about Heaven & Earth Yoga | about Evin | Anusara Inspired | technique and practice

Aspire to Living an Awakened Life

Heaven and Earth Yoga is a blend of combined approaches of the vinyasa yoga style derived from the hatha yoga tradition. Hatha Yoga is an ancient practice that was brought into popularity in India by a man named Krishnamacharya, the father of yoga and the teacher of the most popular of modern Western teachers, Pattabhi Jois from the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition, BKS Iyengar, and his son Desikachar.

Yoga means to yoke or to bind, joining together to make whole the physical practice of postures or poses with breath and a focused awakened mind. Traditional Vinyasa Yoga blends the asana poses into a dynamic style of continuous flowing movements and transitions connected by breath. Heaven and Earth Yoga introduces the student to the practice of breath awareness/control (pranayama) and meditation (dhyana). The student embarks on a path of cultivating a mind of stillness that is able to rest in peace in the present moment.

Yoga is still most commonly recognized in Western culture for the physical benefits to the body from the asana (pose) practice. Recently medical literature has shown that yoga has proven benefits as a potent remedy for stress. In its pure form yoga practice transmitted from teacher to student transcends merely the physical benefits.

At Heaven and Earth Yoga we aspire to introduce the student to entire practice of yoga, unifying and synchronizing the physical practice with breath, mind, spirit and soul. When yoga is taught in this form a seed for living in an awakened state takes root.   Practicing consistently the individual opens to the experience of connecting the ground of inner strength with the wisdom of self-awareness, clarity, and insight. Heaven is the individual's aspiration for a greater, fuller more panoramic view of how to live one's life with compassion. Earth is our ground, our practicality on the path that is gained through wisdom and clear seeing.

back to top

All about Evin Bodell

Evin Bodell, founder of Heaven and Earth Yoga was born, raised and educated in New York City. Evin graduated college with a bachelor's degree in nursing--she is certified as an RN. She also holds a graduate degree in Public Health Education.

Evin became interested in Buddhist studies in 1989 and started to practice meditation. She moved to California in 1990 and became a regular student in the Shambhala tradition of Tibetan Buddhism in 1994 (founded in the United States by Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche). Living and working in the Central Coast of California, she started practicing Hatha Yoga in 1997 as a result of her meditation practice.   Evin began studying a particular type of Hatha Yoga that is derived from Shandor Remete's Shadow Yoga sequences. Evin's Buddhist teacher, Patrick Sweeney and a senior student of Shandor Remete's Peter Sterios began to integrate yoga practice at meditation retreats as a way to release the flow of energy in the body through the central channels.

In May 2005, Evin became a Certified Yoga Instructor under the OM Yoga Program founded by Cyndi Lee. OM Yoga is described as a "juicy flowing vinyasa style of yoga that combines Buddhist Meditation Practices with precise attention to breath awareness, precision alignment, Sun Salutations and Asana". Breath awareness meditation cultivates the experience of Being (Vs Doing) in the present moment, enriching and deepening the asana practice and ultimately freeing the mind to become more awake in everyday life. Thoughts and emotions are stored at the cellular level and yoga practice combined with breath awareness can produce the experience of synchronizing body, breath and mind. This type of informed practice over time brings the experience of deep stillness and calm. It is a gentle way of making friends with yourself one breath at a time.

Evin continues to study meditation in Ohio and travels to California annually. She is dedicated to advancing her studies in yoga practice by continuing to study with various teachers such as Baron Baptiste and Sean Corn in workshops and classes. Evin's most recent studies have brought her to the practice of Hatha Anusara Yoga, developed and taught by John Friend and his senior certified instructors. The Anusara approach to yoga practice blends the ideals of "Opening to Grace" the spiritual realm, an intuitive awakening in the body from the heart joined with the powerful principles of physical alignment, body mechanics and breath awareness. This approach is a perfect fit for Evin's own ideals of awakening to your intuitive body, breathe, and mind to the practice of yoga.

Evin Bodell is pursuing *Anusara Yoga certification under the direction of John Friend, (who founded of Anusara Yoga in 1997), and his senior certified instructors.  Evin has accumulated over 300 hours of study and practice in Anusara technique, philosophy, yoga therapy, and instructor training.  She is a inspired and devoted practitioner and instructor. 

“Each student is an individual with different needs and requirements.” Yoga is a practice that frees the individual at every level bringing clarity, balance and intention to daily life.”   

back to top

Technique and Practice

The Heaven and Earth practice is based in the experience of slowly unfolding and peeling away the layers. Every student comes to the practice of yoga with an individual set of physical conditions and capabilities. Each student comes to yoga for different reasons, and with an idea in their mind about the practice and what it can do for them. That idea usually transforms over time as the student opens more and more to the infinite potential that is revealed as the practice unfolds. Yoga is unlike any other exercise. This becomes evident to the student as they slowly discover through the yoga practice, a subtle awakening to their own true nature manifesting as the expression of energy, wisdom and compassion.

The physical practice as well as the mindful, emotional practice for the student is to “Start Where You Are” working to develop a solid foundation of increasing physical strength, flexibility, and balance... creating spaciousness in every pose.

Students are taught precision alignment and body mechanics. Each student is encouraged (in a non-competitive atmosphere) to trust working with their body in the asana practice by using the breath and their own growing intuition of the physical and emotional self as a vehicle to release, surrender and open the areas of resistance where the body is contracted.

back to top