By Popular Demand

You asked, I tell. I've been practicing yoga on and off since 1997. In New York, I attended Om in its first (tiny) location and later Yoga Zone (now Be Yoga). Yoga Zone had several teachers whose classes inspired me. One, Maria Cristina, whose afternoon classes were the highlight of the summer I was laid off, moved to LA and now teaches at City Yoga. If you are in the LA area, I urge you to go!

Around this time, I found Zack, one of the founders of the most excellent The Breathing Project. At the time we met, Zack was teaching at Yoga Zone and later a studio cum wellness center (Haelth) that later closed. With Zack's help, I started to develop a personal practice. I read Heart of Yoga and learned more about the teachings of Krishnamacharya and his son and student, T.K.V. Desikachar; this continues to inspire me and my yoga practice. The individualized approach to yoga is one I believe to be essential for fully realizing the benefits of living yoga. After this epiphany, I knew I wanted to attend KYM, it was just a matter of when.

If you're serious about studying yoga in India, you may want to read this book. It focuses mostly on ashrams and pilgrimage sites, but the big yoga institutes are all there. One caveat: this was published in 1999, and I know some of the info about KYM is out of date. I haven't read this but it might be helpful as well.