Martha McKinnon
I love sharing the benefits of easy simple yoga…
Yoga is a total mind-body-spirit workout and the only form of exercise that I have ever been able to stick with. It helped cure my back pain and better deal with life.
People often ask, “What makes yoga so special?” Yoga helps me feel invigorated and calm, energized and serene, all at the same time. It’s amazing. I’m stronger and more flexible than I was as a teenager! I feel like it nourishes me inside and out.
And I can take my yoga practice anywhere. It is totally portable — just a mat (or towel/blanket in a pinch) and some comfy clothes are all the gear required.
How I discovered yoga…
I really didn’t know anything about yoga when I decided to give it a try in 1997 to help with severe back pain and sciatica after more traditional treatments like physical therapy failed to help.
I had read about the ability of yoga to help with back pain so figured I would give it a chance. At the time I was out of shape and living a very stressful life.
If someone had said, “Martha McKinnon, you are going to become a yoga teacher,” I would have laughed.
How yoga helped me…
After my first yoga class I felt a little better and within several months was virtually pain free.
I experienced first-hand many benefits of yoga and felt that continuing its practice would change my life. I’ve been an avid yoga fan ever since.
With a simple easy basic yoga practice, my life was transformed on many levels:
In addition to helping cure my back pain, my yoga practice has helped me in other areas of my life. I began to develop a healthy diet plan of my own and lost more than thirty pounds, my blood pressure normalized, and the tension headaches disappeared.
I felt calm and balanced most of the time, more patient and centered in my life. I was so inspired that I decided to change careers.
I studied to become a yoga teacher…
I studied and became a certified yoga instructor.
I began teaching gentle simple yoga from the boathouse at Sugarbush Farm, my husband’s family home in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin, during the summer of 2004.
In the spring of 2005, I received yoga teacher certification through Jordan and Martin Kirk of Kirk Yoga in Scottsdale, Arizona and I continue to be an avid student attending workshops and retreats throughout the country and beyond.
One of the highlights so far has been a weeklong yoga vacation in Italy with Marybeth Markus from A Desert Song Yoga, where I practiced yoga twice a day in the beautiful Umbrian countryside.
In addition to being a certified yoga teacher, I am also certified as a massage therapist, have a BS from Northeastern University and a healthy coach certificate through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Nourishing-Yoga is born…
In the fall of 2007, after three years in Northern Wisconsin, we decided to move back to Phoenix where I began offering personal private and small group yoga sessions in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
I especially love helping beginners and mature adults discover the powerful benefits of simple yoga through private one-on-one instruction and small group sessions.
I teach a non-dogmatic eclectic style of basic hatha yoga. The focus is on using the breath to increase body awareness and finding proper alignment while having fun.
Yoga is not one size fits all—we adjust the postures and focus on function, rather than form, so you get the benefits you want without force or strain. It is yoga for anybody and everybody, regardless of age, or current fitness level.
If you are looking for a private yoga teacher in Phoenix or Scottsdale, Arizona, to study beginning yoga in a fun, non-intimidating way give me a call today at 480-316-9066 so we can start working on a practice that is perfect for you!