About
Kimberly Burwell, E-RYT 200
The Goal: To bring yoga safely and thoughtfully to every body.
The Journey: After several years as a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor I found yoga while attending a fitness conference. The instructor was patient and gave great cues and I did things I wasn’t sure I could do. Best of all, after years of tennis, running, and aerobics, I did not need a new pair of shoes! I floated out of that class not only feeling lighter in my body but softer in my spirit and connected somehow.
Yoga kept me sane through an Achilles Tendon injury which sidelined my tennis and halted my aerobics career. It kept me safe, happy, and healthy through my pregnancy, and helped me with the resolve to have a natural birth. After seven years of teaching, I found a teacher training program that gave me structure and discipline, a study of philosophy which led me beyond just physical practice with poses and breathing, and knowledge of anatomy beyond that which I practiced as a trainer. I studied with a masterful teacher named Doug Keller and his teaching partner Susan Van Nuys as well as several other teachers in Northern Virginia. After moving to Alabama, I was blessed to be trained by Karen O'Donnell Clarke, a Kripalu yoga teacher who pioneered Adaptive Yoga. I’m fascinated by the ability to customize poses to meet challenges in a person’s life. The process of Adaptive yoga considers the limitations and possibilities and then creates the best possible reality. That’s my goal.
- Health Advantage Yoga Center, 200 hours, 2005; trained in Anusara style with focus on variations of asanas to assist with physical disability and recovery from injury as well as injury prevention in repetitive movement activities
- Yoga Alliance, E-RYT 200, 2007
- Teaching Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis with Karen O'Donnell Clarke, 2007
- Certified personal trainer, 1995 - current