About Nathan Hayes

About Nathan Hayes

For me, finding yoga was returning home. Always athletic and physically active, my first yoga class struck me like no other form of exercise. I had finally found a place where I could feel at ease in my body (and all its then splintered and disassociated parts) without judgment, challenging my limits without trying to perform or compete, and enjoying it all with an abundance of curiosity, self-love and acceptance. My soul awoke like never before.

I then dove into yoga for the next fifteen years, and never really came up for air. Practicing at home every day, often twice a day, for hours at a time, I began to get a bodily sense that I had no limits. As my asana practice deepened, this kinesthetic awareness of the vastness of Spirit began to affect every area of my life. My physical health and my relationships and attitude about life all dramatically changed. All I ever did (and continue to do) is show up on the mat every day, surrender, accept the “what is-ness” of this present moment, listen to my body and heed its internal callings.

My first yoga teacher training was a year long residential program at the Kripalu Yoga Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, a 200-hour certification program covering asana, pranayama, anatomy and philosophy with Todd Norian and Anne Greene. Within a year, I embarked on a second 200-hour teacher training course, learning the precise alignment principles of Iyengar yoga from Patty Townsend, the former co-founder and co-director of the Yoga Center in Los Angeles.

I have had the good fortune of studying extensively with many if not most of the nation’s finest yoga teachers. Atop the list though, I must thank Ramanand Patel, for the precision and clarity of his understanding and teaching of yoga; Erich Schiffmann, for encouraging me to listen and be guided from within; Ana Forrest, for pushing me to my limits (and, at times, a little beyond); and Patricia Walden, for showing me the path from fear to gracefulness.

"Developing my personal yoga practice has been a journey motivated by passion, joy, and love - a love that is inexhaustible, unconditional, pure, and beckons to be shared with others. Once I discovered that, I realized it was time to teach yoga to others, for I had something of real value to share. The irony, of course, is that it’s not me at all. All I ever do is get out of the way and open up to the flow."
- Nathan

Since 1998, I have been teaching all levels of yoga, pranayama and meditation, from beginners to advanced, from gentle to vigorous, in a variety of settings (private studios, colleges/universities, corporate, privates) and with persons of all ages, experience and degrees of flexibility.

In addition to weekly classes, I also lead workshops and retreats throughout the United States.


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