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 Hillary Blake Firestone
Hillary Blake Firestone engaged in 'daily physical practice' since starting to dance at age 5. As a child, she stopped eating meat and soon became concerned with environmentalism, politics & social-justice. Meanwhile, her love of physicality inaugurated a lifelong study of movement; including ballet, modern & ethnic dance forms, contact improvisation, acrobatics & martial arts. A growing fascination in the structures of the body, efficient movement & injury prevention led her to investigate anatomy, Alexander and Klein techniques, BMC & Feldenkrais.
While living in New York in the late 90's, a friend took her to Jivamukti Yoga Center. She was immediately captured by the tremendous synthesis of information in one practice, engaging body, mind & spirit. The economy and precision of asana & pranayama, the practice of conscious movement motivated by breath, and the openness & harmony of the yogic state intrigued her (and still does). The idea that movement can be practiced in service of a balanced mind & body, and a better world, resonated with what she always felt to be true. From that very moment, asana practice became a new passion.
In 1999, Hillary moved to Amsterdam to dance & choreograph, and after much searching for her new 'yogic home' in town, she found Svahayoga. It was truly a homecoming! Through her contact with Patrick & Gos, her meditation practice grew, and when they eventually coerced her to attend a Vipassana meditation course, she loved it (much to her surprise).
In 2004, after completing her yoga certification, Hillary began to teach at Svaha. Her classes weave together detailed physical imagery, information drawn from her other movement practices, a strong sense of physicality & lyricism (borrowed from dance), and a personal belief in generosity and the on-going attempt to define truth in our lives and our societies.
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