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 Evamarie's latest DVD:

Yoga Express:

4 Short Yoga Workouts

Buy it at Amazon

Go to classes and workshops

Don't be fooled by Evamarie Pilpuf's own startling flexibility and well-honed dance agility; her instruction to loyal students and clients remains ever-emphatic on proper technique, safety, and slow, gradual progress.  To the accompaniment of soft music--sometimes classical and poetic, sometimes sometimes earthy and ethnic, Evamarie dims the lights, sets unscented candles aglow, and brews the occasional pot of herbal tea to help promote a calming atmosphere.  Students are led through a carefully choreographed series of techniques and poses, designed by Evamarie, aided tremendously by Evamarie's background as a professional dance choreographer.  Ironically though, students rarely witness the top end of Evamarie's capabilities, and that is intentional.  "Yoga is not meant to stroke the ego; it is my responsibility as a teacher to guide my students within the framework of their own abilities, not to showcase mine."  Evamarie is also very picky about which postures are appropriate for class.  "Not all yoga poses are created equal.  Some are both practical and helpful in the pursuit of optimum mind-body fitness.  But there are those postures whose value is exceeded by their stress on the body and overall impracticality.  I steer clear of those.  There are also those postures that are really more about athletic prowess than they are useful to most people.  And while there's nothing wrong with striving to train the body to its fullest potential per se, yoga in its core essence isn't about pursuing some athletic extreme; it is about becoming acutely aware of your body's needs, strengths, and challenges, and honoring those parameters as you fuse postures with careful breathing.  Yoga is about living in the present moment, and finding a deep sense of acceptance and contentedness within that present moment."

As class progresses, Evamarie gently explains the proper way to approach each pose, what muscles are activated, what muscles should relax, how the pose will likely feel, as well as signals that something is out of place.  Students are reminded regularly to work at their own pace, to back off if there is any pain, discomfort, or excess fatigue.  "If a pose doesn't feel appropriate for your body on this particular occasion, there is no harm in modifying or even skipping it," Evamarie insists.  "Remember, everything is dictated by your body's comfort zone."  Class sizes are kept to a level in which there is plenty of room to move, though doing so is becoming more and more challenging, as word of mouth has led to a booming attendance.  "For my Monday night class, after receiving over 30 hopeful registrants, we had to open a second section for that evening.  It's been wonderful to watch these classes grow!"  To help keep students progressing, Evamarie supplies a weekly newsletter, featuring announcements, articles, and a list of the week's postures, a list that changes from week to week--created from scratch based on the previous week's progress.  At the conclusion of each class, following Evamarie's reading of the "quote of the week," students are welcome to linger after class for additional guidance and to solicit answers to inevitable questions that arise.

All in all, it is clear that Evamarie is following her passion, driven by a desire to kindle her students' enjoyment and benefit of the great tradition of yoga.

Interested in sampling a class?  Click here, or call 847-381-0687, or e-mail us for more information.

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