Libby Levin

I live in Mandeville, Louisiana by the lake in an older part of the city that used to be a quiet resort town. It is starting to grow but still is a beautiful small community with lots of interesting people and things to do. I began practicing Yoga in 2000 at the Yoga School in Covington, LA, which was the only Yoga studio in the area at that time. I went every week without missing a class and then things in life came up and I missed several weeks in a row. It was then I noticed how much Yoga was helping me in my life. When I did not go to Yoga my life was off center, unclear – I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, but something about my life just didn’t feel right. Yoga changes you in subtle ways and I didn’t realize how much of an effect Yoga was having on my life until I missed those few weeks! And I was only going one time per week! Yoga made me feel more present and calm in the class but it extended into my life off the mat and enriched my ability to deal with the circumstances of life. Soon after this realization I became involved in the teacher classes and learned more about the philosophy of Yoga – then I was really hooked!

In 2006 I traveled to Chennai, India to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM). Which is a Yoga Therapy Clinic and a Yoga Therapy training facility. The teachings at the KYM were outstanding and opened my eyes to a whole different aspect of Yoga.  Each class flowed into the next using various tools of Yoga.  This set me off on the Yoga path that I am still on today. 

I continued my studies in the Krishnamacharya tradition after coming back from India, taking various workshops and teacher trainings all over the world, I began teaching Yoga in 2006 at Yoga Sanga in Mandeville, LA and still teach there today. I began my Yoga Therapy practice in 2012. Below is an outline of my training: 

  • Certified Yoga Teacher through the Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation (KHYF) and Healing Yoga Foundation 500 hour in 2006 and 2013.
  • Certified Yoga Therapist in 2012 after completing a 1000 + hour with the Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation, a 4 year Yoga Therapy training program which included 2 months in India for observation and teaching at the KYM clinic in Chennai. Reference: www.kym.org
  • Worked with two other Yoga teachers from Yoga Sanga at the Veterans Administration in New Orleans, LA to conduct a pilot study on the effects of Yoga on Military Veterans with PTSD that was published in August 2013.  Reference:  https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/178/8/854/4259693
  •  I am registered with Yoga Alliance** 500RYT (500 hour registered Yoga Teacher), 200 E-RYT (experienced registered Yoga Teacher), and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider)  
  • C-IAYT certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists September 2016 www.iayt.org/members/?id=20593746
  • Teaches Yoga classes in Mandeville, LA at Yoga Sanga www.yoga-sanga.com              
  • On faculty with Amy Wheeler in her Optimal State of Living (OSOL) Mental Health program, www.optimalstateofliving.com

** Note that Yoga Alliance does not regulate Yoga Therapy Certifications, it is regulated by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).