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SANDY GROSS
Sandy Gross, E-RYT, is the founder and director of Evolution Yoga. In her classes, she strives to meld the physical practice with mindful alignment, middle path thinking, inspiring music, pranayama and meditation.
After studying many styles of yoga for 20 years from Iyengar to Power yoga, Sandy completed teacher training in the OM yoga method (200 &b 500 hour trainings) under Cyndi Lee & David Nichtern, Joe Miller, Frank Mauro and other OM yoga teachers from NYC. She is also part of the OM yoga teacher training faculty and directs the OM yoga teacher training at Evolution. She studies regularly with OM yoga teachers and travels to assist Cyndi & David.
An evolutionary teacher at heart (“Life is my guru”), she continues to evolve her personal practice and teachings informed by all the many amazing teachers she hosts monthly at Evolution and in her home: Cyndi Lee and the OM yoga teachers, David Nichtern, Bryan Kest, Shiva Rea, Simon Park & Twee Merrigan, Kofi Busia, Elise Miller, Cameron Shayne, Duncan Wong, David Romanelli, Kathryn Budig, Ginny Nadler, Tias Little and many more to come.
Years practicing yoga: 20
Years teaching yoga: 13
On Sandy's Yoga Fusion..."Since taking your class I have gained great athletic endurance and my arms have never been this well shaped. Thank you for the "never get boring" yoga-fusion class. Your expertise has changed how I work out. I am much more effective and efficient with my workouts!" Robin S.
Personal Yoga Journey
When did you start practicing yoga? In California in the 80's. I was working in my dream job for the fashion bible Women's Wear Daily, and taught fitness classes at various high end health clubs and would end up in their yoga classes when I had a tweaked back or pulled neck muscle. I didn't realize it at the time, but I had some of the best yoga teachers today as my early influences, but back then, it was a means to an end to get me back in aerobics or step class.
How long were you a student before you decided to become a teacher? Nine years. Because I had been teaching fitness classes since 1987, the yoga words like "breathe deeper" just started coming out of my mouth, and my fitness classes were becoming more mindful. But my husband and I were starting our family and there was no time for a teacher training program, so I just continued to read books, practice, surf the internet to find inspiration and was a regular at Karen Allgire's Iyengar classes. Cyndi Lee became a pen pal by email as did Marni Task, guiding me to books and areas of study. It was Cyndi's words about how marriage, family and work were actually the best places to be practicing my yoga, too. It didn't just involve sweat, poses, and most importantly, perfect conditions.
What made you want to become a teacher and how did you know that you were ready to be a teacher? When my mom became ill with cancer, yoga was my saving grace. It was the year of her passing that yoga became my life's passion. It was then I truly experienced impermanence and wanted to help others come to understand it too through practicing yoga. Sometimes I feel like I'm in way over my head as a teacher of yoga, one of the oldest and greatest wisdom traditions in the world! And them I remember, ah, yes, self doubt will always try to take over, so just I just try to teach from my own personal experience and invite students to practice from that perspective too.
What are your personal inspirations/sources behind your teachings? (Besides family/life) I teach from what I see, using my students as dots of awareness. I am currently studying and teaching where yoga & the Buddhist teachings of compassion and mindfulness intersect. Impermanence, obstacle as path, precision, gentleness & letting go, equanimity, non grasping are constant themes in my classes. Also, these wise words from Cyndi Lee always guide me: "Don't teach what you know, teach what they don't know." In other words, don't just rattle off every instruction you know for Triangle pose, but look at the students and see where they have gaps in awareness or understanding and then speak to that. If they don't need anything, don't say anything.
Who are you currently studying? I'm studying myself always, and I recently completed the OM yoga 500 Advanced Teacher Training program, learning from Joe Miller, Cyndi Lee & David Nichtern, and the most excellent teachers here at Evolution. I love OM yoga's method because it isn't a formula. It asks you to be creative, eloquent, compassionate and fun...all at the same time! Their trainings teach you skill sets and practice time to work on these things.
How has your practice evolved? From yoga as a stretching program and a workout to yoga as a life pursuit and a way of being in the world. And it's still a stretching program and a great workout...but that is only part of it now. I also study the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness & compassion and can't imagine teaching yoga without this perspective now.
What are focusing on in your current practice? On the mat, I'm constantly working on staying behind my breath, letting the breath illuminate the path into the pose, rather than having my breath follow me. It's a way to practice thinking before you react, watching & witnessing before you decide what to do. Off the mat, noticing how I can use the information from my physical practice to help my relationships, always! I've also recently completed my OM yoga 500 thesis which is about yoga, digestion, the lymphatic system and how these systems work to cleans us from the inside out and how the physical practice of yoga supports the internal process of detoxing/cleansing.
What are some of your favorite yoga poses and why? I like standing balancing poses because I am naturally good at them, have no idea why... and they make me feel successful. But I also realize that's just my ego being gratified so I try to make them more challenging so I can step more out of ego. I now love revolved triangle pose because I used to hate it and I've worked with teachers to discover and better understand my mild scoliosis and have learned this pose greatly helps my spine find balance and stay pain free.
Books & Music
What are you reading now? The writings of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sharon Saltzberg and reviewing notes from my tacher training.۬
What are your top Yoga books (classic & modern)? a۬The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind by Cyndi Lee, The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron, Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar, Dynamic (Power)Yoga by Godfrey Devereaux and Yoga & The Path of the Urban Mystic by Darren Main.
What songs are on your current playlist?a۬ Peter Gabriel, Duncan Sheik, quartet interpretations of Lady Gaga's music, the new Deva Premal album, Sheila Chandra, electric cello by Matthew Schoening, Bob Marley & Jai Uttal.
What music do you consistently play in your classes?a۬ Mantra, reggae, rhythm & blues, contemporary hits that fit with my class theme, chill out grooves, Krishna Das, Drala...
Why (or why not) do you play music in your classes?a۬ Music & movement with music is my life. I began studying piano at age 6, then added drums in junior high, then dance in high school. I love all music and enjoy using it in classes to help energize our practice and still the mind. Music can serve whatever intention you have for practice. I try to only play music that supports the practice, usually instrumental versions of songs or lyrics that support the theme of the classes.
Advice to Students
What advice would you give your students just beginning yoga? Take to heart that yoga is about being flexible beyond your body, come with an open mind and recognize that yoga class helps you build your toolbox of options for the poses and for life. The yoga mat is your little lab and the mat and the poses are your beakers, flame and Bunsen burner! Yoga is a practice to help you discover new ways of being in the world, a better version of your current self.
What advice would you give the more seasoned person practicing yoga? "In the beginners mind the options are many, in the experienced person's mind the options are few." Zen quote. Try to take beginner "Technique" classes every so often to keep cultivating a beginners mind, deepen your understanding of the poses and you.
What are some things that you find enhance your practice?a۬ My Manduka mat, a block, a blanket and a strap nearby, a hand sized skidless towel, yoga pants that wick moisture away and help keep me cool (cotton, yuk), my breath and an inspiring teacher that has sweet, clear cues and knows my practice.
Little Known Facts About Me: I am a second generation California native, mine and my mothers birth certificates say birthplace: Hollywood, California! I grew up with a skateboard under my feet (hey...probably why I like balancing poses...), I met my husband on a cruise ship in Scandinavia, we have three kids, love animals, love good micro brews and Cleveland sports teams.
I Knew I Loved Yoga When: I don't love yoga..I actually have a complicated relationship with yoga....I no longer expect my yoga practice to be a blissful experience nor an escape, but rather a place where I can go to practice making friends with myself: especially useful when I'm grumpy or crabby, so it's a place where I practice being loving so I can be better at it off the mat. I respect yoga as a means of helping me improve my relationship to all things and so I get to my mat even though I may not want to.
Where Yoga Helps Me The Most: In parenting, in my marriage and with my staff. I love that we call it yoga practice, not yoga perfect. Everything is a form of practice if we make it so.
Why I Love This Studio: I love that we are a yoga family and share so many things in common, yet respect each others individual paths. I love that we have sofas and tea and space between classes to connect with others, and that sangha, or community, is just as important here as rolling out our mats for practice. As a staff, we have discussions and share ideas about how to run a yoga inspired business. I may be the sole owner, but I do very little by myself. I love that the age range of teachers and students is from ages 6-80+, with years of life experience and wisdom. I learn many things from everyone here. I love that every month, some really interesting, wise & kind master yoga teachers fly in for a weekend to teach us.
Favorite Comment/Quote that inspires you: Oh, so many that inspire me! Here's a few that are my current favorites...
"Yogis don't BELIEVE, they KNOW, they live in experience" Duncan Wong
"Everything is workable, fundamentally, there is no problem." Chogyam Trungpa Rimpoche
"Where does the sun go when the day ends?" the little boy asked. "the day doesn't end." said his mother, "it begins somewhere else. the sun will be shining there when night begins here. nothing ends." "nothing?" the little boy asked. "nothing." his mother said. "it begins in another place or in a different way." Anonymous
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