I became interested in yoga when I was in my early 20s and Sri Pattabhi Jois first visited Australia. I went to see his demonstration and, that night, a new world opened up to me. I was intrigued by the mysticism of yoga and what Sharath could do physically with such steadiness and control blew my mind! When I started initially though, I experienced a lot of resistance – I found yoga confronting on many levels, my body was stiff and reluctant, and it just plain hurt! It wasn’t easy but I felt it was important to persist and, two years later, daily practice was a part of my life.

I became a yoga teacher because I wanted to share something that had made a profound difference in my life. The more time I spend practicing, the more I realise that what happens on the mat is a metaphor for my life and how I conduct myself in the world. Yoga helps us become self aware, acknowledge our baggage and accept ourselves as we are – it is a potent vehicle for transformation. Helping my students experience this transformation is the reason I got into teaching and why I still teach today.

What makes Yoga Synergy unique is the way that it overlays ancient Eastern Philosophy with the modern relevance of Physiotherapy. Originally, yoga was intended to be practiced by young Indian boys who would have been very active and spent hours squatting or sitting cross-legged each day. However, the body of the average Westerner has often been very inactive and probably spent hours in front of a computer during the day. Therefore, the Yoga Synergy approach to yoga made perfect sense to me. By providing both an easy and more advanced option of each pose, we’re able to make yoga accessible to everyone.

About Steven

Before becoming a yoga teacher, Steven was a certified fitness instructor, a swimming teacher and spent several years as the account director for an event marketing company. While in this last role, Steven juggled a demanding corporate job with teaching yoga part-time before deciding to commit all of his time to yoga.

Steven has been teaching yoga full-time for the last six years. He has completed his Yoga Synergy Teacher Training and the Yoga Synergy Anatomy & Physiology Course. He has also studied at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in India with T.K.V Desikachar (T.Krishnamacharya’s son and primary student) and in 2011 completed the Jivamukti 300 hour teacher training program in New York with David Life and Sharon Gannon. He has completed workshops with Jeffrey Cohen and Andrea Boyd (Advanced Certified Jivamukti teachers, Charlestown USA), Dena Kingsberg, Shandor Remete and Clive Sheridan.

Steven’s work with Clive Sheridan has been particularly intensive. It includes a half dozen workshops here in Australia and several retreats in India, where Steven would practice Sadhana for up to 10 hours a day. Recently, Steven completed a workshop with Jasmine Tarkeshi from Laughing Lotus Yoga, San Francisco, and a workshop with Shri Dharma Mittra in New York. Steven has travelled extensively through India, Tibet, China and Nepal and has studied and practiced yoga wherever possible.