Bio
How Dave became Yogi Dave
My introduction to yoga started in 1995 when a friend at work asked me to join her for a lunch time yoga class. I thought to myself, "I don't know what yoga is, but no way I'm signing up for it." You have to understand that my only knowledge of yoga came from watching Gomez Addams doing headstands on the "Addams Family" TV show.
After much arm twisting, I finally went to the yoga class and discovered that it wasn’t so bad and we did not do any headstands much to my relief. A few weeks after joining the class, I was working in the yard and pulled my back. The next morning, I could barely put my socks on, but still went to work and attended the lunchtime yoga. I explained to the teacher, Tejal, that I had hurt my back and wasn’t sure if yoga would be okay for it. Tejal responded with "Dave, we will do a special back class for you today.” After class, I could bend over without the sensation of a knife sticking in my back. I thought to myself, "There is something to this yoga stuff."
After a year or so we could not get enough yoga students to make it worthwhile for a teacher to come to work during lunch. Luckily, the teacher's yoga studio was close by and I started attending an evening class. I will never forget my first class at the studio. It was in an old mill, in a big room, with Krishna Das playing and incense burning. This was not like the lunch time yoga that I was used to at all. She played normal music there. At the end of class, we did a chant and “Om’ed" out. I thought, "What the heck did I get myself into?" I really liked how yoga made me feel so I kept going, no matter how crazy I thought the end of class was. In time, I started to like all of it, I even joined the reading group where we read books like The Bhagavad Gita and discussed how certain passages related to our own lives. It was very enjoyable and mind opening.
For some reason early on and I don't remember why I decided I could teach our lunch time yoga class at work. I learned a routine by writing down everything we did right after the evening yoga class I attended. Writing stuff down is what we had to do before the internet and smart phones were invented. Then every night, I practiced the routine and timed everything out so I would have the perfect half-hour lunch class. My first class was at my friend's house, ironically the one who persuaded me to start yoga in the first place. She and another friend attended. It went well enough that I felt confident and I began teaching the lunch time class at work.
After I had been teaching my lunch time class for a couple of years, the Ahimsa Yoga studio I was attending offered a teacher training program and I signed right up. It was great! It was five hours of class every Sunday, one evening class every week and several weekend retreats. Back then it was almost all women (22 ladies and 2 guys) and the only other guy didn't show up most of the time. It was interesting being basically the only guy in class but I had a lot of fun, learned a lot and have many fond memories of teacher training.
It was not long after finishing the 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) program in 2002 that Tejal sold the Ahimsa Yoga studio and I went off on my own to start the yoga program at Lutherville Timonium Rec. Council in 2004. Now that my son is grown I have continue my training. I recieved my 300 hour certificate in 2023 from the Integra Yoga Institute where I focused my studies on, Adaptive Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Meditation. I also have a second 200 hour certificate from the Westchester Academy of Yoga in NY which I received in 2021 to study under a student of Tao Porchon-Lynch, Renee Diamond.
Not that I ever took her class or met her in person, but my yoga teacher role model is Tao Porchon-Lynch. I have seen a number of her interviews thanks to YouTube and she is very inspiring and had a wonderful outlook on life. She taught yoga until she was over 100 years old. How great is that!
There is nothing you cannot do | Tao Porchon-Lynch | TEDxColumbiaSIPA - YouTube
I will always be grateful for having my arm twisted into taking that first yoga class. I have met so many great people and have made so many wonderful yoga friends. To be honest I don't understand why yoga makes me feel better. I only know that when I practice the quality of my life is better and I'm happier. When I don't, it's not. I can only hope that everyone finds a practice that helps them find their own happiness and peace within.
I like this quote, “Yoga and it’s benefits are accessible to anyone. That is, anyone that has the discipline to practice.”
And it does take practice.