about reden
Cultivate joy as you would a dear friendship.
– Wayne Teasdale
Reden Yoga is the name I gave to the heart- and brain-child I've been developing since 1999, a year marked with significance for me. It was the year I came face-to-face with a choice: would I choose to make a life with joy or stay stuck in the struggle of a life of pain?
During that time of intense personal introspection, I was fortunate to discover a symbol called the mandorla ("almond" in Italian). The mandorla is the image created by two intersecting circles. The image symbolizes the intersection of humanity and divinity and it became a safe haven of rest, peace, and joy for me.
Time spent with the image of the mandorla unveiled a joyful calm deep within me. I decided to name the newfound feeling "reden" — a re-Edening of the world — a place of joyful connection on our shared Earth between human and divine.
Wayne Teasdale wrote the above words in response to Mechthild of Magdeburg's definition of God, "Who is God? God is the meaning for my joy, [and] a gladsome joy to my being." Reden Yoga is the product of my efforts to cultivate this dear friendship with joy.
About Elizabeth Miller, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
FOUNDER
Know who you are, and do it on purpose. – Dolly Parton
Elizabeth Miller is a yoga therapist and teacher in the viniyoga tradition through American Viniyoga Institute and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years. And begins again each new day!
In addition to her yogic studies, Elizabeth completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with special emphasis in Religious Studies and Visual Arts (Otterbein College). She holds certification in Thai yoga bodywork from the Lotus Palm School (Montreal, Canada), Nerve Touch, (Chiang Mai, Thailand), and the Sunshine Network (Chiang Mai, Thailand). She received certification as Grief Recovery Specialist through the Grief Recovery Institute. She is also (so very!) close to finishing a Master of Arts in Practical Theology (public theology, Methodist Theological School in Ohio).
Prior to starting Reden, Elizabeth worked for several years with the Omega Institute, a leader in holistic education based in Rhinebeck, New York, and The Crossings, a progressive learning center just outside Austin, Texas. Through work with these progressive centers of education, Elizabeth has been able to learn and incorporate seeds of wisdom from many traditions in her classes and private sessions.
Like many others, Elizabeth's path to yoga came from a desire to become healthier in body, mind, and spirit after a series of challenging life experiences while living in the mountains of northwest Colorado. Elizabeth's gentle, yet powerful, teaching style helps students accept themselves as they are and uncover their sacred perfection. Following Vedic teachings honoring the five dimensions of humanity, Elizabeth weaves practices that touches the physical, mental, energetic, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of our being.
ABOUT CONSTANCE PIWTORAK
Celebrate life one day at a time.
Constance has been working for nearly 20 years assisting clients in finding better health and wellness as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, and yoga teacher. Growing up on a farm in Indiana, Constance is a graduate of Purdue University. After developing a love of yoga, Constance completed her teacher training program in 2005. She now concentrates on helping others recognize the need to respect and guide the body into a state of wellness through a balanced plan concentrating on the body, mind, and spirit.
Constance continues to explore additional methods of wellness and this now includes Thai Yoga Massage. Introduced to the practice by Elizabeth, Constance studied and trained with Anthony Conard. Her love of Thai Yoga Bodywork continues to grow with the caring community of practitioners and recipients in Columbus.
ABOUT STELLA CORNETT
The best advice I’ve ever received: ‘no one else knows what they’re doing either.’ - Charles Bukowski
Stella is an easy-going dreamer, yoga teacher, and Thai yoga massage practitioner. She has completed 500 hours of yoga teacher training (Yoga on High, Columbus, OH, 2009 & 2015), and Levels 1 & 2 Thai yoga massage practitioner trainings (Reden Yoga, 2018). Her mission is to inspire curiosity, creativity, and intuition through yoga, and to provide compassionate and accessible forms of self-care through Thai yoga massage and reiki. Her other passions include: aerial circus arts; dancing; reading horror and fantasy fiction; her zany dog Sansa and lap-hog-of-a-cat Sable; writing poetry and half-finished short stories; getting “lost” in nature; and being lazy on the couch binging Netflix.