Maya Lake-Freeman
YOGA PHILOSOPHY OR QUOTE THAT YOU LIVE BY: “Spiritual life may seem complicated, but in essence it is not. We can find a clarity and simplicity even in the midst of this complex world when we discover that the quality of heart we bring to life is what matters most.“ – Jack Kornfield
FAVORITE THING ABOUT TEACHING YOGA: I find deep fulfillment and connection when holding the space for others to slow down, get curious, and deeply connect with themselves. I am honored to witness and share the transformative effects that practicing yoga can have one’s healing journey. Walking alongside a student as they develop their capacity to experience life force is deeply gratifying. Cultivating their ability to harness that inner resource, to navigate their challenges more skillfully and with more ease, empowerment, grace and understanding brings me deep contentment. I think ultimately being with others as they come back home to themselves, that inner essence ever-present but not always accessible, again and again, is the gift.
SONG THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO PRACTICE: Making Space by Marti Nikko & DJ Drz
WHAT DOES YOUR IDEAL DAY OFF LOOK LIKE? An ideal day off is one with a loose agenda that includes adventure, connection and comfort. It may look something like rising at dawn with some quiet and warm tea and my yoga mat for a short practice. A light breakfast. Then a hike in the morning with my dog & husband, lunch at a nearby brewery or artisan café (maybe meeting friends) where we can comfortably sit outside. If time allows, either an afternoon movie or connection with fam or friends in a relaxed environment where we can play games together (cards, board games, video games or outdoor activity) and ending with a nourishing dinner meal. Bed by 9ish 😊.
DESCRIBE YOUR TEACHING STYLE: The aim of my teaching is to support my students in cultivating their container (body, breath, mind) to meet themselves with a curiosity, compassion, and empowerment. Ultimately to come back home to their essential wholeness, alongside the internal and external landscapes of life. I’m bringing more trauma informed yoga therapy training into my teachings, with adjacent healing modalities to inform and inspire. Whether the class be more vigorous or more restorative, I like to offer my supportive presence along with choice to cultivate a person’s agency. I welcome multiple limbs in the practice; mindfulness, breath, movement, focus and gentle inquiry to foster deeper listening and understanding. I tend to move between the yin and the yang, practices that move energy, sense into the aliveness, and create more spaciousness from the dense to the subtle to support the a clearer mind.
As my teaching and learning on my own journey continues to evolve, with intentional offerings I’m inviting more space for intuition and co-regulation to unfold. Trusting and allowing the yoga to move through. Might we discover our inner wisdom and let it manifest to care for our needs on and off the mat. More feeling, letting the doing be the opportunity to explore, to learn and to befriend what’s arising. Here we can connect, create, and meet life from that place that is a bit more kind, centered, wholehearted and clear.
CERTIFICATIONS: RYT 500