Leslie was introduced to yoga by our own Elisa Camiscioli in 2002. The intensity of vinyasa flow yoga resonated with her immediately and she became a regular student of Elisa’s twice weekly classes. What began as a practice that brought balance and relief to an overloaded life has become a driving force for realizing changes that are making all aspects of her life more satisfying. She attributes this shift to her studies in Anusara yoga, which began in 2007 when Elisa began to train with senior certified Anusara teachers. Anusara yoga’s systematic approach to alignment empowered her to transform her own practice and launched what she anticipates will be a life-long practice of refining her awareness in and out of poses. More importantly, Anusara yoga’s insistence on engaging the hearts as well as the bodies of students gradually shifted her practice. In practicing yoga “from the inside out” she has found more ways to dig deep and to celebrate life both on and off the mat. She is excited about the opportunity to teach yoga where she, herself, has been a student since the studio’s first year. In addition to regularly taking advantage of Binghamton Yoga's strong alignment-based class offerings, Leslie has completed nearly 200 hours of additional training with certified Anusara teachers. The latter include a 100 hour immersion in Anusara yoga with Christina Sell and Darren Rhodes in 2010 which she credits with prompting her to consider teaching yoga. She is currently studying the art and science of teaching yoga from the wise and skillful Anusara certified teacher, Tasha Judson. With Tasha, she is refining her understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of yoga and learning how to inspire students at all levels on the mat. She looks forward to expanding her own, and Binghamton’s, yoga community as a teacher.