Featured teacher: Erika Fritz

What brought you to yoga?

As a high school teacher in a large, urban public school, I worked hard to meet the needs of my students but often at the expense of my own health and wellbeing. When I finally walked into a yoga studio, it was the first step in my commitment to leading a more balanced life. Like many people, what first drew me to yoga was the physical asana. After a few weeks of practice, I felt leaner, stronger, more flexible. Mentally, I was more even-keeled. I felt happier, better able to focus, less reactive to events that I would normally mull over for hours. I saw how physical heart opening translated into the realm of personal relationships and made me increasingly open to new experiences. It seemed like a natural part of my journey to combine my talent for teaching with my passion for the practice and transition out of the classroom to teaching yoga full-time.

What’s your favorite thing about teaching yoga?

Just as with classroom teaching, I live for when students have "a-ha" moments. I try to foster a curiosity in my students about the ways in which the body and mind work in connection to breath, and I love, for example, when a newer student experiences a deep savasana, dissolving completely into stillness for the first time, and leaves looking totally blissed out, or when, say, a more experienced student finally connects a cue that they've heard for years to an action in their bodies and leaves feeling continually renewed by the infinite possibility of the practice.

Aside from yoga, what are some of the things you’re most passionate about?

I am also passionate about Ayurveda and the ways in which diet and lifestyle choices can contribute to one's health and longevity. I am currently training to become an Ayurvedic health counselor and can't wait to share that ancient system of knowledge with people, alongside my yoga asana and meditation offerings. Oh, and cats, I love cats! When not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my partner of fourteen years, Philip, and our two cats, Matilda and Jasper.