Betsy Snyder

Betsy was introduced to yoga by an ad she saw in the back of the Stranger. As a new transplant to Seattle, she knew she needed some support and retuning, and decided with a friend to sign up for a month of classes everyday at 6 AM, at a studio called “The Yoga Tree”. Her friend opted out at the last minute, but Betsy persisted.

As she explains, "After the first few days I noticed a significant relief in the amount of stress I was experiencing – I was sleeping better, getting along with people better, not getting as upset about things. And I felt myself at that time being introduced to a sort of inner guidance, like my body knew what was right for me, what were the next steps to take, what was good for me & what wasn't, and how to move forward in my life. It was a kind of inner listening I hadn't accessed before. I started getting the notion that my body knew things that my mind didn't grasp yet – and that there was important information in there for me, and that this practice was worth spending time with."

Her admiration for the wisdom in the body led her to a broad and ongoing study of movement and healing. As well as being a graduate of the YogaWorks teacher training, Betsy is a licensed massage practitioner, a reiki healer, and a teacher of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement ® lessons. She is able to draw on this thorough background in her classes, guiding students to a clearer experience of their posture and movement patterns within a complete and refreshing yoga practice. Students have described her classes as “potent,” “insightful” and “fun” – and the lessons they learn in the yoga classroom extend beyond asana. As Betsy explains, “The more we know ourselves and our movements, the better able we are to give ourselves what we need, and the more wellness we create for ourselves and those around us. To me the real essence of yoga is developing a way of observing ourselves with honesty, humility, and love, and from that place real growth can happen.”