Michelle LaRue

Michelle was studying and performing modern dance in San Francisco when she discovered Iyengar Yoga in 1994. She had begun ballet training at the age of eight and was deeply engaged in living through movement. Michelle moved to New York in 1998, and her commitment to Yoga led her to start teaching in 2001. Her primary teachers were Mary Dunn, Judy Brick Freeman and Brooke Meyers. Michelle made her first of several visits to Pune to study with the Iyengar family in 2005 and found the teaching of Geeta Iyengar to be especially profound.  She continues to study with senior teachers from India, including Firooza Razvi and Raya Ud.

Michelle has led many special classes at the Institute, including children’s, prenatal and women’s. She has always had a special interest in the supportive and healing aspects of yoga, and, along with Naghmeh Ahi, co-leads one of the Institute’s Specific Needs classes. She also serves as an assessor for the Iyengar Yoga Association of the United States.

Michelle’s teaching is strong and precise. She blends physically demanding asana work with clear verbal instruction. Her aim is to lead her students while allowing them to stay connected to their own experience. She says: “Come to class with curiosity and enthusiasm. Be patient—explore the process. The results will come in their own time.”

When she’s not teaching, Michelle enjoys cooking, birdwatching and hanging out with her family and her cats.