Laura
Santigian
Active Yoga
Yoga was developed several thousand years
ago in India as a comprehensive system for
physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
wellbeing. Fast forward to 1999, when Laura
Santigian’s gym first began offering yoga;
initially, she couldn’t imagine herself taking
part in a yoga class. Like many people, when
she heard the word “yoga,” it brought to mind
images of slender young women and men
who could effortlessly manipulate their bodies
into impossibly complex poses and twist their
arms and legs into shapes that resembled a
“human pretzel.” As Laura did, people often
assume that they must already be fit or
flexible before they can try yoga - but as she
found out, that couldn’t be further from the
truth. Though hesitant at first, her desire to try
something different and the unique physical
and mental benefits of yoga outweighed her
skepticism and Laura plunged in.
Everything changed when Laura rolled out her
mat for her first lesson. The pace of the class
was surprising at first - she was accustomed
to fast-paced exercise classes and had a hard
time adapting to the relaxing atmosphere.
But she could immediately sense yoga’s
potential for increasing both physical and
emotional feelings of wellbeing and knew it was something she wanted to explore more deeply.
After attending her first series of classes, Laura discovered that practicing yoga had intensified
her mind-body connection and had helped her build a unique type of strength that she hadn’t
experienced throughout her years of aerobics classes or lifting weights.
After eight years as a student, Laura began to consider the possibility of becoming an instructor
herself. She knew first-hand how beneficial yoga was, and knew that many people her age and
older were intimidated to take yoga classes for the same reasons she had once been. She loved
how practicing yoga made her feel and knew she could teach classes that were safe, effective
and suitable for students of all ages. She began to pursue certification and enrolled in training
programs that taught her the fundamental practices of yoga as well as core skills she would need
to teach older adults, including understanding physiological changes in our bodies as we age,
modifications that can be offered for poses and how to adapt movements for people with chronic
conditions such as arthritis and back problems. Since beginning the teacher training process,
Laura has accumulated several certifications, including Yoga Fit for Seniors and an extensive
200 hour program that meets the standards of the National Yoga Alliance for Registered Yoga
Teachers. Laura continues to deepen her knowledge by taking continued education courses that
combine the best of evidence-based medicine with the ancient wisdom of yoga. In November
of 2014, she completed a 50-hour intensive training in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors at Duke
University Integrative Medicine.
She has been teaching six to eight classes a week since 2007 at sites throughout the community
and has students whose ages range from their early 20’s through early 80’s. This wide range has
given Laura insight on how to work with students on an individual basis to find a practice suited
to their own needs and limitations. As an instructor, Laura believes that “Every teacher is also
a student, and I learn from all of my students.” She likes working with older adults in particular
because of their unique life experiences and ways of looking at the world, and finds inspiration in
teaching students of all ages because it reinforces her belief that yoga has something to offer to
everybody and every body.
Today, millions of people around the world use yoga to help raise their overall wellbeing in areas
such as increased strength and flexibility, pain and stress relief, balance, and fall prevention. “In our
classes,” Laura says, “I try to create a safe, friendly atmosphere in which you can learn and practice.
I’ll encourage you to find your own personal zone of comfort and challenge, remembering that we
use the poses to explore and learn about our bodies rather than forcing ourselves into what we
imagine is the ‘perfect’ pose. I hope to help you find your yoga - the yoga that’s authentic for your
body & spirit - and I hope we’ll have some fun together along the way.”
Laura believes that in the midst of our often fragmented, hectic lives, yoga can serve as a path
toward a deeper knowing of ourselves. Through yoga, we learn to slow down, tune in to our
breath to feel calm and centered, and nurture a mindfulness that helps us to live more fully and
more peacefully both on and off the mat.