“Sama” is a Sanskrit word meaning even, equal, balanced. Sama yoga signifies my commitment to finding balance across my life, and to living a life grounded in truthfulness, curiosity and service.
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I am by nature passionate and determined about most everything I set out to do in my life...characteristics which came in handy while pursuing my education, and a career at The World Bank through the 1980s and 1990s. Those were years of tremendous personal and professional growth, rich with travel to West Africa and to Central and Eastern Europe, and full of experiences which deepened my commitment to life-long learning.
During that time I started teaching fitness classes part-time. A life-long devotee of wellness, dance and sports, teaching fitness provided the balance I needed to counter the effects of a stressful job and long trips abroad. Then at some point, my wellness journey led me to a yoga class.
The physical challenge of yoga is what attracted me at first. But as my practice grew more dedicated, I sensed a shifting across the rest of my life. I felt different; and priorities began to change. I began to see more clearly aspects of my life that previously had been obscured, lost in life’s distractions. Through yoga, I found the missing framework for my life, a renewed commitment to truthfulness - not illusion - even when it’s tough to swallow; the importance of ongoing self-study to nurture the potential that lies within each of us; the reality that that we are all part of something so much greater than ourselves; and a commitment to taking less and giving more.
I left the World Bank in 2006 to devote myself to teaching and sharing yoga. As a practitioner and teacher, I emphasize breath-centeredness and body conscious alignment, as well as a commitment to mindfulness, light-hearted curiosity, and a healthy dose of playfulness in uncovering previously unseen aspects of our human-ness while on the mat.
As a teacher, I enjoy working with all levels of experience, adults and children, in groups and one-on-one. I have a particular interest in bringing yoga to individuals with special needs, and the practice of yoga as a healing modality.
My dedication to practice and to teaching continue to deepen at a steady pace. I credit my two young children for inspiring me to follow my heart. Watching them grow is a daily wake-up call to the necessity that we each must fully embrace what brings us joy, no matter how crazy it might seem to others.
May yoga come to bless and inspire your life as it does mine.
Namaste,
Sabrina
Copyright 2008 Sabrina Huffman
Photo by Veronika Lukasova.
* Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level (RYT500) with an emphasis in Yoga Therapy www.yogaalliance.org
* Over 2200 hours of teaching experience
* 2009 Arlington County School & Community Therapist Award for service to persons with disabilities
* lululemon athletica Ambassador 2008-09, Clarendon location, Arlington VA
* Master of Health Science, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
* Master of Arts, The American University
