My Yoga path began in 1999 when I was given an introductory Iyengar video.  For the first 4-5 years, my Yoga practice entailed moving, breathing, and sitting on my floor at home.  It wasn't until the privilege of university that I discovered that I could access Yoga "classes" and I began to learn from teachers in person rather than videos and books. I am not an official teacher of any specific tradition, though most of my teachers stem from the lineage and legacy of Śrī Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.

I have worked in health and human services since 2002 and began teaching Yoga in 2003, integrating the ancient practice into my work with differently-abled individuals. Under the tutelage of Zen Master Po Hwa Sunim in 2009, I led the Hwa Gye Sa Temple’s International Zen Center weekly meditations in Seoul, South Korea.  Through the former Yoga Center of Minneapolis, I completed a 230-hour certification in 2013 where I had the honor of studying with some of the Twin Cities most cherished teachers, such as: Monique Maxwell, Betsy Weiner, Kevin Kortan, Holly Schramm, Moya McGinn Matthews, Jennifer Davis, CoCo Elwood, and Ted Roseen.  I continued studies with two of my main Yoga Center teachers, completing a Yin Yoga instructor certification in 2014 with Michele Pietrzak-Wegner and a meditation teacher certification in 2015 with Tara Cindy Sherman.  I have also had the honor of completing intensive trainings with Chelsea Jackson Roberts and Theresa Murphy.

My university education consists of a bachelor’s degree in Justice and Peace Studies from the University of Saint Thomas and a master’s degree in Somatic Counseling Psychology from Naropa University. My work as a somatic trauma therapist is distinct yet inter-related to my path as a Yoga guide. I hope that the honor I have in sharing what others have taught me in my own Yoga journey will contribute to the healing of individuals and society.  When finally choosing a name for my practice, I chose Béke (Peace) to embrace a counter-narrative to the misconception that "peace" is only to be found within or that social unrest/violence can be bypassed by an individual pursuit for contentment. While I do hope to share moments of serenity, clarity, and gentleness with students, it is my dream that the practice of Yoga and the cultivation of inner peace can support action that serves to actually realize liberation on the interdependent individual and collective levels.

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Anna Andaházy, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, E-RYT 200, YACEP

( she / her / hers )