Laura Shanks

Yoga Instructor & Contortionist

Indira Yoga Pure Flow LLC

Originally from New York, Laura was drawn to yoga and movement at a young age. At the adviceof a dance teacher, she began a regular Bikram practice in high school that evolved into a personalpractice of her own. Over time, and through experimentation with various styles of yoga, herpractice blossomed beyond the physical, becoming an all-encompassing, spiritual discipline.Practice is the focal point of her life. It includes Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and expands off the mat toincorporate the traditional branches of yoga infused into its 8-limbs. Chanting, devotion,movement, breathwork, service, and inquiry are just part of this multifaceted daily discipline sheembraces.Laura completed a 200-Hour YTTC in Classical Hatha Yoga & Meditation at an Ashram in LakeAtitlan, Guatemala in 2016, as well as a 300-hour YTTC & 100-Hour Plus YTTC in AshtangaVinyasa Yoga at Kranti Yoga in Goa, India in early 2017. She also completed a teacher training withKristina Karitinou-Ireland on the Ashtanga Primary Series in Crete, Greece and has practiced withnumerous senior Ashtanga Vinyasa teachers around the world. She studied Ashtanga Yoga at the SriK. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute under the tutelage of the Jois family, traditional Ayurvedaand massage, as well as Indian philosophy & chanting in Mysore, India.More recently, Laura discovered contortion and hand balancing which she trains regularly withexperienced coaches and weaves their mechanical principles into her teaching. She aims to integratecontemporary science and psychology with timeless philosophical and natural truths, encouragingcreative, inquisitive, and experiential growth in all she shares.  Sat Chit Ananda