Telluride Yoga Festival: Ansley Herndon

06 Jul Telluride Yoga Festival: Ansley Herndon

Yoga is the movement from one point to another, higher one, “The Heart of Yoga,” Desikachar.

Tickets/passes for Telluride Yoga Festival here.

Two hours.

Seven poses.

And everyone in the room, including my husband and I, left feeling nurtured and totally relaxed.

Ansley Herndon

Even those addicted to gnarlyasana, booming music, and heat.

Ansley Herndon is one of two talented yoga teachers who presented at Becca Tudor’s Telluride WOW (Weekend of Wellness). She (and Denise Druce, see related post) return to town to teach at the 8th annual Telluride Yoga Festival, Thursday, July 9 – Sunday, July 12.

Ansley debuted both classes she is scheduled to teach at Yoga Fest at Telluride WOW, where students applauded her no-frills instruction and simply elegant adjustments.

On Friday, July 10, 3 p.m., Ansley leads a two-hour Thai Yoga Therapy class.

Thai Yoga Therapy is perfect for yoga students interested in a new way of practicing. It should also prove informative for teachers who want to add something sweet to their classes. The work is with a partner, so come with a friend or make a friend and learn basic Thai therapy techniques focusing on the feet, shoulders, and back.

Ansley adjusting Albert Roer in her Thai Yoga class. Albert is co-owner/director of both WOW and Yoga Fest.

The aforementioned, blissful experience of her restorative class is scheduled for Sunday, July 12, 5 p.m., a perfect end to a long weekend of Festival yoga. Props are used to deepen and extend familiar poses.

Ansley, who is an ACE-certified group fitness instructor and an e-RYT 500 yoga instructor, embodies the idea that yoga informs the way we work, play, eat, even educate our children:

“I have two daughters and I have always wanted to be the best mother, role model, and person I could possibly be for them. I wanted my girls to truly see me and recognize that I am a work-in-progress and have learned from my mistakes and choices and tried to become better and strive for improvement, even when I wanted to give up. I found that person on my yoga mat, in my studies and in my teaching.”

For Ansley, for anyone with a serious practice, it becomes clear that yoga inspires how we give back, how we take care of ourselves, each other, and the planet.

“Maybe I was just young, but I didn’t really know who I was until I spent a lot of time on the mat. Most of the time, what’s happening on the mat is also happening in my life. Or maybe it’s the other way around? The obstacles and roadblocks I meet in life show themselves in my practice. That is how yoga has transformed my life: my mat is a tool for navigating life and my life is a tool for better practice on the mat. Yoga has shown me what can be found, with commitment and intention, on the other side of obstacles and how practice, dedication, devotion cultivate joy, compassion, and empowerment, on and off the mat.”

Ansley Herndon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fullerton and is currently in graduate school pursuing a Masters in Education with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis. Recently, she began to work alongside a treatment team of therapists and a registered dietician in a center for eating disorders and addiction recovery. Ansley has a unique way of integrating current brain science, yoga, and narrative into her classes. She hopes one day to combine her experience as a yoga teacher with other modalities of treatment to help individuals with autism.

To learn more about Ansley Herndon, click the “play” button and listen to our chat.