All About Janis
Janis, a current resident of Kennebunk, ME, has been practicing Yoga since 1995. She began teaching regular weekly Hatha Yoga classes at the YMCA in Biddeford, ME in 1998, and eventually opened her own yoga studio, Of Sound Body, serving Arundel, ME and surrounding communities.
Since the opening of her studio and subsequent to its closing in 2001, Janis has taught yoga classes at wellness events, and in studio, school, community, and business settings that range from beginner to mixed-level hatha yoga, restorative yoga, chair yoga, and yoga for children with special needs. In addition, she has provided private yoga sessions for students requesting assistance with particular physical challenges and those wishing to explore a deeper yoga experience.
Janis has a strong alignment-based style of teaching that arises from her teacher training at Nataraja School of Yoga (Nataraja). Teacher-Owner of Nataraja, June Locklin, received extensive training from Patricia Walden, a lifelong student of B.K.S. Iyengar (“Father of Western Yoga”). Participation in a variety of additional Iyengar workshops at Portland Yoga Studio, as well as her professional background in Ergonomics, further cemented Janis’ belief in the importance of proper alignment both for safety as well as to realize the full benefit of the yoga asanas (poses). To this end, her classes have always utilized a variety of props to support and amplify students’ experiences in their asana practice.
Janis currently has a design patent, with a utility patent pending, for her uniquely constructed Pratyahara Pillow, a yoga prop specifically designed to assist in the withdrawal of the senses (Pratyahara) and enhance reclining meditation and relaxation.
As a Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP), Janis most recently taught mixed-level Hatha Yoga, Morning and Evening Yoga Flow, and special sessions for the LiveStrong program at the YMCA in Biddeford. She continues to provide private sessions, offer a variety of workshops, and substitute for a number of yoga teachers in the Kennebunks and surrounding areas through her current business practice, RestfulMind – MindfulRest Yoga.
