ABOUT CLAUDE GRIFFIN
At the age of eighty-one Claude teaches several yoga classes each week. He is the founder of the oldest yoga center in central Florida. The yoga center is the first in the area for the development of a spiritual environment to support and stimulate personal growth. Located about 10 minutes from Clearwater Beach, next door to the health food store--Natures Food Patch, the yoga center has become a sanctuary where the combined energy of those who come for health and healing has created an unmistakable atmosphere of warmth and serenity. The class is a quiet time to look inward. As your body becomes used to yoga postures you will experience more flexibility in mind and body. Although Claude has been trained in Iyengar yoga, Astanga yoga, Kundalini yoga, Raja yoga, Siddha yoga, Nada yoga, Kriya Yoga, and a long list of other styles, his focus has always been on the individual--men, women, and children before style. He tries not be stylish, or trendy because styles come and go, and people are always more important than any style. Lifework Yoga Studio is essentially a wellness center.
Claude's spiritual journey began about fifty-four years ago while enrolled in law school. After intense searching he discovered a book--The Hidden Teachings Beyond Yoga by Paul Brunton. He quit law school. He helped develop and served on the board of Builders Of Acquarius; a forty-acre retreat center in Sunfield Michigan. He enrolled in a special program at University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in psychology. He was the first to teach yoga in the public schools and a branch of University of Michigan. He owned and operated a yoga center--Cornerstone Yoga Center for eleven years before moving to Florida. Claude is certified with Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level. He has trained many teachers. Some have opened their own yoga centers.
Claude leads retreats, workshops and teacher trainings around the world including many with his wife Martha. In his classes, he empowers his students to explore within on various levels. Come to class prepared to work and with an open mind!
ABOUT MARTHA LANDRY
Martha credits Claude as being her first exposure to Yoga. She trained under Claude and is a E-RYT 500 through Yoga Alliance. Martha has been studying and practicing yoga for the past 21 years and has been teaching for the past 12 years. Since then, she has been an avid student of yoga continually seeking a greater understanding of its many facets. Martha designs her classes to accommodate all who come to the studio—whether it’s a person’s first time in a yoga class or they are seasoned yoga students. She offers variations for each asana so that each person gets out of the class what they need. Martha's blending of various yoga traditions such as Iyengar, Asthanga-Vinyasa methods, and Sivananda are woven together with Pramayama (breath work) and meditation to provide an authentic yoga practice. She believes in teaching safety in each pose as well as focusing on building strength in the various poses. She encourages her students to find a connection with their breath and body; and to have fun with their practice.
