The teacher of my teachers

Yoga is a practice where meeting the right teacher can make all the difference. You might not enjoy yoga until you find the right teacher for you. In this spirit, I will be honoring those who have influenced my practice and led me to become a teacher myself.

The first one is the late Maty Ezraty, who was also the teacher of many of my teachers. Maty co-founded Yogaworks in 1987 (their first studio, still exists in Santa Monica). She developed its rigorous teacher training program, so in 30 years, with 60+ studios across the country at its peak, and thousands of graduates later, it’s fair to say that Maty was instrumental in helping yoga become mainstream in the US.

In 2014, back in NYC, I was lucky enough to attend one of her workshops. Almost 10 years ago now but I still remember it fondly - here are the notes from my journal at the time: “Her voice is loud for such a petite personne. Her presence in the room is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. She is such a charismatic, joyful & energetic human being, it is contagious. She’s walking around all class long and is looking at every body. She’s checking and adjusting students’ postures, and I think each of us in the room felt like she was looking after themselves. Even in a crowded room, she makes you feel like it’s only about you & your body”.

To learn more about Maty’s inspiring life achievements, read her New-York Times eulogy here .