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Ariele Foster, sDPT
Ariele took her first yoga class (taught by Lilo) prior to kindergarden, and has been strongly influenced her yogini grandmother (who, at age 81, still teaches multiple yoga classes each week) ever since. Ariele began teaching yoga in 2001, and was certified through the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health at the 200-hour Yoga Alliance national level, after serving as a long-term volunteer at the center. She holds other yoga teaching certifications through the American Sports Medicine Institute. Ariele honors the many inspiring teachers with which she has studied, including David Swenson (Ashtanga), Cameron Shayne (Budokon founder- a yoga and martial arts hybrid), Amba and Don Stapleton (Nosara Institute, Interdisciplinary Yoga), Swami Vivekenanda-Saraswati (Agama Yoga, based in Thailand and India), Simon Park (vinyasa, flying/acro- yoga) and Devarshi, Stephen Cope, Megha, Rebekkah Kronledge, Yoganand and many others, "most especially" those who have dedicated their lives to the Kripalu tradition.
Ariele's teaching style is influenced by all of the luminaries above as well as by her other studies (including classical Indian and modern dance, martial arts, anatomy, Anusara yoga, thai massage, mindfulness meditation, Nonviolent Communication and Sivananda yoga). In June of 2008, she began a Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum that is expanding her awareness of the human body on a daily basis and providing a highly detailed foundation for movement understanding. Her vinyasa flow classes are grounded in the compassionate style of Kripalu Yoga, emphasizing safety and alignment within inspired flowing movement.
Expect fun, personalized music playlists and an experience of meditation in motion from each class with Ariele.
Ariele holds an undergraduate degree from Hampshire College (MA) in sustainable development and agriculture; has worked (and lived) in Washington, DC; Arctic Village, Alaska; Ohio & Latin America in her quest for restorative earth justice (eco-activism); she speaks Spanish and Portuguese; and is now a full time student pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the Medical College of Virginia.
Lilo Foster, eRYT 500
Trained as a dancer, and first introduced to yoga in her native Germany in the 1930s, Lilo miraculously survived growing up Jewish in Berlin and became re-acquainted with the healing and rejuvenating power of yoga during the 1960s in America. She soon began teaching yoga to an ever-increasing group of dedicated students in and around beautiful Rappahanock County, Virginia. By the 1990s, after formal retirement from her career in education (for which she was a local 'rock star'), Lilo's yoga classes blossomed in popularity.
Now age 81 (though you’d never know!) with a seemingly unlimited fount of energy, humor and wisdom, Lilo’s classes are a don't miss for yogis of any age! She is a true gift to be near.
Lilo has studied with Lilias Folan and other long-standing yoga luminaries and is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour experienced level. She teaches classes across Rappahannock County and in Front Royal, VA and is available for private or semi-private yoga lessons in your home.