Daily Yoga Classes For Everybody
Advance your Yoga Workshops Knowledge and Skills
Expand and grow at all levels, MeDITATION Himalayan Tradition — all levels.
200 & 300 hour Training for Yoga Instructor
Stephen Parker Psy.D. specializes in counseling psychology and serves on the teaching faculties of several Universities in Minneapolis-St. Paul area. He studied Sanskrit at University of Minnesota under Swami Veda. Dr. Parker has been a teacher of yoga and meditation for over 30 years and is a grandparented Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level of the Yoga Alliance. A member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Sadhanamandir and Sadhaka Gram ashrams in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers’ Association. He has lectured on yoga, meditation and spiritual practice throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as in Carribean countries, Holland, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. He is a Sanskrit scholar, and has been the chief editor of Swami Veda’s commentaries on Yoga Sutras.
Dr. Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Tradition in 1971 by Swami Veda Bharati (formerly Dr. Usharbudh Arya), and was given the initiate name Stoma. He served for a year in the ashram at the Meditation Center in Minneapolis, MN. He is among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association H.I.T.A., and he began teaching hatha-yoga in 1974.
In the beginning of my life journey, Yoga was my hobby and I tried it for fun in college. At that time, I was practicing strictly physical Yoga (Hatha) and I knew, that something was missing. I met many wonderful people and visited places, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to learn more about yoga, the knowledge which comes with it, so as to know how to help myself and others to be better, stronger with their bodies and minds.
Since I moved to the US, I’ve tried many different kinds of Yoga and I’ve met many great teachers, who showed me a whole new meaning of yoga practice. I learned that yoga is so much more than asanas and relaxation. It is a deeply spiritual and meditative path leading to much more selfless, earth conscious and intuitive living. It has taught me how life is unpredictable, yet it is gentle and precious. It has shown me how important it is to be in the present and to be appreciative of every moment of our life. Yoga has showed me how patience can lead us to deal with any of the life’s obstacles.
I have been practicing yoga for eight years. This path has led me to completing my 200 hours teacher training program at the Himalayan Center in 2019. I have been teaching yoga part time since my graduation.
Gary Gran, CYT, DAy. is a certified yoga teacher and Ayurvedic educator trained in the Himalayan tradition. Initiated in 1979, he received his teaching certificate from the Himalayan Institute Teachers Association in 1988. Since then, Gary has received certification as an Ayurvedic educator from the Ayurvedic Institute of Albuquerque in 1991 and from the American Ayurvedic Association in 2000. He writes the Ayurveda column for Yoga Chicago Magazine and is co-director of Annapurna Holistic Services. His blog can be found at ayurvedalessons.com.
My Yoga practice has been included in my dance classes for over 15 years. Yet it was not until after an illness that I discovered my desire to teach Yoga and share it's many healing benefits. As I was brought back to health through Hatha Yoga I hoped others could experience the same. I completed the teacher training program at the Himalayan Center and I am humbled and.grateful to teach Yoga at the Center.
I believe in a compassionate approach to my practice and in teaching. I enjoy the students I meet, I know in many ways that it is really they who are teaching me.
I have been practicing yoga for almost twenty years. I tried it for fun at first in high school and college; however my practice was very inconsistent and strictly physical. It was not until my early twenties when I discovered a whole new meaning to a yoga practice. I learned that yoga is so much more than asanas and relaxation. It is a deeply spiritual and meditative journey leading to a much more selfless, earth conscious and intuitive life. It has taught me how to be present and appreciative of every moment in life as well as patience to overcome lifeís obstacles.
My interest in yoga started when I began to feel some stiffness in my joints. Once my foot stepped onto the yoga mat I knew this was my path of love and joy. Not only did Yoga return the flexibility to my joints it also helped me make healthier choices in food and lifestyle decisions by bringing balance into my mind and body.
I was fortunate to be able to take my 200 hour training through the Lotus Teachers Association which merged with Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Center receiving my certification in 2004. I continue to expand my practice through participation in continuing education classes and workshops under the guidance of many talented teachers.
Since 2004 I have planned my teaching experiences for various classes applying the healing practice of yoga. Hatha yoga sequences are based on the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition. We use the science of breath and bring joint and gland warm ups to the mat. I teach what I need to learn daily by focusing on breath, posture and meditation.
200Hr certification
Yoga Alliance RYT
CPR Certified
I was introduced to yoga at a young age. My mother practiced yoga in the 70’s, doing headstands in our dining room. Twenty years later, she encouraged me to join her, and I took her up on it.
Over time I found myself intrigued by the practice and was inspired to learn more. Exploring the possibility of completing a teacher training program to deepen my practice and my understanding of yoga, I was drawn to the Himalayan Tradition, with its long history and rich spiritual heritage.
The idea of being able to share with others the peace and serenity I experience in yoga appealed to me. I have gained so much from my training at the Himalayan Center in Palatine; the program, the staff and my fellow students have been instrumental in helping me achieve my goals.
I look forward to sharing with others the joy that yoga has brought me.
