Rod Stryker: Yoga Pedagogy, Hierarchies, and the Quest for Relational Learning

Voices of Esalen

Rod Stryker is the founder of ParaYoga®, and the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity and Freedom. He is renowned for making ancient wisdom and practices accessible to modern audiences. Raised in Los Angeles, Rod was just 19 years old when he began his study of yoga. He taught his first class in 1980 and went on to teach here at Esalen, among many, many other locales. In addition to mentoring thousands of students worldwide, Rod also serves on the board of Give Back Yoga Foundation and is a featured faculty member of Yoga International. He is a father to four amazing souls and currently lives in Boise, Idaho. In there role of co-host and wisdom contributor is Sadia Bruce. Sadia serves as head of Experiential Programming at Esalen, where she also teaches yoga in the tradition of Krishnamacharya. Sadia endeavors to create energized, radically-inclusive learning environments that are guided by breath and driven by inquiry - she hopes to share an understanding of yoga that is integrative, sensorial, and enlivening. Sadia is also committed to bringing yoga and yoga-based practices to non-traditional environments and underserved populations, and to mentoring new teachers in relational dynamics, development of teaching voice, and teaching to economically, ethnically and culturally diverse populations. She is an insightful, sensitive teacher whose breath-based teaching encourages pleasurable practice that nourishes rather than depletes— inspiring new openings rather than the deepening of old patterns.