Meet Brooks Haislip, certified Anusara yoga instructor

Brooks Haislip, Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor

Q: Why did you decide to become an Anusara yoga Instructor?
A: Being an Anusara Yoga teacher is an honor.  It is like being a tour guide that leads each student into the great adventure of their heart, into a space of transformation. Each student is unique so I am constantly in a creative process of how to guide each person into his or her essence most effectively - at times a simple, yet powerful technical alignment cue may be most appropriate while at other’s just pausing and listening with a compassionate ear is best. As Anusara yoga teachers we are trained to always look for the good first - in our students, ourselves and life. What an awesome job!

Q: What training do you have? How long have you been teaching?
A: I am a Certified Anusara yoga teacher which requires 500 credit hours including asana, philosophy, meditation, a 30-hour written exam and a video of a class that has to be passed by the certification committee. Anusara yoga teacher certification is the most extensive and intensive yoga teacher training program in the world. I have been teaching Anusara classes for 6 years and had taught power and Iyengar classes in California for two years prior to that.

Q: What is Anusara Yoga?
A: Anusara Yoga was founded by John Friend in 1997 and is a hatha yoga system that unifies Universal Principles of Alignment with a non-dual Tantric philosophy that “celebrates the heart.” Its main premise is that each of us is essentially good and that life is a gift to embrace and celebrate. It is a system that invokes the spiritual purposes of hatha yoga in an embodied form that reconnects us to the joy and freedom of the divine nature that lies within each one of us.  

Q: What sets you apart as a yoga instructor from others?
A: I was a massage therapist for eight years so my physical adjustments coupled with my knowledge and deep understanding of anatomy and that energy can be extremely therapeutic. My classes are ‘seriously playful’, meaning that I tend to hold a space that is safe and sacred and also fun and playful in order to bring deep spiritual teachings into our lives that are tangible and instant. My classes never exceed 24 students so each person gets a lot of one-on-one attention and feels personally connected to me in the classroom.  As Anusara teachers we are trained to move around the classroom, giving verbal and physical adjustments, and demoing when appropriate, so in this way, the students get high quality, personal instruction.  

Q: Do you have a mentor?
A: Yes, I am blessed with lots of great mentors in my life. John Friend who is the founder of Anusara yoga and Sarah Faircloth who is the owner of Sangati Yoga & Massage are two of my main mentors.  

Q: Where do you teach?
A: I teach all of my group classes at Sangati and teach private lessons out of my home. I’m proud to say I have just started teaching workshops around the Southeast. Something I am very excited about is an “Immersion” that I will be teaching out of a friend’s home yoga studio that starts in May. An “Immersion” is a 108-hour course, which I will be teaching over a 6-month period, for students who want to go deeper into the teachings of Anusara yoga, from asana to meditation to philosophy: the full-spectrum.

About Sangati:
Sangati Yoga and Massage, located in Dilworth, is a beautiful, family-owned healing center filled with highly trained yoga teachers, massage therapists and a variety of counselors. It is a heart-warming, welcoming environment where you can expect to feel right at home immediately. If you are brand new to yoga or advanced this is the perfect place to come as the system of classes is created so that you may join in at the appropriate level for yourself. All of the teachers at Sangati Yoga teach Anusara style classes. Check out the website at www.sangati.net for information, with a special eye out for the “Free Yoga Class” week the first week of May. I hope to see you in class or for a private lesson soon!

Q: What are the most common questions you get asked?
A: How do I get started with yoga? My answer to this is to start with the Intro class at Sangati Yoga and Massage or contact me for a private yoga session.  

What if I’m not flexible, should I be doing yoga?  My answer to this is always yes! Yoga is for everyone.