Bonnie (Bhavani) Williams Ambrosi began teaching yoga in 1991, at Lynda Mitchell Yoga Studio in Bloomington, Indiana. In 1994, she completed teacher training and earned Integral Yoga certification at Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham County, Virginia, and later returned to the ashram for additional training in yoga philosophy.
From 2008 to 2010, Bonnie studied with scoliosis authority Elise Browning Miller, learning to adapt yoga practices for students with scoliosis. Bonnie is one of only a handful of teachers in the Midwest certified in Yoga for Scoliosis.
Bonnie also holds a certificate in Ayurvedic Health Education from
the American Institute
of Vedic Studies (1996) under the direction of Dr. David Frawley.
She offers constitutional analysis and basic ayurvedic education for
interested students, and also writes an ayurvedic column for the
Garbanzo Gazette, the newsletter of Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth,
Minnesota.
In her years of teaching, Bonnie has worked with students of all ages and abilities: children, adolescents, pregnant women, middle-agers, and the elderly. Inspired by the teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda, Bonnie teaches and practices yoga as a way of life. Her goal for every class is to help the students realize Swami Satchidananda's statement of yoga's purpose: "Yoga is for an easeful body, a peaceful mind, and a useful life." She has chosen the path of the grihastashrami: one who makes the home her ashram. An ashram is a safe place, a place of spiritual dedication and service. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her husband and their two daughters.
About the classes
Bonnie's principal background is in Integral Yoga, a style of yoga characterized by gentle postures with emphasis on mindfulness. "Integral" refers to weaving into one's daily life all of the major strands of yoga practice: hatha yoga (postures, breathing practices and relaxation for physical health), raja yoga (ethical living and cultivating a steady mind through meditation), karma yoga (selfless service), jnana yoga (study and intellectual inquiry), and bhakti yoga (devotion).
A typical group class lasts 70 minutes. We begin by chanting OM three times together; then gentle warm-ups, followed by about 30 minutes of postures for strength, flexibility and balance; guided deep relaxation; silent meditation; and a lesson drawn from the philosophy of yoga as applied to daily life. The poses are not difficult and do not require previous experience or extreme flexibility. If you can sit on the floor, you can do this! (If sitting on the floor is not possible, you might like to contact Bonnie for a private lesson with adapted postures.) If you are a more advanced student, you may still attend these classes. Variations are offered to help each student work to their capacity, and the emphasis on going more and more deeply into even the simplest pose will benefit students at every level, as will the relaxation and spiritual aspects of the class.
This style of yoga does not provide aerobic benefits or a highly vigorous workout. It is a wonderful complement to those practices. Think of it more as bodywork than exercise. Also, these classes are not designed to provide specific therapeutic results for individuals. In some cases, those can be provided through private lessons.
Private lessons are somewhat different. The importance of a private lesson is the communication between teacher and student about details of each posture and the student's needs, so the atmosphere is more conversational and less meditative than a group class.
What to wear: comfortable, modest clothing that does not restrict movement.
What to bring: a yoga mat provides a clean personal space for your body (especially welcome when you're lying face down) and a nonslip surface (useful for standing postures). Optional additions are a light blanket and an eye pillow for deep relaxation. (Eye pillows are very easy to make: if you don't have one, ask Bonnie to show you how to make one yourself.)