OneSelf Yoga is a fresh, nondogmatic approach to Yoga that seeks to meet you where you are - understanding your needs, interests and lifestyle, and finding ways that Yoga can best help you thrive. No matter what your age, physical ability or state of health, the principles and practices of Yoga can bring a greater sense of ease, openness, and connectedness, both within yourself and with the world around you. You'll feel more integrated, a fuller, authentic expression of yourself -- One Self.
Photo by Wyatt Counts
Karen Schwartz, LMSW, founder and director of OneSelf Yoga, has spent the past 20 years helping people achieve better physical, mental and emotional health. Karen received her Yoga teaching certification in 1997 from the White Lotus Yoga Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA. She has since completed two advanced training courses there and served as teaching assistant to the esteemed Ganga White and Tracey Rich. She also counts the teachings of Erich Schiffman among her greatest influences. Karen received her master's degree in clinical social work from Fordham University in 1990, and has brought her unique understanding of mind-body integration to working with depression and anxiety, lifestyle and weight management, and body image and self-esteem issues. Karen has studied a variety of Yoga styles, and has completed the basic Thai Yoga Therapy practitioner training with Saul David Raye, and Techniques of Mind-Body Integration with Anodea Judith. A former fitness instructor, certified personal trainer and dance teacher, Karen is especially adept at modifying and blending different movement styles to best suit each individual. Karen is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She is a frequent contributor to the IAYT's "Yoga Therapy in Practice," and to Fit Yoga magazine.
Read the Profile with Karen in the Clinton Hill Blog.
"I always feel better... calmer, lighter, looser -- after a yoga session with Karen. She brings to her teaching a grounded, down-to-earth style, enhanced by moments of playfulness and humor. And while it is clear that she has a deep knowledge of both yoga philosophy and human anatomy, she doesn't get bogged down in dogma or theory. Rather than sticking to a defined sequence, she fluidly adjusts the pacing and content of her classes to best serve her students at that moment. I've found that with Karen, no yoga session is ever the same, and yet each one is just right".--Claudia C., 45
"Having spent hours upon hours in studios focused less on exploring yoga as a highly individualized tool than on perpetuating a trademarked style of practice, it has always been enlightening to return to Karen. She gracefully shares her considerable knowledge, as well as her personal philosophies, all the while encouraging her students to come to their own conclusions, to live with ideas, old and new, and to see how these things fit within their own lives. Each time I practice with her, there are unexpected victories, and new goals set. A lot like a child at play, suddenly I discover, or remember, what my body is capable of. She is able to stimulate a dialogue between the mind and the body subtly helping to navigate the inevitable frustration and emotional matter that may emerge as your practice deepens while celebrating every achievement, large or small."--Deborah C., 32
"Karen's evening yoga classes at New Visions welcomed participants at all levels... Karen was able to structure our sessions to meet participants at their individual ability; novices felt empowered to perform basic yoga moves while more advanced students were still challenged. More importantly, students were able to advance their skill levels with regular attendance. After what had often been a hectic workday, Karen's yoga sessions provided a therapeutic remedy at the end of the day and left us feeling energized."--Joan W., Director of Human Resources
New Visions for Public Schools
"Karen has been the Yoga instructor for our WellnessWorks for Me Program since September 2003. She is patient, accommodating and unequivocally professional. The employees who attend Karen's classes have complete trust that she will help them reach their full potential."--Brenda C., Benefits Coordinator
White & Case LLP
"I have been working with Karen for more than five years, and she has restored the sheen to my tarnished karma. She is eternally kind, patient and good humored, and is more than tolerant of my shortcomings, always encouraging my successes. I have found her to be extremely knowledgeable about practice and technique, and about the integration of mind and body that is central to yoga, but she is always willing to adapt to my particular needs. I have never stuck with anything for nearly this long. Every time we finish a lesson, I feel really good -- at peace, at least for the moment. So I just keep coming back."--Jeff S., 56
"For more than 10 years I have had the good fortune of being able to work with Karen in a yoga program that has enabled me to be more limber and relaxed than many of my contemporaries. Although I've always appreciated her skills and abilities, what she has designed for me recently has truly been remarkable. After I shattered my shoulder in a bad fall, Karen tailored a yoga program that significantly increased and enhanced my mobility. Her talent, combined with her extraordinary gentleness and people skills, has helped me lead a fuller and richer life."--Mary A., 67
