Matt Dreyfus

Matt began the practice of Iyengar Yoga in 1994 while a student at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, studying primarily with Mary Dunn. He began teaching Yoga in 1999 and made his first trip to India to study with the Iyengar family. On returning to New York, he continued to teach Yoga while also working as a musician. Realizing he couldn’t do justice to both a career in music and his growing commitment to the practice and teaching of Yoga, Matt chose to dedicate himself full time to teaching. He continued to study with Mary and apprenticed with her until her death in 2008. Since then, he has continued to study with senior teachers in the United States and has traveled regularly to India to study with the Iyengars.

For several years, Matt was a member of the teacher training faculty at the New York Institute, where he continues to lead continuing education classes for certified teachers. He is also director of teacher education at Santosha Yoga Studio in Madison, New Jersey. Matt serves as an assessor for teacher certification for the Iyengar Yoga Association of the United States (IYNAUS), and has served on the IYNAUS board of directors, as well as the IYNAUS Assessment Committee.

For Matt, Yoga is an exploration of what it is to be alive, to be human.There is an affinity between the practice of Yoga and the study of music, or any art. As we work with the body, breath and mind, there is a process of refinement, of relaxation of effort, of reflection, and its expression is the fullness and freedom of one’s embodiment. In clarifying and quieting our mind, we become more attuned to ourselves and naturally experience our fundamental connection with others.

Matt is also a practitioner of Buddhism and has engaged in formal training in the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism since 2000. He is married to Institute faculty member Michelle LaRue; they live in Hoboken with their child.