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Ali is a yoga teacher registered with Yoga Alliance and is based in Durham, NC. She teaches power yoga, a rigorous form of vinyasa flow. She has studied in workshops with David Swenson, Kathryn Budig and Tim Miller, and has teacher training hours with Beryl Bender Birch. She is also first aid and CPR certified.

Ali’s dance professors in college introduced her to yoga in such a subtle way, she can’t even recall her first yoga class. She loved the challenge of the poses, and the physical aspect of yoga is where she first felt at home.

“I used to regard my body as something I could conquer, and so eventually, I maxed out. I had pushed myself to exhaustion, and ended up taking a not-so-optional break. Coming back to yoga after that, I slowly began listen to what I needed in each practice.  It was a totally different experience; I could finally start to trust my instincts on the mat and myself in the world.”

Having practiced Ashtanga Yoga in the past, it was an easy transition to power yoga. It is in power yoga that Ali completed her teacher training hours.

 “The great thing about power yoga is that it turns your mat into a big mirror. Your mat is a good place to practice observing yourself and your decisions in each moment. How you react on your mat is usually how you react off your mat, and perhaps you can begin to bring that awareness to the rest of your life.

My most important job is to create a safe space. Every single yoga class is an invitation to try something new, and the best environment to try new things is a lighthearted place void of judgment and competition. Our practice IS rigorous, but you will be amazed at how your brain and body will respond if you are kind with them.”

In addition to yoga Ali has studied performance, choreography, modern dance, contact improvisation, ballet, Karate, kickboxing, trampoline, aerial dance, Chinese acrobatics, and flying trapeze (in London, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina).