About Elissa Rosenthal

Who am I?  

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I am a yoga teacher, a perpetual yoga student, a writer, a mother, a wife, a caregiver and an occupational therapist. Wherever I am in my personal or professional life, I strive to empower those around me to feel more confident and to find a sense of well-being that uplifts their lives. In my occupational therapy career, I treated individuals who had physical, cognitive, learning and psychological challenges. My serious yoga practice, begun at mid-life, pointed the way to positive possibilities and “poseabilities.” I was inspired to train to become a yoga teacher to share these benefits with my patients and with everyone in the community.

Why do I teach yoga?  

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I discovered yoga in my mid-fifties. I was, so to speak, a late blooming lotus. After years of heart pumping, bone pounding aerobics classes and weight training, I stepped into a yoga class. It felt good. It wasn’t a light bulb switched on “aha!” moment. For me, it was a quiet whisper of “Yes” and “More, please.” There was no competition, no over trying, no failure. There was only the sense of being in my body and breath. My mission is to teach yoga to everyone who wants to learn. That includes anyone with physical, mental or emotional road blocks. You don’t need a particular type of body or skill set. By definition yoga is inclusive and accessible. 

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Where do I teach yoga?

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I have taught in yoga studios, health and fitness gyms, a psychiatric hospital, a long-term care residence for people with developmental disabilities, private homes, group homes for children in foster care and a therapeutic school for teens.