BODHIMARGA YOGA

"The Enlightened Path"

Hello and Welcome to my website!!

My name is Linda Bender and I am a Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher & Usui Reiki Master

My interest in yoga began about 14 yrs ago when I was searching for an exercise program that would help me stay fit without the side effects of impacting and jarring my muscles and joints the way lifting weights and jogging was doing to them. I wanted lean and tone muscles, not bulk. I had a full time job, a very busy family life, and gym memberships became very expensive so I bought a yoga video and began a home practice. After a few weeks of a daily practice, I decided I needed more instruction than a video could give me. I wanted to ensure that I was getting into the poses properly and I felt my alignment needed adjustments by a live person so I began to attend a yoga class on a regular basis. I was hooked!!! Not only did my body begin to transform physically, but there was a shift in my thought and emotional patterns from feeling disconnected to my inner being or my true self to fully inhabiting my body and my life through pure consciousness and awareness. I found the missing connection ("yoga" means "to yoke") of feeling whole and complete... mind, body & spirit. I knew I had found my path or "marga" in Sanskrit and I knew I wanted even more. I wanted to inspire others to experience this amazing transformation so I enrolled into the Kripalu Teacher Training Program and graduated in February of 2008. Since then, I've attended many other trainings to deepen my knowledge & experience.

In 2009 I became certified in Therapeutic Yoga, a 30 hour training with Cheri Clampett & Arturo Peal. The client is first assisted into resting passive yoga poses using bolsters, blankets, blocks & eye pillows. The practitioner then facilitates a restorative yoga approach to deep relaxation using breathwork, guided meditation and hands-on/off-healing modalities like Reiki to create an experience where natural self-healing can take place.

In 2010 I attended a 3 day intensive workshop with Sarah Powers, the creator of Yin/Insight Yoga. The workshop was an innovative blend of Yin Yoga (long held passive floor poses that nourish the connective tissues of the joints and harmonize the energy body), meditation, pranayama and a slow alignment based flow (Yang) practice for balance. The focus of this practice is to teach the person to fully inhabit their body.

I also attended a 2 day Yin Yoga workshop with the internationally reknowned Yin Yoga teacher Paul Grilley and his wife Suzee. Yin Yoga has since become one of my favorite home private practices.

I am also a doTERRA Wellness Advocate!! Please feel free to visit my other website to experience these sacred essential oils for health and wellbeing!