Taking Lynne’s two Saturday morning classes one after the other was a joyous perk of studying for my teaching certificate at Stress Management Center of Marin. Lynn is constantly studying and learning; her classes are always fresh and new. Besides being a source of wisdom, Lynn has the body of a fashion model and dresses like one too. Her yoga classes are an inspiration and so is her dramatic personal style. I always look forward to seeing what Lynn is wearing.

Lynn Weinberger
Lynn Weinberger began her study of yoga in the 1960s during the twelve years she and her husband Jon lived in India, and since then, for over forty years, has continued her practice. Before she began studying the teachings of the Krishnamachara lineage with Gary Kraftsow and the American Viniyoga Institute, she had already completed three other certified teacher trainings.

Lynn has been teaching for over ten years now and holds the highest certification with the Yoga Alliance— the ERYT-500, and has completed the 1000 hour teacher training and yoga therapy certification of the American Viniyoga Institute. She is a certified yoga therapist and is a member of IYAT. She is featured in Gary Kraftsow’s two DVD series on the back, which was a clinical study funded by the National Institute of Health. For three years she served on the American Viniyoga Institute foundation’s board of directors. She teaches at the Yoga Garden and SMC in Marin and in Sonoma at the Sonoma Community Center as well as giving private therapy sessions.

Lynn says:

“Yoga. The first thing you might think of when you hear that word is a series of exercises for developing a strong and flexible body. That’s certainly true, but even more importantly it is a complete system of movement, breath, philosophy and awareness for putting your life in balance. When I teach a yoga class I am sharing how the path of yoga has inspired my life. Even though I have been on this path for a long time, I am continuously discovering new facets to explore. The more I study and teach, the more passionate I become about yoga.

To me, yoga is simply authenticity—being true to who you are, performing asana in a way uniquely suited to your body. I consider my classes to be sacred rituals whose goal is to help people become comfortable with themselves and how they feel.

I try to start each class by bringing the attention to the miracle of the breath and encouraging everyone to fall in love with each breath. As a class we breathe and move together, each of us expressing our own unique bodies. From there we move into focusing on our bodies and recognizing any areas that might feel restricted or tight. Long before a condition becomes painful, there is often a tightness which leads to decreased circulation.

We begin movement in a way that leads to relaxation. Once the body is relaxed, circulation is enhanced and a cycle of health and balance begins. Movement links us to the five elements:

Earth. Bending down, touching mother earth, we thank her for sustaining us. Lifting our arms to the heavens is a gesture of beauty expressing our deepest spirit.