ABBIE STARKER (she/they)
What I remember from my first yoga class is panic and frustration setting in at the beginning of class when we sat cross-legged doing “nothing but breathing.” I was fidgety, uncomfortable, and itching to get moving. Stillness was not something I was accustomed to. As we progressed through an active vinyasa practice, I started to feel more at ease. I was fascinated by the new shapes my body could form, curious how much it could bend, twist, and stretch. When we settled in for savasana, our final resting pose, thoughts flooded my mind and that jittery feeling started to poke at me again. I left quickly, anxious to get back to my busy day. Classes went on like that for a while, but I did start to notice two things: 1) that during a yoga class, instead of racing thoughts, my mind would quiet while my body led, and 2) that for the rest of the day after a yoga class, I would have an unfamiliar feeling of gratitude for my body and a desire to treat it really well. Over time, I began to treat my body with more gentleness, patience, and appreciation and to treasure the time during asana practice where my mind would take a back seat.
On a particularly hard day, I showed up to a class that I had taken a few times before, where our teacher, Jean-Jacques, made space at the beginning of class for us to share anything that needed attention. Some folks would name a body part, others would share something going on in the community or a snippet of their life. I’d usually say, “lower back, please!” This time, I shared that I was having a tough day and really needed this practice. After class, Jean-Jacques approached me, looked into what felt like my soul, and asked a question I heard dozens of times a week: “How are you?” Though the question itself was ordinary, I had never felt that level of kindness – a feeling of unconditional love – from someone who still felt like a stranger. This moment shifted my relationship with yoga, which up to that point had been purely physical, and showed me its powerful capacity to support healing and connection. In my own practice and in my classes, my intention is to nurture this spirit of curiosity, compassion, and unconditional love that exists within us all, so that we can more authentically show up in service of ourselves and others.
Outside of the studio, you’ll find me hanging with my pup, Orca, dancing (to anything, anywhere), going for long walks around JP, dreaming and scheming about abolitionist futures, eating ice cream, and spending time in nature.
What You Can Expect From My Class
I strive to hold an open, inclusive, collaborative, and friendly space for us to practice, play, and grow together. My intention is to support you in tuning in to your body’s wisdom. I will offer alignment cues and occasional hands-on assists in service of sparking curiosity, awareness, or ease within you, or inviting more space into your body. Consent is deeply important to me, so I will not offer hands-on assists without affirmative consent. I also hope to support you in cultivating your own internal consent practice. To that end, every part of my class is optional, and I’ll try to offer alternatives as much as I can. I have a long history of working with people who have experienced trauma and my class will be trauma-responsive. I am constantly learning and evolving, so any feedback you have would be a gift!