NATHANIEL ROMANO TOPPELBERG (he/him)
I began practicing yoga in 2016. Attracted to heated flow classes, I fell in love with the way asana practice uplifted me and brought more life to my life. I practice yoga to come alive. I love the asana high—vibrant bliss in the body, psychedelic states of mind, soulful insights—and the robust vitality it brings. It is good medicine and a lot of fun. Asana practice helps me enjoy being in my body.
In 2019, I began studying and practicing Iyengar yoga with Patricia Walden, with whom I work closely. I value the way that Iyengar challenges us to practice with strength, precision and clear-sighted awareness. In 2020, I began studying yoga therapy, meditation, anatomy/biomechanics, and spiritual wellness with my teacher and mentor, Fez Aswat, with whom I work closely. Fez embodies, in a totally delightful way, the never-ending art of attuning to one’s spirit while organizing for purposeful living.
My classes are an expression of my spirit as channeled through my practice of asana, pranayama, meditation, and ecstatic dance. In addition to my personal teachers, my teaching and practice are influenced by spiritual lineages, especially Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, and Bön as taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. I enjoy thinking about the body as a cosmos unto itself.
What You Can Expect From My Classes
1. For most of my classes, I create a carefully curated playlist that enhances and empowers our own spiritual journeys throughout class. I love designing soundscapes that expand our awareness, bring us into the present moment, deepen our embodiment, and steer us towards enlightenment. (Yes, I said it. Enlightenment.)
2. My classes usually begin with a grounding practice to help us arrive, move into a strength-building practice of standing asanas, transition into balance asana practice, and settle with restorative practice that delivers us to a deep final rest.
3. I cue with a clarity of alignment and anatomy/biomechanics, while also holding space for students to explore their own creative and intuitive embodied intelligence.
4. I want my students to have a taste of the cosmos within, to love being in their bodies, to feel cared for, and to live life more alive.