“Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.” - Rumi

Your Internal Sanctuary Awaits…

  • What is Yoga

    The sanskrit word for yoga is “yuj, which means to “yolk” or “unite.” Yoga is the practice of uniting mind, body, and spirit through the breath.

    There are 8 limbs of hatha yoga, which include the Yamas (external values), Niyamas (internal values), Asana (poses), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyhara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (enlightenment).

  • Benefits of Yoga

    The practice of yoga has numerous benefits for individuals of all ages who wish to cultivate a sense of balance, strength, and peace in their lives.

    These ancient evidenced-based practices assist in alleviating symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, and chronic pain in children, teens, and adults.

  • Why Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra literally means “yogic sleep,” as it is essentially a state of dynamic conscious sleep with a trace of inner awareness. a systematic method of inducing complete relaxation by removing muscular, mental, and emotional tensions caused by the stressors of daily life.

    Yoga nidra is unique to other forms of meditation because it enables us to tap into our own intuition, self-knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving. Essentially yoga nidra teaches us how to look within ourselves for the answers to all problems.

Group Yoga Classes

Sarah has extensive experience offering group and private hatha yoga classes to teens and adults within our island community. Sarah taught studio group classes, private individual classes, Yoga Circle classes for teen girls, and student, faculty, and alumni classes in schools, camps, and community workshops. She incorporates various styles of yoga into her teaching, including gentle yoga, yoga basics, vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, guided meditation, and yoga nidra. To learn more about these practices, please read below. Please contact Sarah directly if you are interested in booking a private group or individual yoga class.

Private Yoga Classes

  • Yoga Circle is a summer class for teen girls that blends group counseling with yoga to support adolescent girls’ mental health, socio-emotional skills while building community and self-esteem.

  • Gentle yoga is best for new and advanced yogis who want gentler movement. These classes teach gentle breathing techniques (pranayama), basic seated and standing postures (asana) with variations to accommodate physical limitations, guided meditation, and simple transitions to build body awareness, unwind chronic tension, and quiet the chattering mind. No experience is required.

  • Yoga basics is best for beginning to advanced students who want to focus more on movement, technique and alignment. These classes teach a balanced combination of breath work (pranayama), seated and standing postures (asana) to encourage exploration of new movements and challenge your limits, and guided meditation. This class focuses on coordinating movement with breath and foundational principles of alignment to strengthen the body and quiet the mind.

  • This class is best for physically fit beginners, as well as intermediate to advanced students. Vinyasa flow incorporates faster-paced dynamic movement, creative sequencing, and strength building poses. Vinyasa flow focuses on principles of alignment, breath work (pranayama) techniques, and deepening of challenging poses to build strength and somatic awareness.

  • Restorative yoga classes are appropriate for practitioners of all ages and abilities. This soothing practice calms the nervous system and brings deep healing to the body. This class teaches reclined gentle postures supported by blankets, blocks, bolsters, and other props, breath work (pranayama), and guided meditation to cultivate a profound state of relaxation. It is truly a revitalizing practice that melts away anxiety and tension in our organs, glands and nervous system. It also reduces insomnia, alleviates symptoms of anxiety and depression, and supports weight loss by lowering cortisol and other stress hormone levels.

  • Yoga Nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that is appropriate for anyone and everyone. Yoga nidra involves resting in a comfortable reclined position with eyes closed, while being guided through a systematic rotation of sensory awareness through the body. It incorporates intention setting (san kalpa), gratitude, imagery, visualization, and breath work (pranayama) to induce complete and total relaxation. 

    If you are looking for a "magic prescription" to reduce symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, depression, chronic pain, and stress, yoga nidra is for you. Research shows that just one hour of yoga nidra is as beneficial as four hours of conventional sleep for the body. Learn more about the research behind this life changing practice.

Yoga Circle Classes

In 2014, I founded Yoga Circle LLC, which is a yoga program designed to empower teenage girls to tune into and strengthen their bodies, minds, and spirits through yoga, meditation, and experiential group learning and self-reflection.

The aim of my summer Yoga Circle classes is to teach teens how to navigate and embrace the highs and lows of adolescence through the practice of hatha yoga, meditation, and pranayama (breathing) practices, which combine individual self-reflection with experiential group learning. This unique form of yoga provides teenage girls with a safe, calming, and nurturing space to explore the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual evolution of adolescence. Yoga Circle classes give teens the tools they need to discover their inner wisdom, strength, and resilience through journaling, group sharing, team building games, yoga, pranayama (breathing), and meditation. 

Because teenagers often feel pulled in opposing directions by peers, families, media, and other influences, they typically struggle to answer the essential question of “who am I?” Current research suggests that kids and teens who practice yoga regularly experience decreased anxiety, depression, and insomnia, as well as increased body awareness, confidence, concentration, patience, mindfulness, creativity, and emotional regulation. Moreover, adolescent girls who practice yoga regularly develop healthier body images, eating habits, self-esteem, self-awareness, and strategies for coping with stress.

I am thrilled to bring back this Yoga Circle offer as a “Back to School Survival Workshop” for Teen Girls in August of 2023. Click below to learn more!

My Yoga Story

I remember lying in savasana, which is a reclined pose designed to integrate the practice, with tears pouring down my face. What I learned through this practice of yoga was to allow myself to let go, to surrender to the moment, and to simply ride the waves of emotions moving through me. Eventually, I found myself practicing vinyasa yoga multiple times a week. As I released my past heartbreak through sweat, tears, and dynamic movement, I found myself more and more drawn to stillness. I became interested in restorative yoga, meditation, and yoga nidra, all of which are the most magical practices that regulate the nervous system and align body, mind, and spirit.  

In 2012, I completed my 200 hour hatha yoga teacher training at Aloha Yoga Kula and in 2014 I completed my Restorative Yoga Teacher Training at Open Space Yoga. Through workshops with Rod Stryker, I also studied the practice of Yoga Nidra, which is a form of guided “yogic sleep” that is proven to alleviate anxiety, insomnia, and depression through a systematic rotation of awareness throughout the body. Additionally, I began learning, reading about, and practicing daily meditation, which radically transformed my understanding of the mind-body connection and allowed me to tune into my own wisdom and power. 

Soon after completing these trainings, I began teaching vinyasa, restorative, and yoga nidra classes Aloha Yoga Kula, Open Space Yoga, and Lululemon. I also taught families privately and created a series of yoga classes, called Yoga Circle, specifically for teen girls. In addition, I taught a variety of student, faculty, and alumni yoga classes at Punahou School and I created a Restorative Studio in the Academy for students and faculty to take breaks throughout their busy days to pause, breathe, and rest through guided restorative yoga and yoga nidra sessions. 

I first stumbled upon the practice of vinyasa yoga following a difficult break up in 2008. Although initially hesitant, I found that the practice of yoga slowed my breathing, quieted my mind, strengthened my body, and helped me to let go of my need to always feel in control.

Yoga Client Testimonials

  • "I felt overwhelmed and anxious due to life's commotion. But Sarah's wisdom and energy brought me back into balance. I feel so blessed to be connected to her energetically speaking. I highly recommend her. #Grateful"

  • "This was definitely one of the best meditative/yoga practices I’ve ever done! The restorative poses were completely new to me and I’m definitely going to incorporate these more in my life. I really enjoyed learning more about the neuropsychology behind stress and how to engage the vagus nerve. It was two hours dedicated just to me and I’m so glad I took the time to engage in much needed self care and self love. Thanks Sarah!"

  • “I felt so calm and so relaxed after my sessions with Sarah. it was like everything around me stopped spinning, and I was able to just be still and present with myself in a gentle non judgmental way. Her example of love and non judgment worked a wonder in me.”

  • "After Sarah's restorative yoga class, I slept peacefully through the night for the first time in about 3 years. This is without a sleeping aid, and even with a sleeping aid, I had not been able to successfully do that."

  • “This class isn’t just about doing poses and learning technique... It is a chance to get away from all the stress and demands of daily life and connect with not only the other people in the class, but also with yourself through your breath and your spirit.”

    -Yoga Circle student

  • “This class helped me learn how I sometimes get caught up in my head and don’t listen enough to my true self.”

    -Yoga Circle student

  • “Through this class, I learned to breathe through my stress rather than break down. I haven’t mastered it yet, but with continued practice, I will be able to use my breath to connect back to myself when I feel stressed out.”

    -Yoga Circle student