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
Together
in this
one breath
we turn towards boundless freedom.
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’ 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.
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
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.
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
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!
Contact Charles