In finding my voice and the light that guides me as a student, teacher and teacher trainer, I have found ways to support others in finding their voice and unique paths as students and teachers. I have learned to practice, learn, share, and teach yoga from love - for love - out of love - with love - for the sake of love. To step away from dogmatic rules and truly honor yoga from the inside, out.

Yoga asks the essential questions of humanity: who am I? why am I alive? What is going on here? Who are these other beings around me? It is a longing and a seeking and a progressive discovery. What it longs for and seeks and discovers is the underlying, fundamental truth of oneness.

Meet Corinne, a yoga teacher, yoga teacher trainer, and life coach! Corinne and her partner Matthew Andrews will be leading a Yoga Immersion and Teacher Training at Sanctuary, beginning October 2024.

Meet Matthew! Matthew is a yoga teacher, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, bhakta, and the co-director of Shraddhā Yoga. He leads monthly kirtans at Sanctuary, and will be leading a Yoga Immersion and Teacher Training with his partner Corinne Matthews at Sanctuary, beginning October 2024.

“The work I do is not separate from how I live or what it is that I contribute to the world. I believe that our greatest contribution to the world, ever, will always be who we are and how we live. I believe the highest form of activism is to know yourself and to understand how your choices impact those around you, as well as the planet.”

Meet our May 2024 Community Spotlight organization! Friends of Northampton Trails fosters better public health and quality of life for Northampton’s residents and visitors by enhancing the bike trail network and conducting activities that sustain and grow the community of trail users.

“The more I practiced, the more I realized that no one teaching looked like me. I wanted to create space for folks that didn’t fit into the mold of what we in the West have decided is a “yoga body.” When you dive deeper into the ancient teachings of yoga, we learn that EVERY body is a yoga body and that yoga asana (the physical postures) is only one of the many aspects of the practice of yoga.”

“I experienced an immediate benefit in my first tapping session. I felt calmer and more grounded in my body. The anxious thoughts that were on repeat in my mind no longer consumed me. During the certification process, my mind, body, and heart opened up to deeper levels of healing that I never experienced before (especially in talk therapy.)”

Meet Em! They are a pelvic floor physical therapist, and owner of Pioneer Valley Pelvic Health.

“I wanted to become a pelvic floor therapist because of my passion for sexual health and sexuality education, coupled with a deep desire to improve people's quality of life. Throughout my journey, I've observed that many individuals grapple with feelings of shame, stigma, or fear when it comes to pelvic floor function, whether it involves sexual, bowel, bladder, or pain issues. These emotions can profoundly impact one's well-being and hinder their ability to seek help.”

Meet our April 2024 Community Spotlight organization! Grow Food Northampton’s mission is to create a just and resilient local food and farming system that nourishes our community and protects and enriches the earth. Founded in 2010 to protect 121 acres of farmland in Florence from development and grow our local food system, Grow Food Northampton (GFN) has since grown to include extensive programming on the land and throughout the community in Northampton.

I love working with people to help them create shifts to help them be more centered, balanced and whole in the world. Being an energy healer is fulfilling an urge that I can’t really ignore. I feel like I have gifts and knowledge that can really help people so it almost feels like an obligation to share them. And adding in the power of essential oils and their magic just intensifies the possibilities for healing.

Meet our March 2024 Community Spotlight Organization. CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) strengthens farms and engages the community to build the local food economy. CISA has been working for over 30 years to build a stronger, more resilient, and more just local food system. They envision a local food system where farms are viable, working conditions are fair and just for owners and workers, the environment is respected, and locally grown food is available for all.

“Gentle Yoga is about being gentle with our bodies, and gentle with ourselves- essentially, having self compassion. Yin Yoga is a wonderful way to be gentle with our bodies, and to invite deep listening to the body.”

“I love that [this class is] slow and quiet, with lots and lots of stillness. And I love that I get to hold the space for folks to slow down, let go, relax, and come back to the quiet, still space within themselves.” 

Our Community Yoga classes are intended to meet the needs of those in our community who may not otherwise be able to afford yoga, or for whom yoga has not felt accessible for racial and/or cultural reasons. However, everyone is welcome!

“I believe that empathy is one of the most important skills contributing to the healthy evolution of humanity. I think that, if we taught empathy in schools to the degree we teach history, science or math, we would be creating a world that had the skills to handle all the challenges that humanity is facing on a local and global scale.”

Students are invited to a gentle practice of listening to their body with curiosity, playfulness and to go at their own pace. Do what is right for them. It’s about choice. Most importantly at all times take care of yourself mentally and physically with what supports you best.

An alignment-based Hatha practice with heart-centered themes. Just as we are asked to engage more deeply with our body’s wisdom on the mat, Form & Flow also calls us to engage more deeply with our lives and our collective community.

This 6-week series is designed especially for LGBTQIA+ identified students who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans community members can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice.

The need for justice and equity within our community demands constant attention, and we are grateful for the countless organizations, committees, and activist groups working toward their causes. Sanctuary is a community partner to these organizations and groups, with the intent to raise awareness and encourage action. We hope to use our platform and resources to foster change!