Yoga Curriculum

The studio is here to serve the Sebastopol community by promoting the practice of yoga as a dynamic, self-reliant healing system. Our aim is to create a deepening in our students' lives by offering experiences of yoga that inspire them throughout the years. We are passionate about bringing more people to yoga. One of our core values is that yoga is relevant to everyone, regardless of the various limitations we all have, and that there is a thriving yoga practice waiting for anyone of sincere interest at any stage of life.

Our curriculum is based on the prolific work of yoga pioneer, T. Krishnamacharya, and his world renowned students K. Pattabhi Jois, B.K.S. Iyengar, and his son Desikachar. One of the themes applied by Krishnamacharya so masterfully was his ability to work with each student on an individual basis, thereby meeting people at their own specific level of need. All teachers at Westside are trained to keep this foundational value intact and alive. This, we believe, is where students are really able to find the yoga that works for them; it is the true birthplace of a sustainable yoga practice.

Please check out our various offerings, and come take classes at the studio. We are very thankful to be part of the community, and are passionate about the wonderful benefits that this ancient healing system has to offer us all. Hope to see you in the studio soon!

Maya Yoga

Devotion to yoga and the desire to share with and give back to the world are what motivate the teaching of Maya Yoga with Eddie Modestini and Nicki Doane. Yoga is spirit in action, and as Eddie and Nicki teach, they inspire people to find a place of spirit inside themselves, recognizing the profound connection between the self and spirit. In Maya Yoga, the practice is the teacher. Drawing on their combined backgrounds in Iyengar, Ashtanga, and therapeutic yogas, Eddie and Nicki have developed Maya Yoga with the aim of truly serving the Individual student. Maya Yoga is committed to making Yoga accessible to every body.
Read more about Maya Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga yoga is a system of yoga recorded by the sage Vamana Rishi in the Yoga Korunta, an ancient manuscript "said to contain lists of many different groupings of asanas, as well as highly original teachings on vinyasa, drishti, bandhas, mudras, and philosophy" (Jois 2002 xv). The text of the Yoga Korunta "was imparted to Sri T. Krishnamacharya in the early 1900's by his Guru Rama Mohan Brahmachari, and was later passed down to Pattabhi Jois during the duration of his studies with Krishnamacharya, beginning in 1927" ("Ashtanga Yoga").
Read more about Ashtanga Yoga

Viniyoga

Viniyoga™ (prefixes vi and ni plus yoga) is an ancient Sanskrit term that implies differentiation, adaptation, and appropriate application. The American Viniyoga™ Institute uses the term Viniyoga to refer to an approach to Yoga that adapts the various means and methods of practice to the unique condition, needs and interests of each individual - giving each practitioner the tools to individualize and actualize the process of self-discovery and personal transformation. This approach to yoga evolved out of the teachings transmitted by T. Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar of Madras, India.
Read more about Viniyoga

Other Classes

Westside Yoga features several other styles of yoga.
Read more about other Yoga programs and classes