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Yoga Instructors Richard Manuputy I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1951 and immigrated to the USA in 1964. My first introduction to yoga came through reading the old time classic: "Autobiography of a Yogi" (a must read by any serious practitioner of yoga!) by the renowned Master of yoga: Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of Self Realization Fellowship. This book proved to be life-transforming for me.  I have been practicing Hatha Yoga since 1976 when I was first introduced to it. In 1979, I moved to a Yoga community in Northern California where I spent over 2 1/2 years studying yoga philosophy, practicing yoga postures and meditation. Over the years I have had many excellent teachers, particularly Shandor Remete (a world renowned Hatha Yogi) whom I've had the privilege of studying with for the last eight years.
Shandor taught me to look at how I move through my postures as metaphors for life. I strive to constantly sharpen and hone my awareness ever more so acutely by allowing the innate wisdom of the body to flourish within me through discipline and knowledge. I try to bring this understanding to all of my classes. However my inspiration into the wealth of this practice clearly comes from my Guru, the late Paramahansa Yogananda, whose guidance and love is constantly with me.
It is my most fervent hope that my students are able to adopt and incorporate into their lifestyles the benefits this discipline has given me. I am forever grateful to my teachers and students who continue to inspire and direct me in this life affirming pursuit of Yoga.
Currently I teach in San Luis Obispo, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Avila Beach. I have been teaching in San Luis County since 1984.
Jennifer McCracken  Shelley Massa Gooch began her study of yoga in 1995 with Natanaga Zhander (Shandor Remete) the founder of Shadow Yoga. One particular moment was pivotal; she felt the shift. Zhander began to speak about gratitude and the presence of God in yoga. From that moment, she knew yoga offered her a path to the Divine. Shelley continues to attend annual trainings with Zhander since their first meeting in 1995. Jennifer McCracken is an experienced Yoga Instructor with over 2000 teaching hours and a 500 hour ryt certification through Yoga Alliance. She is currently studying Therapeutic Yoga. Jennifer worked for several years in the fitness industry teaching various cardio and fitness classes. She spent 15+ years developing and implementing swimming programs and coaching swimming. In the late 90s, she discovered yoga. Her yoga experience began with a hot yoga class she signed up for with a friend. Not knowing much about yoga and feeling a little reluctant, Jennifer quickly discovered yoga was not some strange spiritual conquest or religion, but offered a new way to approach health and wellness and gave new insights to understanding the body. Her yoga practices opened up new possibilities as she learned to recognize unhealthy patterns of movement, and became more aware of the importance of flexibility, balance, core strength, and breathing. Beginning to use some of these tools with her athletes and in her own body with great success, she was motivated to enhance her practice and began to intensify her study of yoga. She did regular classes, workshops and eventually Teacher Training Intensives leading to her Teaching Certifications. She began teaching yoga in Colorado where she was living at the time and eventually built a Yurt and opened a studio to accommodate her students. From athletes to couch potatoes, people with injuries, those with illnesses, old and young, she knows that yoga can benefit anyone. She continues to develop programs with yoga to help others find their own healing and health. In 2008, Jennifer left Colorado to embark on a new journey and found herself here on the Central Coast, which she now calls home. Her classes are Hatha (the physical practice of yoga) and consistent with her Iyengar study which focuses on alignment and use of props to make the poses accessible to all. A practice with Jennifer offers themes such as hip openers, shoulder support, hamstring stretches, core strengtheners, back awareness, etc. allowing the participants to explore the possibilities of health and healing within their own bodies. These focused classes bring constant introspection and observation of the body, the mind and the breath throughout the sequence. Poses include seated, supine and standing, twists, forward bend movements, backward bend movements. Her classes are designed to give everyone- regardless of experience or flexibility, age or fitness level- an opportunity to discover their own body and develop greater insight. Learn more about Yoga. |
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