Teacher Feature: David Vaughan

How did you find your way to yoga?
About 20 years ago I was having a lot of long term problems with my lower back, and i began practicing yoga at the suggestion of my physical therapist. I started taking classes at the Bay Club with a teacher named Bruce Bowditch. I was looking for some increased flexibility, more strength and some pain relief from the practice. I found all of that, and much, much more.

 

What is your practice like off the mat? How do you live your yoga?
My yoga practice on the mat has had a huge influence on my life off that mat. I am much more aware of my breath, and use various kinds of breathing in times when I need to slow down and focus, and when I just need to connect with what is around me at the present moment. I really do try to practice the basic yogic idea of living a conscious life grounded in seeing the grace in others and in myself. I also see life like the practice of yoga… every day is different, and I keep having to remind myself of certain ideas again and again.

 

What’s your favorite thing about the Lila yoga community?
There are so many things that I love about the Lila yoga community. It is a remarkable group of teachers and students who really care about one another and who actively support each other in the practice of this yoga. I also love that the breath, the heart, and the spirit aspects of yoga are fully present in Lila teachers, students, and classes.

 

Which pose is your “asana nemesis,” the one that you loathe, but should probably be doing more?
I am not sure I have one “asana nemesis”. But, given my history of challenges with my lower back and somewhat tight shoulders, I could always do more postures that include deeper backbends.
I am also working on Butterfly as a long term asana project.