Telluride Yoga Fest: Gina Caputo

02 Jul Telluride Yoga Fest: Gina Caputo

“Gina Caputo loves yoga with a passion rarely seen. She is incredibly smart, sensitive, and alive with inspiration. A gifted teacher,” Max Strom

Please scroll down to bottom of post to listen to my interview with Gina Caputo.

Tickets/Passes to Telluride Yoga Fest here.

Yoga is big business in America: current estimates are as high as $10 billion a year. It is also the story of assimilation of centuries-old spiritual disciplines associated with meditative practices in Buddhism and Hinduism into fitness routines subscribed to by professional athletes, CEOs, Hollywood stars, and soccer moms. Literally and metaphorically the diversity of yoga experiences offered across this country could leave you standing on your head: for many, yoga is an exacting physical and spiritual discipline, a journey inward that leads to an ineffable described as “enlightenment”; for others, the practice is simply a hip way to stay fit and reduce stress.

And for Gina Caputo? For this wild and passionate yogini and uplifting, empathetic instructor, her clear and playful approach to a practice is a way for her students to find their edge, open up their minds, and fearlessly go where they have not gone before.

At the Telluride Yoga Festival, Thursday, July 9 – Sunday, July 12, Gina Caputo is one of the lead presenters, on a short list that also includes Christina Sell, Micheline Berry, Sianna Sherman, Tias Little, and Peter Sterios.

Gina’s five classes in chronological order start Friday, July 10, at 8 a.m. “ColoFlow – Vinyasa for Mountain Yogis,” features a signature practice for nature-loving yogis designed to enhance awareness of the qualities of nature within the asanas – earth, water, fire, air and space – and foster a deeper connection with our land and greater presence in our daily lives. (All levels, vinyasa)

Friday, 3 p.m., Gina teams up with Matt Kapinus, who provides the soundtrack for her “Curiosity & Courage: Empowered Vinyasa Flow.” The practices promises to “embody both the lightheartedness and ease that support continual curiosity about our potential, as well as the strength and stamina that inspire acts of courage off the mat.” (Intermediate)

Saturday, July 11, 11 a.m., Gina teaches backbends to the sweet sounds of Bob Marley. ( All levels)

Sunday, July 12, 8 a.m., Gina leads a deep and down-tempo practice set to bluesy tunes to release legs and hips. (All levels)

For her final class on Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Gina leads a hike that culminates in a meditation focusing on the power of the mountains and the Earth’s generosity. (All levels)

Gina Caputo describes her passionate and inspired style of teaching as Integrated Vinyasa, with its emphasis on alignment and flow, anatomy and energetics, focus and release, work and play. Gina recognizes and embodies the fact that creative movement and self-exploration are essential method of conscious evolution and discovering a person’s limitless potential. Because she came to the mat from an office chair, Gina understands how to speak to the modern-day householder yogi.

Gina is founder and director of the Colorado School of Yoga and an experienced registered yoga teacher (ERYT-500) through Yoga Alliance. Her greatest influences have been Shiva Rea (Prana Flow®), Max Strom (Vinyasa), Erich Schiffmann (Vinyasa), and Denise Kaufmann (Yin). Her deepest learning experiences came in the traditional manner of teacher / student apprenticeships with both Shiva Rea and Max Strom to whom she offers deep, humble pranams for their trust and confidence.

To learn more about Gina Caputo, press the “play” button and eavesdrop on our chat.