Yoga teacher in Bucktown, ChicagoRich Gonshak

ashtanga & vinyasa

I happened upon yoga over 20 years ago while studying linguistics and physical education and practicing Judo at Northeastern Illinois University.

Yoga slowly brought me to places of awakening, helping me recognize what was right in my life and what was not so right. Once I committed to a daily practice, I began to see more clearly who I had always wanted to be. This transformation inspired me to change direction and dedicate myself to the study, practice, and teaching of yoga.

Between 2005 and 2012, I completed two yoga teacher trainings, along with numerous immersions and workshops at Yogaview in Chicago.

My path eventually led me to Ashtanga Yoga and the guidance of David Garrigues, founder of the Ashtanga Revolution, with whom I have studied extensively for several years. I am proud to be a certified teacher through David's training program and continue my ongoing studies and apprenticeship with him. His creative, insightful, and individualized approach to Ashtanga has profoundly influenced my own practice and teaching, particularly his ability to adapt this powerful tradition to the needs and circumstances of each student.

I also continue to study with Gabriel Halpern, a master teacher from the Iyengar yoga lineage, whose extraordinary understanding of alignment, anatomy, and therapeutic yoga has greatly enriched my approach to teaching.

These two traditions complement one another beautifully, bringing together the discipline and dynamism of Ashtanga with the precision, intelligence, and therapeutic wisdom of Iyengar Yoga.

I believe yoga is a lifelong exploration. My intention as a teacher is to honor the traditions that have shaped me while helping each student discover a practice that is meaningful, sustainable, and uniquely their own.

I remain, first and foremost, a student of yoga, grateful to my teachers and to the Chicago yoga community for embracing me, sharing the practice, and offering their friendship along the way.

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