Testimonials

Praise for Retreat: Pura Vida Spa in Costa Rica

Powerful, life changing. Made me glow inside and out….and it also made me aware of what I need to work on in myself.

Cherie McGuire, 35, Pharmaceutical Sales Rep., Chicago

For anyone interested in yoga, spiritual growth, exploration and adventure, this trip should be on the top of your to-do list!

Sally Walsh Roberts, 49, Assistant Vice President of Operations & Systems, PNC

Praise for Yoga Experience

It’s a great course! Prior to the course, I just did poses. Now I understand there is something greater behind it all.

MC, Sommelier, 44

If you’ve ever wanted to have the discipline to practice yoga daily or to figure out whether you have what it takes to be a yoga instructor, this course gives you the tools to succeed!

Senior Policy Analyst, 28

I didn’t really have a meditation practice before taking the course, but now I do. I have learned that I am capable of many things, even when my habit energy tells me that I am not! This course was incredibly empowering for me.

MC, Certified Health Coach, 48

A great course to lay the foundation for yoga history while encouraging a home practice. A wonderful option for self-discovery.

AKG, stay-at-home, 33

Worthwhile! It was a postive experience that takes a lot of hard work, but is worth it!

TZ, Administrative Assistant, 58

Praise for Beginners’ Meditation

I just wanted to thank you again for teaching the beginners’ meditation class. I am so glad you taught such a series for students to really learn meditation at a pace that was right for someone just starting out. Many classes offered out there are recurring classes that both assume students already have a background and combines students of all levels—neither of which is effective for one who is just exploring the practice. I also really enjoyed the end-of-class time that was devoted to students sharing their meditation experiences because often times I, too, had the same experiences. This helped me to learn meditation from a different, yet just as rewarding, perspective.

Sherry Chan, 29, Actuary

Praise for Private Lessons

Laurel has an insane knack in yoga. I can’t believe that in an hour, she is able to address the painful issue(s) in my life and create an opportunity for me to heal. I thank her a thousand times for her patience, understanding, and yoga lessons.

KC, Toledo, Ohio, Yoga Teacher, Freelance writer

Praise for General Yoga Classes

Laurel has the grace and experience to guide students effortlessly through advanced sequences, providing individual adjustments and modifications while still actively engaged with the class as a whole. It is as she is astrally connected, able to knowingly guide us to the next pose that will provide maximum engagement. Her attention to detail, her ability to connect through the heart and see the positive in every student, her seamless transitions, her desire to share off the mat lifestyle techniques of the ancients, are all gifts that bring yoga, and the yogic lifestyle into the forefront of our daily thoughts and actions.

Theresa Colson, 37, Executive Assistant Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, OSU, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Yoga Teacher

Praise for Fall Cleanse Workshop

I lost 4 pounds in one week, but I’m trying not to focus on that because I’ve made that my focus many times in the past. Instead, I am focusing on how great I feel. Key insights I gained were to stay off sugar and caffeine—they create ups and downs in my mood. I’ll continue to limit salt and do my morning yoga and breathing exercises. Thanks so much to the leaders (Laurel and Amy) for being a part of my journey!

Doreen Hopper, 41, Business Technology Advocate

Praise from OSU Yoga for Dancers, 2008

This was a very enjoyable class! I’d love to take it again with Laurel. She was a great teacher and made being awake at 8am every Monday and Wednesday worth
it 🙂

OSU student

Laurel is an exemplary yoga instructor. Her vast knowledge and acute awareness of each student’s anatomical needs was inspiring. I felt I was able to deepen my embodied knowledge in ways that were both confrontational and enlightening. Although interesting, I would have preferred one video day instead of three. I appreciate the difficulty of teaching this particular class, especially as there was a wide spectrum of levels. I felt Laurel successfuly balanced this challange while also raising the bar for the dancers in the studio. Thank you Laurel!

OSU student

Laurel is an amazing instructor. I learned so much. I would recommend her to OSU students and other individuals in the community interested in Yoga.

OSU student

The best yoga teacher I have practiced with! Please come and teach again.

OSU student

I had a truly excellent experience of Laurel Hodory. If there was an issue that was potentially problematic, it was that the experience level of the students was extremely disparate, from seasoned practitioners of yoga to absolute beginners. Laurel did an excellent job in addressing the needs of all levels of students in the class, however, in the future, I am of the opinion that offering multiple sections of this course organized by “level of experience” would simplify her job and enrich the learning experiences of all involved.

OSU student

I’ve sought out numerous somatic practices and instructors. Laurel by far surpasses any instructor I’ve ever encountered.Her knowledge is vast. Her language is clear. Her organization of material was incredibly informative.I learned about Yoga, and how to take class, and delved into subtle yet groundbreaking revelations. I would continue to enroll in her class without hesitation.

OSU graduate student, Spring 2008

This course was one of the best courses that I have taken in the dance department. Studio-based, the class combined physical investigation with anatomical and mental/philosophical approaches that have not only positively impacted my dancing, but also my overall approach to living in my body. I learned several things about my bone structure that no dance teacher has ever noticed or understood and also found ways to build strength in a way that supports rather than tries to alter my structure.

OSU graduate student, Spring 2008

Praise for Laurel Hodory

I’ve studied with dozens of yoga teachers over the past seven years, and none inspire my practice like Laurel Hodory. What I appreciate most is the way she teaches students to experience complementary opposites within their bodies—such as effort/surrender, inspiration/acceptance, and strength/softness. She does this in a manner that challenges and supports them to practice beyond their perceived limits. In addition, by linking the physical practice to an inspirational yoga teaching (based on yoga philosophy), she makes yoga relevant to daily life. This provides students with the opportunity to expand mind, body and spirit at once. An embodiment of this process, Laurel is an inspiration and a role model of living an integrated life.

Mike Cohen, 40, MA, Leadership Coach, Kirtan Leader

The very first time I took a yoga class was with Laurel Hodory. I remember so vividly how I was moved by her teaching. It wasn’t just the flowing meditative postures, it was how she was able to incite a feeling of openness—not just in my body, but in my mind and spirit as well. After that first class, I was hooked.

I’ve had the pleasure of not only being a student in Laurel’s classes, but also a student and graduate of her incredible yoga teacher training program, as well as a teacher on staff at her yoga center, It’s Yoga Columbus. I also served as her business manager for a period there. I have seen the many sides of Laurel—teacher, mentor, business professional and friend—and am continuously inspired by her authenticity and yoga principles in whatever role she plays.

Rosie O’Leary, 38, Business Analyst, Yoga Teacher, Mother of three teenagers

In my journey of studying yoga, I’ve taken a lot of classes and workshops with many well-known teachers. By comparison, none of them match Laurel’s knowledge, or teaching skills.

When I first came to her yoga studio, I was a die-hard Ashtanga practitioner with injuries (inside and out). Through Laurel I discovered Anusara yoga, which I was able to incorporate into my Ashtanga routine. I began to expand my asana practice and heal old wounds. Then it got better. I learned how to take my yoga off the mat—which is what it’s really all about. I’ve benefited from Laurel’s expertise and experience, plus she has the heart, intuition, and the compassion it takes to be a truly great teacher.

Laurel brings an intelligence and clarity to yoga. By integrating an inspirational theme in her classes, she takes a universal concept and makes it personal. In her classes, I feel like her lesson is tailored just for me. Then I look around and realize that everyone else feels the same way!

As a yoga teacher myself, I marvel at Laurel’s teaching and how she has mastered the poetry of language, provides assistance, modifications and hands-on adjustments while never missing a beat. Her classes are creative and challenging for the seasoned yogi as well as inspirational for the novice. She is approachable and has a strong desire to help her students find something deeper within themselves. Laurel has an uncanny ability to listen and empower her students with just the right knowledge and technique so that they can align more optimally. What’s more, she does this all while making her classes fun and enjoyable.

Laurel has not only taught me the “how” of yoga but the “why” and its value. I like to say she brings science to yoga for those of us who require concrete logic beyond our faith. Whether it was divine intervention that brought me to Laurel, or random chance, I will always be grateful for the doors she has opened. Speaking for myself—and others I am certain—Laurel is my inspiration, friend and teacher.

Jocelyn Lemichuk, 46, Accountant, Yoga Teacher, Mother

After eighteen months of doing yoga three to four times a week, I developed problems with my upper body. Sports Medicine ruled out arthritis, but found some weakness in the muscles of the rotator cuff as well as inflammation in the biceps. I was in a lot of pain. For several weeks I added a short regimen of physical therapy to my weekly routine, but I was still experiencing intermittent bouts of intense muscle pain in the upper arms that would develop a couple of days after each yoga class. Since I love yoga, this was difficult for me to accept, and I went through a period of just trying to push through and/or live with the pain. I did not want to abandon my yoga practice.

Finally I approached Laurel and explained what was happening. We immediately scheduled a private yoga lesson. During the session, Laurel quickly zeroed in on my alignment in several key postures, adjusting them to my optimal alignment. I began to learn how to practice variations that trained muscle groups that were formerly not properly engaged. The lack of participation from these deeper, synergistic muscles was placing undue stress on the few muscles that were working to the point of exhaustion and inflammation. Through my work with Laurel, I found muscles in my back and core that I didn’t know existed! Almost immediately, I was out of pain when I properly applied the alignment techniques she taught me. Since then, I’ve been able to slowly integrate what she taught me—which required some patience on my part—and heal my shoulder through consistent, healthy, alignment. I would highly recommend a private yoga lesson with Laurel to anyone who is dealing with injuries or obstacles in their yoga practice.

Joe Travers, 58, Neurobiologist

I left class yesterday with Laurel thinking that I really enjoyed the class—but even more important was that I actually learned about yoga itself, its lifestyle and theory and what it is in a purer form, rather than simply being led through a series of poses and then dismissed until next time. More precisely, I felt I was guided on “how to apply yoga teachings throughout your daily walk in life”—which took me a bit by surprise, and to my delight. During class I began to see and understood it differently and had more desire to embrace it into my daily life in a different way. Anyway, I had been thinking about coming and taking both classes yesterday, but after the class, my legs were a bit shakey from the focus on the different areas of the muscle, and so I decided to say “no” to getting overly excited and overdoing something, and “yes” to enjoying what I had learned, and taking a baby step into implementing it into my daily walk. It was a step for me and I walked away feeling really good about saying “no” without guilt. Sometimes I jsut say “yes” too much and have guilt when I am trying to find balance! Thank you for your inspiring instruction!

Lindsay Spring, Starbuck’s Supervisor

Yoga has definitely helped my gut—my Crohn’s Disease has been pretty much been in remission since I started practicing back in ’02-’03, and even better, I’ve been steroid free. Absolutely believe that Yoga has played a huge part in that.

Danielle Ballou, 37, Program Manager