Alyssa Prettyman

In 2004 I herniated a disk in my back and could barely walk or go to work for nearly a month. I was 24 years old and in, what I thought, was "good shape." I went to yoga as a course in pain reduction but quickly found that the strength and "shape" I found myself in in yoga was superior to that delivered by boot camp, running and strapping myself to an elliptical maching for hours on end. By 2006 I was enrolled in a 200 hour program and over the course of the next 12 year found myself drawn towards teachers and educators who strove to refine yoga and movement in the context of modern bodies and postural patterning - and away from the "its been done like this for thousands of years" narrative (because it hasn't). I love the traditional teachings of yoga with regard to the study of the mind, prana and how we can live and be of service in the world. But when it comes to movement and postured - the teachings of Yoga Tune Up and my functional movement training are at the heart of what I believe can help people live with greater dignity and less pain well into their later years. My classes are often a balance of challenging and nourishing, playful and quiet, educational and contemplative - all in the hopes that somewhere in that mix you can find a practice that suits the body you are in today and leave feeling better than you did when you walked in the door.