AYA Teachers

Ashtanga yoga is an exact, in-depth science. Quality of instruction is essential to deep understanding. Ashtanga Yoga Atlanta provides the most experienced and knowledgable instructors in the city. All teachers have a dedicated, daily practice and have studied with Sri K.Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India.

Todd Roderick

Todd Roderick has been a student of Ashtanga Yoga since 1994 and is the most experienced Ashtanga instructor in the Southeast. He spent more than a year, beginning in 1996, studying at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India.

Todd studied directly with Pattabhi Jois in the old shala, when classes were limited to twelve students. In those years, Sharath was an apprentice, and Todd received all his instruction from Pattabhi Jois. After leaving India, Todd continued his studies at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in San Diego with one of America's most respected teachers Tim Miller.

Extensive study in India, 15 years of teaching, 17 years of dedicated daily practice, and 12 years of teaching Myosre classes full-time demonstrate Todd's commitment to being a traditional Ashtanga instructor. His background also includes devoted, personal study of Ayurveda in the Wise Earth (wisearth.org) tradition with one of the world's most revered Vedic teachers, Sri Swamini Mayatitananda.

Todd strives to uphold yoga's ancient tradition undiluted and unadulterated, maintaining its potency and life-changing potential. He brings a fresh and creative perspective to the practice of Ashtanga while adhering to tradition without forcing conformity.

In 2006, Creative Loafing Magazine named Todd "Best Yoga Instructor to Bring Your Ashtanga Practice to the Next Level."

Stephanie Kohler

Stephanie Kohler is an Atlanta native, although she has traveled extensively overseas both for study and work. She discovered ashtanga after living in Japan for two years, where tai chi first exposed her to vinyasa. Since that time, yoga has become her vehicle for maintaining compassion, discipline, humor, and patience in life both on and off the mat.

Itchy feet and a desire to experience ashtanga at its source motivated Stephanie to travel to India, where she studied in Mysore with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy. Later she studied in Kerala with Lino Miele. In the US, she has studied with several senior teachers, including David Williams, David Swenson, and Tim Miller. Equally influential, however, is the community she has encountered both at home and away.

As a practitioner and a teacher, Stephanie strives to balance effort with surrender, precision with laughter. She encourages students to create some kind of daily practice in order to experience yoga more fully. Constant exploration of yoga, not just asana, motivates her own practice.

CONTACT US

Email Todd or Stephanie at todd.aya@gmail.com