Claudia Cummins stumbled upon yoga in 1992 in Washington, DC, while living the life of a frantic journalist and frequently injured runner. She fell in love with the practice with her very first downward-facing dog pose, and deepened her commitment over several years as she traveled the globe to study with many of the world's most experienced and inspiring instructors. Claudia cultivated her roots in the precise and rigorous Iyengar system of yoga, and then found her wings with the artful and organic approaches pioneered by Angela Farmer and Barbara Benagh. Through 15 years of practice and study, she has cultivated a fluid and poetic approach that helps dissolve long-held tension within while unleashing boundless vitality and illumination. For Claudia, yoga techniques aren't ideals to be mastered but rather launching pads for deeper exploration of the energy that flows through the body, mind, breath and cosmos. Her classes are slow, meditative, and guided by the breath. Her gentle and individualized approach, vivid imagery and intuitive instruction foster rich and soul-satisfying feelings of health, happiness, ease and contentment. With an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Masters degree in Journalism, Claudia continues to explore yoga through a range of audio, visual and written projects. Her essays have been published in a number of periodicals, including Yoga International and Yoga Journal, and her work is featured in the anthology Spirit on the Move (Himalayan Institute Press). In 1998 she directed and produced the video The Feminine Unfolding: An Exploration of Yoga with Angela Farmer. In both 2003 and 2004, she wrote the "Beginners" column for Yoga Journal. And she recently created two audio CDs for home practitioners, Mindful Movement and Mindful Breathing. Claudia lives in Mansfield, Ohio, where she teaches, writes, and cares for her two young sons.