Claire Mark

Claire Mark has been practicing yoga since 1996 and teaching yoga since 1999. Her first teacher was Peter Rizzo at Bhava Yoga, a Jivamukti yoga studio in NY and was then certified as a Bikram yoga teacher in 1999. Claire graduated from It’s Yoga Ashtanga teacher training program in 2000 and completed an Anusara intensive with Mitchel Bleier and Sianna Sherman in 2001 and then she studied Iyengar yoga with Lisa Walford during the Yogaworks teacher training program in 2004. Claire’s teaching is a blend of these styles mixed with compassion and appreciation of each individual. Claire has taught in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. She has taught retreats abroad since 2003 and continues to lead yearly retreats in Mexico and Costa Rica. She taught for Yogaworks as a teacher trainer in their program from 2006 – 2008 and she has also been part of the yogaview teacher training faculty since 2006. Claire has studied and continues to study with many senior teachers, and her love of yoga continues to grow with each day on the mat. Claire also has a channel on YogaUOnline and offers on-demand yoga classes online.

I teach vinyasa flow yoga. Vinyasa flow is a practice where we move with the breath from pose to pose. It requires concentration and I often think of it as a moving meditation.

I have been a full time yoga instructor for 20 years and in that time I have worked with many survivors of sexual violence. I have not had specific training in working with survivors, however, I feel the experience I’ve had with survivors in my public classes and working with people who are survivors of sexual violence privately has given me confidence to work with this population.

I think that yoga is a wonderful way to get people back in touch with their bodies. When a physical violation occurs a disconnect can happen and yoga is a really beautiful way to re-enter and reclaim one’s body. I feel I offer a safe and supportive place to encourage that re-connection and re-ownership.