Laura Lerman

Laura Lerman in tree pose

Home Town:  Detroit, Michigan

Gail Twitty, my first Yoga Teacher, inspired me to become a yoga teacher.  I started taking yoga from Gail in the late 1980s while working in Downtown Detroit.  I saw her yellow flyer at a local health food restaurant and became hooked on her weekly lunchtime yoga classes.   Eventually, I began attending her evening classes for many years.

I teach a traditional style of beginner to moderate hatha yoga, with mindfulness, meditation, and breath work.  I will at times, depending upon the students, add highlights of kundalini, laughter yoga, reiki energy healing, wall yoga, and gong.  When I worked in a fitness setting, I also added a set of light weights and/or balance balls to the practice. 

My favorite yoga pose is any pose that helps me relax tension in my neck and shoulders and quiets my mind, such as downward-facing dog.  I do enjoy the inverted poses, which can also be my most challenging.

I currently teach Zoom chair yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and moderate chair and mat yoga at 11:45 on Mondays at the Southfield Rec Center.   In addition, I offer virtual Zoom and onsite one-to-one yoga and group sessions.

Being a member of the YAGD has allowed me to stay connected with a professional group of yoga teachers for networking and karma yoga opportunities.  I’ve also enjoyed and appreciated opportunities I’ve had to teach at a few annual YAGD Yoga Days.  I also like the benefit of having opportunities to attend and/or host anatomy study groups.  YAGD is a great resource for yoga teachers and practitioners alike.

My favorite yoga story is how much I loved taking my first yoga teacher training program with Jim and Roger at Rising Sun Yoga.  Being the empath that I was at the time, I was emotionally and mentally exhausted from working in the mental health field for over 13 years, especially in most of Michigan’s major state psychiatric hospitals.  The training allowed me to immerse myself in the deep traditional practices of yoga with excellent yoga teachers, who were recommended by my teacher, Gail.  I’m still very appreciative of having had the experience.  After the training, I felt a strong desire to teach and share yoga with others, which also helped to deepen and enhance my own practice.

In addition to teaching yoga, I have a small wellness business, LA Massage & Bodywork llc/Namaste Wellness.  In addition to being a registered yoga teacher, I’m also a laughter yoga teacher, licensed massage therapist, myomassologist, holistic wellbeing coach, and reiki master teacher.  In my spare time, I love outdoor activities, traveling, and enjoying time with family, friends, and my pets.  I’d like to thank the YAGD for inviting me to become a YAGD member of the month! 

Please check out my website for more information: namastewellnesscafe.com