Private Sessions/One-on-One Instruction

I'm excited to offer you personalized, mindful, embodied service on an individual basis, to help foster a radical, compassionate shift and change in your wellbeing. 

​My goal in teaching yoga in general, and especially in "one-on-ones" is to serve you, the student, directly, with wisdom and empathy, helping you foster a grounded, wise, empathic, harmonious sense of being in the world. 

I've taught yoga since 2004, most of it in as a Mysore style Ashtanga teacher, which is essentially semi-private yoga in a group session - which means I have more than average experience with direct, personalized, one-on-one teaching, along with a wealth of hands-on, practical knowledge through working with thousands of yoga students over the years.

My methods of teaching are imbued with stability, wisdom, compassion and lightheartedness. Having lived  a yogic and Ayurvedic lifestyle for well over a  decade, I bring this practical knowledge to both group classes and to private sessions, too. If students wish it, I draw not only from my own experience as a teacher of asana and pranayama and Ayurveda, but also my lifelong scholarship and study of a wide variety of transformative, spiritual, insightful, challenging, edifying writing and thought. I love to empower students to be their own healers, and often recommend appropriate books, spiritual texts, authors and essays, podcasts, art, music - and especially, other teachers and experts I know from my decades in the yoga world who might serve as resources for your journey, guiding students especially towards brilliant but often overlooked BIPOC/LBGTQ writers, teachers and leaders, too.  

One-on-one study with me gives students the opportunity to ask questions and seek personalized guidance for a variety of needs and concerns - not only for asana practice, but also:

• questions dealing with injury, aging and illness;
• how to develop a habit of  simple daily Ayurvedic self-care practices;
• help in managing life changes and rites of passage such as pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause;  
• nourishing postpartum care, directly from me, in your home, too (I am also an Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula - details tba here!)

I'll curate a simple, practical and sensible path for you, rooted in my almost 30 years of study and practice of asana, pranayama, svadhyaya (scriptural study) yoga nidra and Ayurvedic self care.

Why work with me?

• All of my private sessions are focused fully on you and you alone, with the goal of helping you refine, hone and deepen your yoga practice/sadhana or yogic lifestyle.
• You might want to begin with a private session for many reasons, and you can contact me via phone or email (see the footer for links) to discuss your needs and tailor a session that works for you. 
• If you're an established Ashtanga practitioner, you might want to experience a private session with me to gain integral, private, tailored guidance, and/or to sensibly deepen or refine your Ashtanga practice.
• You may need to have me assess underlying structural issues and come up with a plan of action to help resolve and/or address it sensibly.
•  You may wish to develop a safe, individualized yoga practice that will help with health issues, accidents or injury; pregnancy (pre and post partum); menopause transition.
• You might be experiencing signs of impending menopause, and struggling with this natural but confusing rite of passage and want a little guidance and support imbued with a yogic and Ayurvedic lens, from someone who's successfully made it through to the other side!
• You may want to learn Ayurvedic self care techniques, pranayama practices or simple Sanskrit chants to help broaden your personal sadhana. 
• You might wish to refine and hone your breathing, or deepen your understanding of the esoteric aspects of asana, or want to learn simple ways of gaining proficiency in asana, or simply want to learn how to more deeply integrate a daily practice, one-on-one sessions might be for you!

​And, I don't just teach Ashtanga yoga, but also offer therapeutic yoga in a modality called SRY - Supreme Release Yoga - as well that is outstanding for alleviation of issues related to hypermobility. 

photo credit Emily Duggan - 2018

Same posture as above photo, taken in March 2023 via Zoom.

What is a typical private session?

• Each private session lasts 75 minutes.
• We'll start with assessing your needs and hopes for the session, and with a recent health history.
• If you're seeking support for your asana practice, I may do postural analysis along with your needs assessment, along with some basic asana or breath work together, to help further refine the assessment and help determine goals and constitution.
• I asses your where you are right now, no matter what your level of experience, and together we come up with a personal practice strategy for you!
• What we learn together in one-in-one sessions will arise from a continued conversation with each other through the session(s), to pinpoint and refine exactly what you are seeking to learn and what we ultimately agree would be most appropriate course of action for you as a sadhaka - a yoga seeker/practitioner.
• If you wish to experience hands-on adjustments, I do work in person, and you can come to my home here in Chesterfield, or I can come to  your home for a small added fee. I have a strong background in sensibly assessing students during their practice, in offering nourishing and opening physical assists, too, all through my training and through a practicum of over a decade of teaching Mysore style Ashtanga yoga to thousands of students. I have the experience to help you with challenging asana or asana transitions both through verbal and through physical hands on methodology.
• At the end of your one-on-one session, I will email you my notes and recommendations, follow up about a week later, and will provide continued support in any group classes you attend, too.​

Private Session are priced at a sliding scale of $50-$100 for one 75 minute session

Multiple sessions may be booked as well along this sliding scale.
All payments may be made by cash, check or Venmo @Michelle-Ryan-57 before the start of the session.
One on one classes may be in-person or via Zoom.  
If I have never met you in person before, the first session must be via Zoom. 
Any following sessions can happen in person at my home in West Chesterfield, or continue via Zoom if you prefer​!

Cancelation Policy
Cancellation within 24 hours before schedule appointment is required.
Same day cancellations will be invoiced 100% of the scheduled service price.
If you do not call to cancel your appointment, miss the zoom meeting without notice,  or do not show up for your scheduled in-person appointment, you will be charged full price for the scheduled service.

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Testimonials:
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"Michelle finds a magical balance in teaching mysore Ashtanga yoga in a traditional way, while also MAKING IT FUN. The joy she brings and shares with you is so essential in both starting a yoga practice and maintaining one!" - Cara B.
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"Michelle is a phenomenal teacher, who guides all of her students with patience and humor." - Connie C.
"...having someone as warm and knowledgeable as Michelle as a teacher is a privilege..." Laila S.