After decades as a martial arts practitioner and runner, Wes "found" yoga in 2010. He has come to appreciate that its breadth and depth provide a wonderful ballast to steady the body and mind in today's fast-paced, technology driven lifestyle; yoga is an antidote for stress and a pathway for deeper understanding of oneself and others.
He is an RYT 500 certified yoga instructor from the YogaWorks program, and has trained with contemporary masters, including Ms. Maty Ezraty, co-founder of YogaWorks and a master instructor from the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions, as well as specialization with Mr. Bernie Clark, a master instructor from the Yin tradition. His classes reflect these traditions, where he combines the foundational base of precise alignment with elements of balance and focus. These intertwine to help provide a pathway for cultivating an awareness of yourself, others, and the world around you, as well as to create a refuge from today's fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyle. He teaches to help others to realize the same benefit from the practice that he himself has enjoyed.
Best of all, yoga classes are just plain wonderful: they are a few moments away from life's demands where you can simply take care of yourself physically and emotionally.
Teaching:
Summer 2022: Wes is presently on hiatus from teaching yoga classes. He may resume doing online classes in Fall 2022 after his new work/teaching schedule at SFSU becomes stabilized.
During the period 2019-2022, Wes was teaching as part of the Berkeley Lab Yoga Club (all classes are free, and virtual, over zoom). To participate, contact Wes directly for information on how to connect over zoom on the following schedule:
Tuesdays 5pm PT: Beginner asana: alignment-based practice that focus on fundamentals using detailed, concise instruction and cues.
Wednesdays 12n PT: Intermediate asana: a strong, alignment-based practice that draws on elements of Surya Namaskar, the Ashtanga Primary and Secondary series, as well as the teachings of BKS Iyengar, Desikachar, and other masters.
Thursdays 5pm PT: Yin practice, all levels.
Certifications:
RYT300/RYT500 with YogaWorks, March 2021, mentorship with Ms. Erika Trice
50 hour Teaching Skills module, completed March 2020
20 hour Practice Teach module, completed July 2020
Yin Yoga 50hr Teaching Certification with Bernie Clark, May 2020
RYT200 with Maty Ezraty, October 2018
Additional yoga training completed:
Chuck Miller, Sama Ashtanga 5-day Intensive, Santa Monica, CA, USA. November, 2019
Other teachers I've studied with that have been highly impactful on my own studies:
Ms. Erika Trice: to whom I'm grateful for being my RYT300 mentor, gave me examples of deep technical proficiency in both practice and teaching, as well as gentle, consistent encouragement through tough spots
Ms. Diane Estey: introduced me to the Yin practice lo these many years ago and who set a very high bar in my mind for what a Yin teacher should be
Ms. Lesley Desaulniers: helped me understand creativity and depth of understanding with her blending of the Jivamukti and Ashtanga styles
Ms. Charlene Lowe: introduced me to the concept of having fun in my practice while pursuing technical proficiency and a deeper understanding of myself
Mr. John Berlinsky: introduced me to the Mysore style of Ashtanga practice and the idea that difficult poses are easy (a concept I still am striving to fully assimilate!)
Let's connect:
IG: @wesbethelyoga
wesbethelyoga Google group: Please visit this link to sign up. This group is used to announce yoga classes and is low volume, maybe one or two per month. Note that you need to be logged in to a Google account to sign up to that group. If you don't have a Google account and don't want one, send me an email using the link on the Contact page, and I will manually add you to the group.
Resources:
www.yinyoga.com Welcome to the Yin Side, wonderful collection of resources.
Ashtanga Primary Series led by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, with Maty Ezraty, Chuck Miller, Richard Freeman, and others.
Ashtanga Intermediate Series led by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, with Maty Ezraty, Chuck Miller, Richard Freeman, and others.