Author Archives: EssentialYoga Studio

About EssentialYoga Studio

Roberta Dell'Anno E-RYT 500, Certified Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer Owner EssentialYoga Studio. Roberta has been practicing yoga since 1988 and teaching yoga since 2004. She has studied extensively under master yoga teachers Patricia Walden, Zoë Stewart, Sri Arun H.S., Elise Browning Miller, and others. She completed a two year Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training program with Sr. Iyengar Teacher, Peentz Dubble in June 2017. Roberta has studied yoga at the Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Memorial Institute in Pune, India during June 2011, February 2014, attended Abhijata's 2-week intensive in Pune, India, December 2016 and BKS Iyengar's Centenary 10-day intensive taught by Prashantji & Geetaji, December 2018. She completed training and certification with Elise Browning Miller as a 'Yoga for Scoliosis' instructor in 2014, completed a 500 hour Hatha Yoga Certification program with AURA Wellness Center in 2005 and is registered with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500. She has been a Certified Meditation Teacher since June 2007 and an Usui Reiki Practitioner since 1989. The studio provides individual & specialized privates, semi-privates, group private sessions, and yoga workshops. Roberta conducts local and out of town workshops. She specializes in yoga for scoliosis and back care. She uses props to help students and teachers of all levels transform their backbends, twists, standing and seated postures, as well as inversions like sarvangasana (shoulderstand). She also works with individuals who have physical challenges, specifically individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, CMT, Parkinson's Disease, scoliosis, and amputees in private, semi-private and group sessions.​​​

Student Question: I loved the rope sequence you taught in class. Is there a way I can practice it at home without a rope wall?

Posted on January 5, 2017 by EssentialYoga Studio

 Yes! The video below provides detailed instructions on how to use your door as a rope wall for standing poses!

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Student question: With my busy schedule, I only have twenty minutes to practice each day. Is there anything you can suggest?

Posted on January 5, 2017 by EssentialYoga Studio

I thought about this question while I was in India.  During a Q&A session, Abhijata talked about how we have to touch the standing poses, in our practice, everyday.  Standing poses are the foundation for all other asanas. However, it is … Continue reading →

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Sequence for Janu Sirasana

Posted on November 28, 2016 by EssentialYoga Studio

Sequence for Janu Sirasana indicating one or two linking actions for each asana. Tadasana – Lift and spread the front of the chest, lift up through the side ribs. (vertical extention) Urdhva Hastasana – Roll the outer upper arms toward … Continue reading →

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The Power of Practice

Posted on July 25, 2016 by EssentialYoga Studio

This photo was posted on Facebook by Heather O’Hara.  This is a photo of her grandmother before and after she started practicing yoga. The photos were taken less than one year apart.  Her teacher is Rachel Jesien, a Certified Yoga … Continue reading →

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Yoga teachers are human

Posted on February 7, 2016 by EssentialYoga Studio

I am sometimes made uncomfortable by how I am perceived by my students. I am not a perfect being. I am flawed. I am human. I have observed my teachers made uncomfortable by a student’s idolization. Yes, we practice and … Continue reading →

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One should not overstretch or understretch

Posted on November 15, 2015 by EssentialYoga Studio

“One should not overstretch or understretch.  If one thing is overstretched, something else gets understretched.  If overstretching comes from a swollen ego, then understretching results from a lack of confidence.” BKS Iyengar  “The challenge of yoga is to go beyond … Continue reading →

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Sweat is 99% Water, 1% Natural Stuff and 0% Toxins

Posted on September 8, 2015 by EssentialYoga Studio

So twist and do so knowing that you are helping create movement in your internal organs, but in NO WAY are they “wrung out.”  That is not possible and if that happens to you or inside of you please go to a hospital, … Continue reading →

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In Mumbai, a Catholic priest-yogi attacks Western propaganda against yoga

Posted on July 12, 2015 by EssentialYoga Studio

Father Joseph Pereira, who teaches Iyengar yoga around the world, believes its opponents are extremist ‘God addicts’. Is yoga incompatible with Christianity? Conservative Christians in Europe and the US have been posing this question with growing fervour in the past … Continue reading →

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Question of the Month: Do you practice yoga on mountains or are they just yoga selfies? What is the significance of the poses you post?

Posted on July 7, 2015 by EssentialYoga Studio

If I am at the top of a mountain with my husband or a friend, the photos are mostly yoga selfies.  When I am alone on a summit, there is a practice and each pose relates to how I feel … Continue reading →

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Why I hate Practicing Iyengar Yoga

Posted on March 19, 2015 by EssentialYoga Studio

An interesting perspective on Iyengar Yoga written by a Vinyasa yoga lover. http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/03/why-i-hate-practicing-iyengar-yoga/

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