Donia Robinson

PATH:     I stumbled onto yoga, like I have stumbled onto quite a few things in life, by trial and error. I guess I was a bit uncentered coming out of college in Virginia, (RMWC) and after having left my home and family in Atlanta. I lived in New York and Los Angeles bouncing around in jobs looking for a path. I tried working as an actress, a tarot-card reader, captaining sailboats, being a wine educator, managing a bookstore, real estate and ceramic sculpture. Then after moving back to the south, I realized the only thing I consistently liked to do, through all of that, was yoga. Being naturally lazy and obviously unfocused, I enjoyed getting so much out of a single class of Yoga. Yoga made sense and spoke to me as a whole person, physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Ten years of practice, (and a supportive husband, Rick Robinson), led me to get my Yoga Certification and Advanced Teacher Training from the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara.  Tracey Rich and Ganga White at /www.whitelotus.org , are both amazing people and fantastic teachers!  I also attended a Training in the Business of Yoga, through The Yoga Institute of Houston Texas. As for the studio... it was a fluke. I needed a job and Rick and I were strolling through Carr Mill here in town. There was an empty store front and Rick said "Why not teach yoga in here? Open your own studio." Concept! I had never worked in a yoga studio, or been even a work-study in one, and only had taken a few classes in "studios" as opposed to gyms. But I thought, "Why not?" So through dumb luck and armed with a little knowledge (which is a dangerous thing) Rick and I opend the doors to our CYCo world March 1st 2004. INSPIRATION:    Inspiration changes. When I'm feeling fired up I look to Shiva Rea. I did her Flow Teacher training in New York and, though it nearly killed me, I loved it! When I'm looking to slow down and really get into to it, Erich Schiffmann is the one. My latest yoga crush is on Anglea and Victor who are some of my teachers teachers. More importantly are the amazing instructors we have here at CYCo. I learn so much from their humor, grace, strength, professionalism, and generosity everyday... that it is a joy to hold a place for them to give their gifts. They are my true teachers. Oh yeah...my nutty husband , Rick Robinson, the greatest guy in the world to me. FAVORITES FOR GROUNDING :   Humor. Breathing. Closing my eyes and hearing the birds nested in the windowsills of the studio. Looking out of the windows and watching our tree change through its seasons. Calling my girlfriends who won't let me get away with anything. Looking around and finding some gratitude for how cool life can be, especially on days when I'm feeling blue. FAVORITES FOR KICKING IT:    Lots of Sun Salutations! Getting into a pose and turning it up by trying to fit a cat-cow stretch in there some how with the breath. Taking someone else's class and learning. Strong music. PRACTICE:    My goal is to get folks thinking about some of the common themes in yoga, (working from the core out, breathing into a pose, using lines of energy and imagination, the importance of warming up and cooling down). These themes relate so much into dealing with the joy and chaos of daily life. I want to get one's mind and soul as engaged as one's body. I also want people to realize yoga is fun and to get them to have some fun doing it!  INTENTION:    I usually make up my classes as I go so I can accommodate the needs of those who walk in the door. My intention is to open up the whole body and relax the mind so the spirit can feel refreshed. I guess my intention also has to do with trying to look inside each person to see their light. It helps me to see my own at times when it is hard to see. MY CLASSES @ CYCO: I am taking a break from teaching but will get back in as soon as I can. You can also find me at times behind the desk, surrounded by a sea of papers and with a phone to one ear. Thank you so much for your interest in our little yoga studio and we hope we see you soon! This handsome fellow is the other part of "we", Rick my nutty husband, the guy who talked me into trying our little experiment here and I thank him everyday for it! Back to Home Page. Back to Bio Page                                           Back to Schedule Page.