Soon after he was born, he stopped breathing and was air-ambulanced to the nearest city hospital. Ever since James worried those poor maternity nurses on that cold Canadian winter's night, he has been steadfast with his breath. “I love how my daily yoga practice makes me feel. The movement and opening from the asana is lovely, and even more, my breath consciousness melts away everything outside the present, so that I cultivate a lasting peace and gratitude for living. It is a practical tool, a challenge, and a celebration.”
James took his first yoga class in 2005. He has practiced in many styles. Today his own practice draws inspiration from the approachable soft-flow breath-focused styles of Mark Whitwell and J Brown, and he began sharing this in classes after completing the Gentle YTT at YogaSource. James’s classes offer gentle uplifting asana linked to the breath.
Off the mat, James's vocation lies in heart center between being an artist, a technician, and a businessman, working in the Silicon Valley's tech industry and learning asana on a surfboard in his spare time.
PS. For those of you that don't know, asana is the physical aspect of yoga philosophy. Generally you can think of it as the poses and postures.
Here are some philosophies that I live by.
This is a collection of my personal philosophies from great sayings, quotes, etc. (of course my own too) that I have amassed over my life. I'm always adding more once in a while. I don't credit the sources because sometimes I change them from their original form, and often I've seen them in many sources. Besides I don't think whoever said them 'first' cared as much about being credited as they did about simply contributing and being helpful. I hope they're helpful or at least thought provoking for you! If you find one you like, remember to share it!
I have a lot of people to thank in my life, first and foremost my family.
In yoga, obviously we owe a lot to the ancients. In modern day, I generally follow the gentle-vinyasa and breath-centric style of Mark Whitwell. Mark was fortunate to study with Krishnamacharya. He believes there is a right yoga for everyone, and often describes his style as advanced yoga for perfect beginners :) If you can catch him at a festival, retreat, or workshop or class in California, I highly recommend it. If you're out "east," then J Brown in Brooklyn is a student of Mark's. I've also practiced with J at his studio and more recently through his wonderful new yoga DVD (that you can also get online). He has has a great blog for avid yogis or teachers. Recently I've also come to enjoy Andy Puddicombe's approach to meditation. Check out his TED talk or his Talks@Google.
Outside of yoga, I also have many gurus. Reading Dr. Robert Young's The pH Miracle, I transformed my health back in 2002, and continue the alkalarian lifestyle today. Even before that, my dad used to take my brother and I to self-development, financial, spiritual, (etc.) seminars of all sorts from a very early age. Many of these greats are still on the circuit today like: Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Roger Dawson, Dennis Waitley, Jim Rohn, Bob Proctor, Robert Kiyosaki, T Harv Eker, Jack Kornfield, Wayne Dyer, and Eckhart Tolle. If there any you don't know, you're missing out on genius! I have lots of material to share, so please ask.