Shelburne Falls Yoga serves students of all ages and level of experience. Everyone is welcome here!
You’ll find us in our beautiful new studio space at The Mill at Shelburne Falls, the historic renovated Lamson and Goodnow factory buildings, where we moved in February of 2020. Our bright, spacious studio still overlooks the Deerfield River and Salmon Falls (from the other side of the river), and our dedicated and experienced teachers are committed to helping you work toward greater health, well-being, and self-awareness through skilled instruction in yoga, movement, and meditation.
We actively foster an environment in which your goals, needs, and intuitive wisdom take precedence over external performance or conforming to outside instruction. We value the process of inquiry and honor the multi-faceted, ancient, and evolving tradition of yoga, which originated in India and South Asia. Compassionate self-observation is at the core of our offerings, and we engage in an ongoing exploration of how this core can be extended outward in acknowledgement of the collective needs of our shared world.
The Shelburne Falls Yoga community has been practicing together for twenty years, in various location througout the village. Kate Pousont Scarborough has been owner and director of SFY for over 12 years and remains committed to providing this space to practice together in person. Our studio is a beloved place of respite and community gathering for many, where you will also learn and practice skills in body and mind that can serve you in your health, work, and relationships throughout your lifetime. We hope you will join us!
The practice of Yoga is both ancient and broad. It has a complex history. Given the wide variety of interpretations of yoga teachings and the range of skill and intentions amongst teachers and studios, it can be hard to know what to expect when entering a yoga class setting. Our aim is to provide a nurturing and challenging environment in which you will learn the skills for discovering and sustaining long-term health and vitality at whatever level of practice is suitable for you. Listed below are just a few of the practices you will have an opportunity to explore as a member of our unique yoga community:
Healthy & Efficient Movement Patterns — Learn to feel how muscles and other tissues are moving in a given action or posture, how the spine, pelvis, and limbs relate to one another, and where to initiate motion and effort for safe and effective movement.
Stability & Mobility — Find a functional and dynamic balance between strength and flexibility, allowing for optimal range of motion while avoiding the potential dangers of excessive mobility.
Focus & Awareness- Through meditation practices and mind-body exercises, deepen your body awareness and your connection to what is actually happening both within and around you.
Balance — Promote balance in thought, in motion, in breath, and in the systems of the body to create a strong foundation from which to choose your next course of action both on and off the mat.
Inner & Outer Change- While a yoga practice may begin as an individual exploration, the ethical foundations of this practice encourage us to use the strength and clarity born of this practice to help meet the complex, collective needs of our communities and world. We actively work to apply the lessons learned on the mat to a broader context as we engage in understanding and meeting the demands of our times.