Artem B.

I believe that everything happens to us for a reason. We have what we are supposed to have, we meet what and whom we are supposed to meet. Therefore, if you spontaneously decided to buy a yoga mat and take yoga classes twice a week (or even more!), this probably is indeed your time to do yoga.

Personally, my first encounter with yoga happened serendipitously, when I was about seven or eight years old. At that time I lived with my parents in a very small city in the Irkutsk region of Siberian Russia. It was so far away from the major cities that the only available transportation was by plane and ship. Also, those were the last years of the Soviet Union period and even though many of the former restrictions had by then been lifted, spiritual movements had not been common in a such small city where I lived. Therefore, my friends and I were very surprised when in a park on a bench we found a thin book with only four letters on its cover. There was simply written - YOGA. We studied the book for a while and left it on the same bench. I do not know why, but one asana impressed me very much at that time. It was mayurasana (peacock pose).

It was not until about twelve years later that I took my first yoga class, and since that time yoga has become a large part of my life. I enjoy and respect this ancient practical philosophy, which opens doors and answers many questions. I love practicing yoga alone. I love practicing yoga with my son. I love practicing yoga with people, sharing my personal experience with them. It makes me open. It makes me positive. It makes me patient. And I want it to do this for everyone.

Educator
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- Full-time Dance instructor, Irkutsk state pedagogical college, Irkutsk, Russia - 2005-2011
contemporary dance, movement for actors, stretching classes.

- Yoga instructor, Irkutsk, Russia - 2008-2011
hatha yoga classes.

- Dance and yoga instructor, fitness club divertissement, Irkutsk, Russia - 2010-2011
yoga and pre-ballet classes.

Artist / Choreographer / Administrator
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- Founder, Artistic director and choreographer, DELO dance company - 2007-Present
choreographed over twenty works for the company, which were presented at various dance festivals and venues throughout West and East Siberia (Russia).

- Founder and director, diving into contemporary dance - 2009-Present
organization of master-classes and performances with guest artists and teachers, including Doug Varone and Dancers (the USA), Olga Zhitluhina and Company (Latvia), Louse Richard (England), Bob Eisen (the USA).

- Dancer, Dance school Shagi, Irkutsk, Russia - 2003-2008
performing with the main dance group of the school.

- Administrator, Dance school Shagi, Irkutsk, Russia - 2003-2008
administration of the school's website, organization and promotion of school's dance events, organization of master-classes with guest teachers.

Education
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- Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College - MFA in Dance, anticipated graduation May 2014
studies with:
Modern dance with Larry Clark, Megan Williams, Molly Poerstel, Sue Bernhard
Ballet with Bettijane Sills, Ted Kivitt
Dance History with Elizabeth McPherson, Nelly van Bommel
Choreography with Rosalind Newman, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Nelly van Bommel, Doug Varone, Sue Bernhard
Kundalini Yoga with Osi Mizrahi
Ashtanga Yoga with Lois Wald, Molly Poerstel

- English Language Institute at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY - August, 2012
focusing on academic English writing and reading.

- Yoga teacher training, Irkutsk, Russia - 2010
focusing on asanas, pranayamas, shatkarmas.

- Irkutsk State Pedagogical University, Natural Sciences Department, Irkutsk, Russia - Teacher of Ecology and Biology - June, 2004

Even though I have studied different yoga styles, I prefer to call my personal one as Hatha yoga. Usually, I teach 75 minute class, on which I focus on asanas (postures), pranayamas (breathing techniques), meditation, and deep relaxation.
If I teach privately, I built classes on my clients' needs. Therefore, from client to client classes might be different.