ERIC STAUFFER

My discovery of yoga began on a beautiful, pristine snow covered mountain side deep in the wilderness of Rocky Mountain National Park. In the blink of an eye a high speed tumbling fall led to a severe hamstring injury. This fall, taken while telemark skiing in the winter of 1993, left me with severe chronic pain in my lower back and out of balance leg strength. Sometime later I walked into my first yoga class with the hope of finding some relief. The relief that I initially found was not yet in my body but more in my mind and how I felt more deeply inside. Eventually, many years later, after the seemingly ceaseless back pain finally subsided, I began understanding how the Ashtanga Yoga practice was working on me in subtle yet powerful ways. I am forever thankful to the wise and patient teachers that guided and inspired me. After many trips to Mysore, India learning new postures and sequences I have begun to give back, trying as best I can to provide students with some understanding of how this practice might similarly help them.