Shannon Paige
Living fully as an author, sacred activist, motivational speaker, dedicated teacher of Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow, and founder of Anjali Restorative Yoga; Shannon is an expressive student of the symbolic nature of Tantra and mystic poetry. She interweaves her student’s unique purpose driven inspiration into the divine play of body and breath to unlock the secret wisdom held within the heart. Her classes are dedicated to a sense of mystery and wonder within a vinyasa of self-honoring, self-cultivation, and radical self-participation. Shannon is the founder and director of om time yoga centers, tours, teaches and speaks nationally and internationally.
Get to know Shannon
What brought you to the practice of yoga and eventually to teach yoga?
Getting back into my body after a serious illness brought me to yoga. It was the only place in my life I could go and feel “well” rather than “sick.” The deepening of the practice turned up the empowerment volume in my life and I began to feel its push back against patterns and places that were no longer sustainable and I ultimately determined to change my life and dedicate myself to supporting my practice 24/7. I opened om time as a clothing / supply store specific to yoga with the studio a tiny after thought. Though I had taken a couple teacher trainings by that point, my intention was not really to teach, but to study. I only began teaching when a teacher was unable to make it in and teach class one day!
Describe the style of yoga you teach…
I teach an energetically aligned – Vinyasa based practice with a deep focus on inner body empowerment and lining up to change as one’s only constant. My main teacher is Shiva Rea and the Prana Flow style rocked my world with the genuine strength and openness that comes as a direct result of lining up to the pulsation in life. The sequencing is intelligent and unfolds just like nature and the space to poetically weave words and themes allows me to meet people directly in the space of their hearts. I love love love it.
Who are your primary teachers?
My primary teachers are Shiva Rea, Chris Tompkins, Hareesh Wallace, Lorin Roche, and I have fallen deeply in tune with Gary Kraftsow. Let us not also forget my dogs, Isis and Venus, who help me cultivate a sense of play on and off the mat and I must further admit that my cat Prana actually taught me how to move.
Who are your greatest life influences?
My greatest life influences have been many, as I feel like I have been a constant evolution. Though I feel the seam of my one heart, I can look back and see so many different faces of that one heart that it almost seems like nine lives. I am grateful for all those who have come before me or actually showed up with me to hold my hand, show me the way, or teach me a great life lesson. My mother has been my single greatest sense and source of inspiration. She taught me how to walk in the world and show up strong in the day to day while honoring the great fact that we are all so soft inside it is almost like we are each full of wobbly green jello.
What was your greatest “on the mat” AHA moment?
My greatest AHA moment was actually in the last 12 months, oddly, still feeling fresh with it. I was going though a huge transition in a tremendous time of pressure, change, and emotional pain. I remember hearing myself say in class, “You are stronger than you ever thought possible,” and I remember being stunned speechless for several moments. It was true. I was stronger than I ever thought I would have to be. As I looked around the room, I realized that we all were, are, and will be. Particularly, if we weave our strengths together, we can move mountains of the unforeseen, the unimaginable, and the uncertain.
website: ShannonPaigeYoga.com
