The adventurous yogi

I was first drawn to yoga by seeing a friend demonstrate a headstand and signed up for a Power Vinyasa Yoga class the following weekend. Right in the middle of summer in Miami, in a naturally heated and humidified yoga studio, I experience my first yoga class. The combination of heat and flow was extremely challenging and brought out in me the will to try harder. I continued taking classes, committed to the practice, and along the way experienced other forms of yoga such as Ashtanga, Iyengar and Hatha. Here I realized I was onto something. 

After moving to Philadelphia in late 2009 I found mentor Joan Gordon she gave me a taste of Anusara yoga, focusing on technique, alignment and breathing. As the snowy winter of 2010 intensified I took classes at Power Yoga Works for a physically challenging yoga practice that made me feel back home in the tropics. It was then I realized it was time to share the benefits of yoga with others, and enrolled at Power Yoga Works for the 2010 Summer Teacher Training. 

Once I completed training I started teaching middle school kids at the 21st Century After-school Program and found great satisfaction in making a change in the lives of inner city kids. Anjali Power Yoga became home, here I grew as a student and shared my love for teaching. In August 2012 I had the opportunity to attend Yogi Aaron's Yoga Teachers Retreat at Blue Osa in Costa Rica, a week of yoga immersion could not end without a transformation. One year later I found myself bringing my students and other yogis from around the world to Blue Osa, exposing them to the same environment that had turned me into a different person. 


 

With a Baptiste inspired practice I guide students through a Slow Power Flow class that focuses on anatomy, alignment and breathing. Safety is very important to me and very often the doctor within just comes out! When I'm not teaching or doing clinical research, I take care of orchid my orchid and rare plant collection, cook and travel or you'll find me volunteering for the Lupus Foundation of America.

It's a pleasure to be back at Blue Osa Yoga Retreat & Spa in 2015. I'm looking forward to meeting the yogis that will join this adventure. See you in Costa Rica! 

Blessings, 
 Alain Benitez RYT200

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