1. Tell me about your personal journey with yoga. Why is it important to you?:
My passion for yoga, movement and breathwork began at the age of three as a dance student. Unbeknown to me, my instructors (who were yogis before being a yoga was mainstream), incorporated asana and breathwork into our class instruction. It wasn’t until much later when I took my first yoga class that I realized I had been doing yoga all along.
Yoga is important to me because it helps to keep me balanced in my mind and body. I know a daily practice of yoga and meditation grounds me and allows me to be more present for whatever the day brings. A regular practice of yoga has also kept me free from the lower back and neck pain I once felt. I have not been to the chiropractor in years!
2. When did you first begin teaching yoga? What made you transition into a leadership position?:
I thought about getting certified for many years, but it was the birth of my daughter that ultimately compelled me to go to teacher training. I loved how yoga and breathwork connected me with my baby, the physical practice took care of my body and the meditation and mantras kept me from going crazy on many a sleepless night. I loved it so much, I wanted to share it with others! I began by leading yoga hikes where moms and baby could breath and move with their babies in tow. Before I knew it I was leading yoga hikes, teaching family yoga and traditional vinyasa yoga classes. I guess I’d have to say there was no real transition, teaching yoga just became a full time part of my life.
3. What makes your classes unique?:
Truthfully we are not all recreating the wheel here. So if I had to say what make my class unique…what makes any teacher’s class unique…is the energy that we bring when we step into the room. I like to think I specialize in creative sequencing, safe transitions and the ability to read a room to know what people need. When I show up to teach my goal is to leave my students with glowing skin, a positive energy flow in their bodies and a smile in their minds!
4. How does music benefit your guidance in a yoga class?:
I LOVE music! Although funny enough, some of the best advice I received in teacher training was to not use music. My mentor said music could be a crutch and a distraction from the actual instruction. Without music I found my voice and became very conscious of the importance of silence in a yoga practice. Once I found my voice and learned that sometimes the best instruction was to say nothing at all, I cranked the music up! For me music is energy. Music, just like our breath, acts like a guide to our practice. Every playlist I make has a rhythm that matches the asana flow. I love nothing more than sequencing an asana flow to music and watching it dance around the room.
5. Tell me about your next event and where we can follow you online:
www.alisonburmeister.com
“Balance and Peace Retreat”
November 11, 2017
11-4 pm
Temescal Canyon Gateway Park
http://themissingpeace.squarespace.com/workshops/xl4eu3w3tcvytwheib7kej7xlr6axv
Attention Yogis and Yoginis: Are you interested in doing a 5Q Interview? Fill out your unique responses here.
