Shalyn Daechen

Yoga asana classes with Shalyn are predominately Vinyasa Flow. By engaging to find continual effort and attention in a posture, every level of experience will find a challenge to promote more advancement than just finding a shape. Every student is asked to find a high-quality of effort in each preparatory posture, so small muscles may be trained to help the body feel lighter over time. As the practice advances, students will find tremors in the muscles, which a great teacher said, is weakness leaving the body. Rather than a being a visual experience, the asana is meant to be an opportunity to feel deeply. Strong community, mental stamina, and higher physical attunement are some side effects of honoring the individual practice within each level of asana— no matter what you define as your personal level.

Shalyn's first class was in middle school, after having found yoga and sun salutations in 90's magazines. Her first live class experience was disenchanting (think crabby teacher in a leotard), and despite that, her pursuit continued through Sivananda books and "Light on Yoga" by BKS Iyengar. After finally settling into a class community in Flagstaff, AZ, she knew that yoga was going to be a big part of her life forever.

After her first teacher training in with Andrey Lappa in 2006, she received an offer to co-teach a retreat in Thailand, and stayed an extra month to travel around India and Nepal. That was where the true benefit of the seated practice (meditation) sank in as the missing half of her physical practice.

Shalyn then taught in Flagstaff for 3 years before moving to California to earn her Bachelors in Wildlife Conservation. She taught in her favorite studio in Northern CA for another 2 years while earning her degree. Her yoga studies continued from 2014 until 2017 when she sought out three more teacher trainings under Gina Caputo, Kathryn Budig, Tim Feldmann, and Kino MacGregor.

In moments of challenge, we can find our bodies giving up on us at the very same moment that our mind resists, yet in that moment, our senses are heightened to the present. When we trust the body, and soften the mental resistance with breath, growth immediately follows. It’s truly the YOGA within the asana practice. Nothing special, nothing crazy, just your body and your highest quality of focus.