by Alyssa J. O’Brien

Walk, bike or drive to Enso yoga studio on a Thursday morning, and you’ll meet a woman whose class is so popular that there’s no room for her to sit down. Tall and graceful, Courtney Woodrow leads Gentle Yoga, beginning with legs up the wall or lying down on the mat. She tells her class, “Drop into this moment, into your body. Forget everything that brought you here and just be here now.”

For a precious 90 minutes, the class moves in easy stretches, listening to the body, calming the mind, and soothing the heart. To close, Woodrow reads an inspirational poem. The class of busy Coastsiders becomes quiet as each is reconnected with body and spirit, a path to wellness that requires only a little time and an open heart.

After the shuffle of mats being put away, people chat over a cup of herbal tea. Some share stories from small business and work ventures,   discuss health issues, network and support each other. First-time visitors make plans to return for another Gentle Yoga class with this gentle teacher.

Gentle Yoga Challenge 

Like many, Woodrow lived in Half Moon Bay for several years before she discovered Enso – the yoga studio and art gallery at the end of Kelly Avenue across from Francis State Beach, with a spectacular view of the ocean.

Woodrow’s Enso classes are deeply restorative. She hooks up her iPod to play soft music while her voice leads people in twists, flows, or the dance of Shiva for balance. As the class rests, she voices her wisdom for healthy living: “The yogis believe we only have so many breaths given to us in life, so slow down and breathe each one mindfully.” 

Giving Back: Yoga for Girls

You might see Woodrow at the farmers market with her daughters Simone and Tallulah, walking through town with her mother Victoria, or running along the coastal trail with her husband John. Yet she also dedicates her time to girls across the Bay Area.

Woodrow serves as the yoga director for The Art of Yoga Project, a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Mary Lynn Fitton as an intervention program for girls in the juvenile justice system. The program promotes positive self-image, artistic expression and self-acceptance through yoga.

With a curriculum based on yoga’s eight-fold path, the program turns at-risk girls into future community leaders. It is life-changing for girls, who learn to make better choices, and transformational for teachers.

The project helps girls in Santa Clara, San Francisco and San Mateo, and many after-school programs use the curriculum. Woodrow’s commitment to the project has inspired Enso members to volunteer. “We are always looking for volunteers and for financial support,” says Woodrow.

Living and Learning through Yoga

While The Art of Yoga Project serves at-risk teens, Woodrow extends the lessons. “All kids these days could be considered at risk,” says Woodrow. “Being present in our thinking and raising our children could change the lives of youth — how they see and accept themselves.”

For Woodrow, the power of yoga to unite the world “begins with our own self acceptance, self empowerment and self love. Yoga teaches us this.”

Woodrow first experienced yoga at a silent Vipassana retreat. She completed yoga certification at Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center and White Lotus, attended Manouso Manos’ workshop on The Art of Teaching, and studied at Yoga Tree in San Francisco. She also studied yoga in Asia for ten months and lived at an ashram while pregnant with Simone.

 “The moving meditation aspect of yoga has been extremely helpful in helping me see my challenges, hear my patterns of thinking, and watch my reactions,” she says.

As another Thursday class arranges mats at Enso, Woodrow’s gentle voice welcomes each class member: “Move your body like waves on the ocean.” In this peaceful place, she shares her vision. “I want the whole world to find inner peace and contentment,” she says. “Yoga is finding contentment and bathing in it.” From the sighs on the mats, it is clear her students have found it. 

For more information on The Art of Yoga Project, see www.theartof yogaproject.org.