"May the gratitude in my heart kiss all the universe."
-Hafiz
-Hafiz
Julie Emmons
Julie was drawn to yoga for its quality as a moving meditation. She has been practicing since 1998 and began formal studies in 2000. Primarily trained in Ashtanga, Julie's focus grew when she began practicing at The Samarya Center in Seattle, Washington, a non-profit center for Ashtanga yoga and Integrated Movement Therapy. Moved by the understanding of her teachers, Molly Lannon Kenny and Stephanie Sisson, that yoga is available to all individuals "regardless of preconceived barriers," Julie chose to complete her 200-hour teaching certification with them in 2008. Julie teaches according to Krishnamacharya's statement that "if you can breath, you can practice yoga". Julie and her husband Matt began Open Studio Yoga in 2010 as an "experiment" in bringing these teachings and practices into the Pueblo community. More recently Julie studied extensively with Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor and continues to work at a distance with Ty Landrum. All of her teachers are similar in these ways; life long students of the practice, committed to inquiry, flexible in heart and mind, view the practice as a universal tool available to all individuals and are deeply faithful to the practice as service. We practice and then we give that away for the benefit of others. Yoga is an education back to the center of ourselves, to seeing one another fully and to recognizing that we are in fact not separate. We learn by continually showing up, listening and offering ourselves and others compassion, regardless of what we find. When we create space (be it in our physical bodies, our hearts, between our thoughts, in the space between inhale and exhale) we connect to a gentle and unconditional love. We are present and in that presence we are perfect and whole. |