Johanna Kirk is a native of Boise, ID. She danced with Balance Dance Company for eight years before attending Columbia University, from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Until recently, she lived in New York City working as a free-lance dancer, journalist, and choreographer. Research for her art and writing took her deep into the NYC professional ballet community, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Centre National de la Danse outside of Paris, and to Guinea, Africa. A yoga practitioner and anatomy enthusiast since her pre-teens, she received her yoga teacher training in 2008 from the Kripalu Center in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains. She's currently in the process of earning her Master's degree at the University of Iowa. She's thrilled to be in the Iowa City community and looks forward to future projects that negotiate the space between dance and yoga/body and spirit/self and community. Jai Bhagwan.
My yoga classes are inspired by the Kripalu approach to yoga, which seeks to cultivate a practice of mindfulness that informs choices and experiences both on and off the mat. I empower my students to develop compassion and fascination for their bodies and to respect their ability to be their own teachers. Kripalu Yoga is a conscious practice of physical yoga postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques for integrating body, mind and spirit. Classes will involve exploration of basic asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation. Students will have the opportunity to find and explore their "edges" in an environment that both challenges and supports them. As a professional dancer and choreographer, I bring a unique perspective to the sensations, usages, and meanings of the body, and I encourage students to enjoy the experience of moving with authenticity, grace, and strength. We play with vinyasa and Meditation in Motion (one of the pillars of Kripalu) in order to discover the joys and intricacies of our bodies as singular, dynamic, mobile, and expressive structures.
Johanna Kirk is a native of Boise, ID. She danced with Balance Dance Company for eight years before attending Columbia University, from which she graduated Summa Cum Laude. Until recently, she lived in New York City working as a free-lance dancer, journalist, and choreographer. Research for her art and writing took her deep into the NYC professional ballet community, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Centre National de la Danse outside of Paris, and to Guinea, Africa. A yoga practitioner and anatomy enthusiast since her pre-teens, she received her yoga teacher training in 2008 from the Kripalu Center in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains. She's currently in the process of earning her Master's degree at the University of Iowa. She's thrilled to be in the Iowa City community and looks forward to future projects that negotiate the space between dance and yoga/body and spirit/self and community. Jai Bhagwan.
My yoga classes are inspired by the Kripalu approach to yoga, which seeks to cultivate a practice of mindfulness that informs choices and experiences both on and off the mat. I empower my students to develop compassion and fascination for their bodies and to respect their ability to be their own teachers. Kripalu Yoga is a conscious practice of physical yoga postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques for integrating body, mind and spirit. Classes will involve exploration of basic asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation. Students will have the opportunity to find and explore their "edges" in an environment that both challenges and supports them. As a professional dancer and choreographer, I bring a unique perspective to the sensations, usages, and meanings of the body, and I encourage students to enjoy the experience of moving with authenticity, grace, and strength. We play with vinyasa and Meditation in Motion (one of the pillars of Kripalu) in order to discover the joys and intricacies of our bodies as singular, dynamic, mobile, and expressive structures.