Esther Balfe
“Yoga – Morning Practice”
August 1 – 11
9.30 – 11.00 H
Studio D
Professionals
In English
Esther Balfe, a certified yoga teacher, has been a practitioner of yoga for over two decades. Yoga has supported her long dance career, a.o. as a dancer with William Forsythe, facilitating the requisite of working full days in renowned dance companies and rigorous touring schedules all over the world, right up to present day as a teacher, choreographer, and performer.
Esther’s Yoga practice is a comprehensive look at Hatha Yoga as a daily practice for engaging and preparing the body. The workshop encourages a mindful approach to the practice therefore strengthening performance potential, considering the participants‘ needs for the ensuing work. Esther will concentrate on the body‘s natural form of moving, promoting awareness and focus. The participants are led through a warm up series (pawanmuktasana) before embarking on the sun salutation (surya namaskar), followed by required yoga postures, introducing breathing methods (pranayama), and finally ending up in a light relaxation for the day ahead or to set up the body for another workshop afterwards.
This class is for dance professionals. Please bring your own yoga mat.
Esther’s primary experience of Yoga began with the Iyengar method of Yoga in Vienna in 1995, where she was compelled to reconsider methods of dance training after a series of injuries caused by rigorous dance rehearsal and performance schedules. Esther cites Shandor Remete and Emma Balnaves as her first Yoga mentors and continues to study Shadow Yoga to further her own practice.