

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Prana Yoga co-owner Jennifer-Ellen (E-RYT 500), fell in love with yoga while living and working in New York City in 2000. Her teaching style is reflective of her desire to share the potency and transformative power of yoga, in an accessible and at times, humorous way.

From her very first class, yoga felt like coming home to Jennifer-Ellen. Slowly, over the past 12 years of her continuous engagement with the process of yoga, she has felt the transformational potential of yoga on a cellular level. She believes that yoga can help those who practice it to feel more at peace, healthier in body and mind, and steadier, internally.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I truly believe that everybody deserves yoga. To move, breathe, connect to and feel empowered in one’s own body is our birthright. I love that Curvy Yoga welcomes ALL shapes, sizes and ability levels.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? A warm, compassionate, goofy & deeply dedicated guide to help them discover their practice.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? I really enjoyed connecting with Anna & the other yoginis. The group support & exchange of ideas was wonderful. I loved the videos, the book & the perspective that Anna has developed.

How can people get in touch with you? I can be reached via email at  jenniferellen@pranayogaslc.com or online at www.pranayogaslc.com

Karen Bratton

Location: Las Vegas Nevada

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I’ve been practicing for just about four and a half years. I started out with yoga in a gym setting but soon found I was needing more but not sure what that was. Eventually I mustered up the courage to walk into a studio (I was intimidated as I thought studios we’re for other people, surely not me!). However what I found the first time I went to a class was a caring loving environment and who turned out to be my mentor. I was hooked!  After about a year I participated in a Level One Training and an Anatomy Training with YogaFit. I then began to teach classes at my karate school with the guidance of my mentor. About a year after that I decided I wanted to become certified through YogaWorks and I got my 200 hour certification in June of 2013.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I decided to obtain certification in Curvy Yoga so I could hopefully bring the wonderful practice of Yoga to more people. To have a class that is more accommodating to all body shapes and sizes is something I think very important and definitely lacking in my community. With this class I hope to get more and more people moving, breathing and smiling!

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? I’m a nurturer by nature, so I really enjoy making people feel comfy and happy. My classes change depending on the vibe we’ve got going. Sometimes we are going to have a slower stretchy type class and some days we are going to sweat a lot more. I’m very much pro props and modifications if needed so I encourage a lot of that!  We do “work” but I fully encourage going at your own pace and your own ability. Also, I’m not a very serious person so we giggle a little and have some fun!

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Plainly put, Anna. She has such a warm heart and is so thoroughly engaged that it really made me feel welcome and genuinely listened to.

How can people get in touch with you? I can be reached via email at karenbrattonlv@gmail.com, by phone at  (702) 374-8765 or online at karenbratton.tumblr.com