There is a famous story. One day, Buddha was sitting with his monks. He asked: “How long is a human life?” When a monk answered: 70 years, Buddha replied: “You have not understood a thing I’ve taught.”

As the monks fumbled through a descending time frame, from years to minutes, Buddha kept repeating this response. Until one monk smiled and replied: “One breath.“

The primary lesson Buddha taught that day is simple: The past is memory and the future is a fantasy. It can be useful to make plans, to align life with values, but don’t get overly attached. Everything beyond now is conjecture.

The One

Breath

Yoga

Take a Class

Together
in this
one breath
we turn towards boundless freedom.

about charles

Charles lived in San Francisco CA for 15 years where he taught yoga, practiced clinical psychology, and retired from a 21 year career in chiropractic to develop a therapeutically oriented perspective on yoga. He moved to Portland OR in 2017, in order to get outside, have a garden, play ukulele, and conduct yoga classes.

In his early teens, he became fascinated by spiritual arts and practices. Since then, his affinity for eastern religion and wisdom practice has continued to blossom. Today, Charles meditates for two extended periods daily, while integrating yoga postural and movement practices, and cultivating sustainable living. His focus is on integrating scientifically supported training into a life based in spirituality.

Outside of his work and formal spiritual practices, Charles loves to climb and bike, and has a beautiful garden at his home in Portland, OR that he maintains year-round. He is a father and a grandfather, and travels whenever possible to take in this beautiful world and its people.

Charles teaches a class that is as much about developing psychological flexibility as it is about the physical benefits of yoga asanas. By tying in his expertise and knowledge as a clinical psychologist, he helps his students to break down the blocks and barriers in both body and mind.

Charles’ classes begin by sharing a short quote or poem for reflection and talking briefly about translating the teaching into practice. Next, the asana practice begins. In Charles’ class, poses are explored with the understanding that yoga is an 8-limbed practice, of which the poses or asanas make up just one limb, or 12.5% of the total practice. Within this context, Charles helps his students to explore poses so that they can be used as tools of physical, mental, and spiritual transformation.

Payment for Charles’ classes is on a dāna basis. To pay for a yoga class according to dāna, one must honestly assess what the value of that class is to them. Did the class help you in some way? If so, it is asked that you reflect that value in your offering.

If you have an abundance right now, consider giving more. If you are experiencing financial hardship, simply give what you can. So long as people taking the class donate in accordance with the truth of their own experience, we should have no issues continuing to offer the class in this way.

Your feedback is an essential part of the class. After class, a follow-up email will ask you for your comments and provide you with this donation link. Thanks in advance.

Class schedule

There are no upcoming classes scheduled.

Testimonials
I had never found enjoyment in yoga, but after a class with Charles, that changed. His pace and cues make it accessible and challenging to any level. The wisdom he shares from his myriad experiences often inspires great conversation and self-reflection outside of practice. I love that every class brings something new, but has a continued theme and builds from the last. I have gone from never wanting to do yoga to never wanting to miss it!
Nicole Grossberg

Student

I’ve taken several different yoga classes in the past decade, but it only took one class with Charles to know that he offers something much more precious than most. Charles has been studying, practicing, and teaching yoga for several years, and it shows in his classes. His understanding of and ability to convey not only the physical subtleties that can ‘make or break’ a pose, but also the mental and spiritual posture required to go deep in the practice are a true gift.

My classes with Charles have given me the foundation to push myself to new limits as an athlete. They have also helped me to breathe into parts of my body and being that were previously blind to me. You might be able to be called a yoga ‘teacher’ after taking a course for a couple of months, but it takes decades of practice and commitment to really master this art—and Charles is a breathing example of just that.

Adam Wernham

Student

Having very little prior yoga experience, I came into Charle’s class looking to try something new. After my first class, I felt a major shift in my overall wellbeing – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Subsequently, I came out of every class feeling well-grounded and more at ease with myself and the environment around me. The more I’ve taken his classes, the more I’ve felt certain blocks in my body and mind dissolve and open up freely. 

Other forms of practice haven’t done this for me. I have tried many others since taking that first class.  Charles’ teaching has really been the only one to resonate with me, so I’ve come back regularly. His passion and commitment for practice and teaching in a mindful and compassionate manner, alongside his sincerity and kindness, translates into a complete yoga experience

Alex Olson

Student

For the past year or so I have been having knee problems and hip problems, both of which have made me step back from my usual physical activity. I am a climber and biker, but I stopped being active—thinking it would help my body heal. I told Charles of the struggles I had with my knee and he was so thoughtful and attentive throughout the classes I took with him. I felt my body getting stronger after each class, and my knee pain didn’t come back! 

I ended up going to two other yoga classes, only to find out that my knee pain came back after each one. I can easily say that my mental health is incredibly affected by how active I am, and Charles’ class was my first step back to feeling like myself in a very long time. I am so grateful. His classes are challenging; don’t let the ‘Foundations’ title fool you. But they are challenging in all the good ways; he structures the class to help you build a strong foundation, paying attention to the most basic and most important parts of each pose. Sadly, once I stopped taking his class, due to timing and other restrictions, I have noticed my body ailing again. I can’t wait to return to working with Charles!

Zoe Flanagan

Student

What I like about Charles’s classes is that they stretch and pull your human fibers. As a teacher and friend, Charles grounds you in the humanity that connects us all, while leading you in a routine that also stretches and strengthens your body. A class with Charles, to me, is like a constructive and reflective conversation that leaves me in a better place than where I started.
Kimberly Pong

Student

Charles blends his meditation, chiropractic, and therapist knowledge into a really engaging yoga experience. Highly recommended.
Tom McTighe

Student

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