Kind Words

Some gracious words about my instruction!

I j​ust wanted to reach out today and say that I ​am amazed at how one mistakenly sent email in the beginning of this semester has radically changed my life. (When you sent a yoga email to the circuit training course people) I feel that I have my ​happiness​ back. I haven’t been this stress free or this glad to be alive in a while. I had an emotional plunge ​a few years back ​and I ​was​ stuck in a slump for a long while. When I added yoga to my life I got back to my energy filled happy self. Your excellence in communication and ability to teach your knowledge to beginners was real helpful. As a novice I was initially intimidated about beginning to practice yoga, the good humor and jokes that makes your class have a positive atmosphere helped ease the transition.  I’m sure your enthusiasm in what you know will take you places. Whether it be God, the inner atman, or simply a few statistical improbabilities lining up nicely…I am glad to be a Yogi today. Namaste.

– Luis S., a yoga student at Santiago Canyon College, KIN 127B Intermediate Yoga

Here is what sets Sam apart from other instructors, in my experience practicing yoga:

1. Sam weaves together the bodily and the philosophical in a really great way. She helps us understand how moving, breathing, and paying attention to our bodies in ways we typically might not are connected with understanding our lives and our place in a society that makes multiple demands on our time and sometimes our spirits. This can happen through reading philosophy, improvising thoughts, or using other tools like reflection cards. For a faculty member who is typically running around and serving everyone except myself (administrators, students, the university as an entity), this is interesting and empowering.

2. Sam makes us want to practice yoga by praising our efforts, reminding us to enjoy ourselves (asking us to smile when we’re doing something difficult or new), and making practice fun. She injects humor into her instructions and reminds us how important yoga is for our bodies and our lives. For someone who sometimes has to make an effort to get to the gym, change, and give up an hour of grading or prep time, this makes a real difference! Instead of seeing exercise as a burden, I see it as a gift.

3. Sam never relies on a “set pattern” of poses- she changes her curriculum each and every practice, while making sure to thoroughly explain each new pose or variation she’s asking us to do.

One final thing: Sam is never too busy to take time for her students, whether it’s to help with a specific pose or just to talk about our day. No matter how many students she teaches, each of us is important to her, and she makes sure we know that.”