What brought you to yoga?
I first started practicing yoga in 2019 using an app on my phone and attending some fitness-style vinyasa classes at a corporate gym where I had a membership. I was interested in gaining flexibility and improving in jiu jitsu at that time. I had been meditating for a little while before that, primarily as a tool to heal and create space around anxiety and depression that I had experienced most of my life. By connecting with my breath through movement and scratching the surface of experiencing asana as a moving meditation, I began to feel as though there was much more to yoga for me to tap into and uncover.
Later that year, I walked into what became my home studio in California for the next 4 years. I dedicated myself to the practice and eventually completed my 200-hour teacher training in 2023 through that studio. That was actually via Zoom, because my wife and I moved across the country to Asheville a week before the training started. That studio owner connected me with his mentor from the lineage of Sri Dharma Mittra, named Pam who was teaching at the Asheville Yoga Center when I arrived in town. We connected and as soon as I stepped into AYC, it felt like home. I’m so grateful for the community, students, teachers, and staff here who have become like family to me. I’m thankful for the opportunity to teach at such an incredible place.
To be able to hold space and honor these ancient practices in a safe and loving community is incredibly rewarding. I love supporting people as they grow and evolve, and sharing this sacred practice and goal of self realization.
What do you find most rewarding about teaching yoga?
I find the sacred union that we experience through yoga to be the most sensational feeling. To be able to hold space and honor these ancient practices in a safe and loving community is incredibly rewarding. I love supporting people as they grow and evolve, and sharing this sacred practice and goal of self realization.
Do you have a favorite yoga pose?
My favorite yoga pose is sirsasana (headstand) due to the meditative states and challenging variations accessible through it. I enjoy navigating to my own perceieved limitations and expanding beyond them – experiencing what’s possible in the body through control of the breath and mind. This pose has also taught me to tune in and find gentle ways to approach conditions of my body. This has led to being more gentle with myself and others in life, less attached to “perfect forms”, and more deeply trusting that things are the way they are meant to be. Like yoga, sirsasana invites us honor the journey and always appreciate the perfection of where we are right now.
Opportunities to Practice with Alex
Weekly Classes
Strong & Supple Flow | Saturdays 12:00-1:30pm
“Strong and Supple Flow” Traditional Hatha Yoga asanas “postures” infused with pranayama “breathing exercises” to strengthen and stretch the body as well as relax and center the mind to prepare for meditation. Centered around classical eight-limbed yoga, Strong and Supple Flow is intended to build strength, increase flexibility, improve concentration, and promote balance within the body, heart, and mind. This class offers longer holds in poses than a typical vinyasa flow while remaining accessible to all levels of practitioners. It includes elements of flowing vinyasa, arm balances, inversions, and held poses which allow practitioners to tap into focused concentration, meditation, contentment, and deep healing relaxation.
Alex began his yoga journey in 2019, initially using a mobile app and attending vinyasa classes at a corporate gym to improve his flexibility and jiu-jitsu skills. Already familiar with meditation as a tool for managing anxiety and depression, he discovered deeper connections through yoga’s breathwork and movement. His dedication grew after joining a home studio in California, where he practiced for four years. In 2023, Alex completed a 200-hour teacher training via Zoom just after relocating to Asheville. His training was influenced by the teachings of Sri Dharma Mittra, as the studio owner connected him with Pam, a mentor from this lineage who was teaching at the Asheville Yoga Center. This connection made the center quickly feel like home for Alex, deepening his engagement with the local yoga community. Teaching yoga allows Alex to foster a sacred union, supporting personal growth and self-realization among his students. His favorite yoga pose is sirsasana (headstand), which teaches him about meditative states, personal limitations, and the importance of gentleness and acceptance.
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