Whenever I meet people for the first time and I tell them I'm a yoga teacher, the usual response is, "What kind of yoga do you teach?" My basic answer is power or vinyasa, which links movement with the breath, but as any student will tell you, there can be vast differences between teachers of the same style.

I have taken MANY a power yoga class in my twelve years of practice with MANY different teachers, and the ones I come back to are the ones that challenge me, but in an accessible way. I am inspired by teachers who mix it up and offer creative sequences, not just sticking with the norm because "that's the way it's always been done." I appreciate hands-on assists and offers of modification or even ways to kick it up a notch. I like to move it, move it, but sometimes it's a nice burn to just hold a pose for a bit! (Chair pose, anyone?) And most of all, I love a teacher who doesn't take herself or yoga too seriously, who can make you laugh through that last umpteenth chaturanga, and who isn't afraid to own and admit her limitations. (Tight hips, anyone?)

This is the kind of yoga teacher I strive to be.