When did you start practicing yoga?
My formal practice of yoga started my first semester of college, way back in the dark ages of 1993.

What has yoga brought to your life?
Yoga has brought everything to my life. On a physical sense, yoga has helped me connect and listen to my body; to become embodied. On an emotional and spiritual level, yoga has been both the road to enlightenment and the vehicle in which to travel the road.

Why did you become a yoga instructor?
I actually just fell into teaching without formal training. I moved to a small town in SW Colorado and happened to know more than most of the teachers there at the time, so I stepped up and taught what I knew. I have been learning from my students ever since.

What impact can a regular yoga practice have on a person's life?
A regular practice can challenge people to continue to show up and shine bright, and also be a place of refuge and solace.

What advice would you give to someone that is just starting yoga?
Try many different styles and teachers. Don't give up on yoga just because one class doesn't work for you.

What is special about the style of yoga you teach?
I specialize in Yin Yoga, a practice that is just so wonderful for balancing out the more active types of asana classes, as well as the hectic pace of our modern life. I deeply believe in the importance of slowing down.

What is your favorite yoga posture to teach, and why?
Yogis tend to joke that their favorite pose is Savasana. But it's really true for me! It is at once the easiest and the most difficult pose to practice. I can learn much about my state of being from the quality of my Savasana. When I have moved prana effectively and have balanced my energies, Savasana is such a deep well-spring of healing. When there's something imbalanced, or my mind or ego are fighting to be heard still, my Savasana is a disturbing, fidgety illumination of work left to be done.

Please share some words of wisdom or advice for your yogadownload.com yoga students.
Yoga is a non-linear journey. There's no end goal. It is a practice of showing up and being present, both on and off the mat.

Do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share?
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." ~ Tagore

Elise Fabricant , owner of Half Moon Studios in Denver, CO has been practicing yoga since 1993 and sharing her love of it by teaching since 2002. Her friendly, down-to-earth approach to teaching has helped make it accessible to hundreds of people of all ages and abilities. It is her aim as a yoga teacher to encourage her students to become body-aware, to establish a relationship with their breath, and to develop a compassionate and joyful attitude towards themselves and the world around them. Elise teaches many styles of yoga, but is especially drawn to teaching Yin for its sweet, nurturing qualities. Elise believes that Yin Yoga can help balance her students in physical, emotional and mental ways that no other yoga practice can. Learn more about Elise at HalfMoonDenver.com

Download or stream one of Elise's grounding classes today:

Yin Yoga 2