"Ted, you have become such a wonderful presence and influence for so many people in your community, our community and beyond.  When students speak of you they light up and are clearly touched by you, who you are as a person and as a teacher.  It is teachers like you who inspire me.  I am grateful to have you in my life.  You are living your dream - rock on!" - Baron Baptiste

I first learned of Baron Baptiste, (one of the worlds's master yoga teachers) very early in 2004 and had the good fortune of being able to go work with Baron in person in February of that year at a Personal Revolution Weekend held in Dallas, Texas.  My connection to Baron, his teaching and philosophy was immediate and I signed up that weekend for his level one teacher training in Mexico in May of 2004.  During the summer of 2006, I became a Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher.

Baron's trainings are unlike any other trainings known to me, in that Baron believes you must learn to teach from your authentic Self, transcending ego-personality.  One of the primary elements of Baron's trainings is the element of Tapas, the fire of spiritual self-transformation, or purification through a sacred ordeal.  Baron's trainings remind me of Tantric teachings, (a particular style of spiritual teaching that became prominent in India about fifteen hundred years ago) addressing a comprehensive re-creation of oneself, an unlearning of the way we think about ourselves and reality.  This new identity, or new way of being is really not new at all, but is the original identity of all beings.  Baron will often teach this by saying that the longest journey many of us will take is the twelve inches from our heads to our hearts.

Baron makes you work very hard doing the practice and he takes you to some interesting places enacted on the stage of the mind.  Not all of those places are good, but all of them are educational, leading to significant insights into our character and habit patterns.  Baron is always right there with you, creating an atmosphere of love and support.  In Baron's first book, Journey Into Power, Baron discusses living from truth throughout the book.  The word Power to me means "the power of freedom", Svatantrya Shakti in Sanskrit.  We are all born inherently free, so free that we can choose to refuse our original identity, our own truth, our own Self; choosing to live from the chaos in our heads rather than from the compassion of our hearts.

I am eternally grateful to Baron and personally consider him to be a true Guru in the purest meaning of the word as someone who guided me from the darkness into the light of my own Being.  It's an honor to be the frist and only Baptiste teacher in the Oklahoma City area to share this empowering style of yoga and to make a difference in people's lives.

Beginning in 2005, my exploration of yoga turned to the study of Anusara yoga.  I find the Anusara and Baptiste methods of yoga blend and complement each other in a beautiful way; perhaps because both Baron Baptiste and John Friend studied with B.K.S. Iyengar.  I find there to be far more similarities than differences between the two styles, as both philosophies work towards realizing our true nature and living to our fullest potential.  The great genius of the Universal Principles of Alignment found in Anusara yoga is that they work in any style of yoga.
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                            John Friend, Ted & Baron Baptiste

Ted Cox is a Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher.     
In addition to teaching and owning his own yoga studio, Spirit House Yoga,
Ted is also a musician with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Martha 

Martha McQuaid has completed two training programs, most recently a 300 hour professional level training with Todd Norian in Anusara Inspired Yoga. She is certified at the 200 hour level through Yoga Alliance. Martha is also a Certified Massage Therapist, specializing in Thai Bodywork. To find more information about this empowering style of yoga visit www.anusara.com

"I came to yoga in 1999, looking for a way to move more into my body.  As a musician, I realized more and more that I spent most of my time up in my head, and my body was achy and misaligned from years of sitting and practicing.  I had no idea what journey lay before me.  In 2001 I completed my first yoga teacher training, which at the time, I entered into as a way to help my music students with breath and posture.  I had no intention of becoming a yoga techer.  Yoga happened to me!  As with most students who are new to yoga, I studied many different styles, trying to find a practice that spoke to me on a deeper level.  I loved the physical practice, but I felt with my whole being that there was something more out there, and I longed to connect with it, even though I didn't know what it was.  I felt that way with my teaching as well - I could teach the postures, but I wanted to touch my students hearts on a deeper level.  In 2004 I attended a workshop with John Friend.  I was astounded by what I discovered - here was a teacher who was so virtuosic in his teaching, and was able to connect to every person's heart in the room.  I was completely empowered by the practice, and felt deeply aligned on many different levels.  In ten short hours, I knew I had found something special and meaningful, and I wanted to share that with everyone.  I began to study Anusara yoga seriously, and after a year of looking for a teacher, found Todd Norian.  I attended a five day immersion with Todd, and realized halfway through the first day that he was the teacher I had been searching for.  At that moment I committed myself to the process of pursuing an Anusara certification.  I completed my training with Todd in 2006, and at the time of this writing am in the process of completing my required hours with John Friend.  It has been a wonderfully transformative process and I have enjoyed every step.  I went to Todd hoping to become a better teacher, and came out being a better person.  I would like to honor all of my teachers, especially Todd and John for helping me to transform and realize my true nature, and giving me wings to fly."

"Martha represents Anusara well.  She is keen minded and a bright spirit to the students that she interacts with.  Martha is able to teach all the important elements of an excellent Anusara class.  Since she owns a successful studio in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, I see her as a leader, bringing Anusara to that as yet untapped area."   - Jordan Kirk, Certified Anusara Teacher

 

 

Trinity 

"Life is a transition from finding myself through my 20's, remodeling my home and my yoga."

Honesty.  Healing.  Trinity's style is a blooming mixture of her teachers.  She emphasizes details and proper alignment while guiding students and protecting from injury.  Trinity received her 200 hour Level 1 certification in 2005 from Shambhava Yoga in Colorado.  While living at the Hindu ashram, Trinity studied classical hatha yoga, pranayama, chanting and meditation.  For Trinity, yoga is a way of life that improves a person's spiritual path through a practice of connecting the mind to the body through meditation, prana and asana.  Trinity's yogic path has led her to Anusara yoga which she is currently studying.

Yoga - on and off the mat - Trinity works on alignment when shopping and standing in lines.  She chants and meditates while in the car or on her bike.  A practicing vegan, Trinity makes conscious daily enviromental-friendly decisions.  She believes in the importance of protecting and preserving.  Trinity's colorful yogini spirit radiates and inspires her students both on and off the mat.  

 

Holly
Like many others, I came to yoga in search of healing and freedom in my body.  After years of dealing with terrible tension headaches and migraines, a doctor suggested that I try yoga.  I immediately loved how yoga made me feel and how it gave me control over the tensions in my body.  I began to find myself changing and becoming more balanced, calm and loving.  I began to care about the food that I ate and I was able to let go of bad habits with ease.  In 2007, I received my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Shambhava School of Yoga.  In April of 2008, I opened a private and small group studio called "Yoga for You" where I worked to build my clients a yoga practice to address their individual needs.  My passion for teaching lies in the therapeutic benefits of yoga.  I recently became a Certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.  In October of 2009, I traveled to Scottsdale, AZ for a week long training in Anatomy and Yoga Therapy with Anusara teachers, Martin and Jordan Kirk. http://hollyogi.com/

Kelly

I discovered yoga nine years ago while driving home from work.  A giant yellow sign said YOGA and had a phone number.  I had heard of yoga before but thought it was something celebrities did.  Well, it turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me.  After many years of on again, off again practice, I finally got serious about this thing that seemed to help me out of those sometimes rough times in life.  It has been helping me find balance ever since.  In the Fall of 2006, I completed a 200 hour certification at Samadhi Center for Yoga in Denver, Colorado.  My classes involve awareness of breath, flowing movement guided by breath and laughter when things get out of balance.  My teaching is influenced by Anusara yoga,
although I weave multiple styles together. 
Yoga helps me to remember who I am, especially when I have lost sight of that person.

Abbey

One Saturday morning in 2008 I found yoga.  Although I had no idea what to expect, after one class with Ted Cox at Spirit House Yoga, I was hooked!  With further practice I noticed a huge shift occurring inside me.  Beyond the physical changes, my thought patterns were changing too.  Things I let trouble me before no longer had a firm grip on me which was a huge relief!  I was so inspired by Ted, I went to learn from his teacher, Baron Baptiste, completing both levels of teacher training in Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga.  I have also been greatly influenced by Martha McQuaid's Anusara inspired classes at Spirit House Yoga.  I've explored Anusara yoga through workshops with Martin Kirk, Desiree Rumbaugh and Christina Sell.  I will complete the Anusara Immersions in September, continuing my passion and expansion of yoga.