Teacher Feature: Danielle Gorman

I was looking for something to help my 11-year old daughter alleviate her anxiety and insomnia and I thought yoga could be helpful.  At the time, I couldn’t find any children’s classes, and a friend of mine, who was a yoga teacher, invited me to bring her to her adult classes.  I figured instead of dropping her off and waiting while she took the class, I would take it myself.

From the first class, my body felt like I had come home. It basically said, “It’s about time! I have been waiting for this.”  I immediately felt like I had been practicing for years.  I haven’t left since.

As a professional yoga therapist, I work with clients on using embodied mindfulness to promote understanding, acceptance, and healing from life transitions, mental health challenges, and chronic physical conditions.

I have seen in myself and my clients, the extraordinary, infallible resource we all have within us when we choose to really listen to ourselves through our bodies instead of our habitual thoughts. It is always the most effective tool for long lasting meaningful changes and positive choices in our lives versus relying solely on external information and societal pressures.

I use the that wisdom and information I get from consciously connecting to my body in everything that I do. My practice is focused on responding to and moving through the world from an embodied, responsive perspective instead of getting caught up in my personal flavor of mind chatter and reactivity. This practice keeps me busy.  I focus on loving the journey, because I am fairly certain I will never arrive – as in any physical posture, there is always further to go!

We have the same yoga birthday!  My first class pass for yoga classes I ever purchased was on Lila’s first weekend opening celebration.  During that first year, I tried out lots of studios in the area, exploring all the different styles of yoga.  I always came back Lila.  My body could never get enough of what I received here.

Six years later, Lila is my yoga home. Although life has taken me away for a few months at a time on occasion, I always consider this studio my foundation.  I also have a home practice, but practicing in community and being guided by teachers I hold in such high regard, is an elemental piece of my life.

Oh……arm balances. I just can’t seem to find the trust and confidence to get my face so close to the ground without fear of face-planting. LOTS of interesting things to explore there…..!