Courtney Riley

I see yoga as an incredible instrument for looking at the connection between the body, mind, and spirit. My journey on the mat began in 1996 as both a physical supplement and mental relief from the stress of my athletic training and college. Yoga became my way of life in 2001 when an injury from a season of triathlons and adventure racing left me unable to walk without pain. Yoga healed and aided me in understanding that I am more than an athlete. I realized that if yoga could heal me physically and connect me into my soul and a deeper sense of my truth, it could certainly do that for others. It was at that moment when I discovered that I wanted to be a vehicle for such awareness. I want to serve as a guide to others on their journey in discovering and actualizing their authentic selves.

I am a yoga instructor, an ironman, a multi-sport outdoor adventure guide, a Thai Yoga therapist, a skier, a surfer, heart rate coach, a personal trainer, and I love to cook! I grew up in the North Shore of Chicago and went to Lake Forest College completing a bachelor’s degree in studio art and theatre and a minor in religion.

I treasure working with people and using my skills to nurture them into pushing beyond their own expectations. My mission is to hold a space in which a person can feel safe and free to look inward and find the compassion and discipline to activate their inner awareness—their "inner knowing." My aim is to challenge people physically while helping them to confront their emotional and physical belief systems so that they can gain the courage to act and live in accordance with their authentic voice. Your yoga practice is an opportunity to turn up the heat, to gently place yourself inside small situations of chaos and witness your reactions. Seeing how you respond to things on the mat reveals how you respond to life off the mat. Your practice is the perfect time to identify the things about yourself you wish to shed and the things you wish to celebrate.

My teaching is influenced by my passion for athletics and a desire to surrender into and accept the mystical and magical unknown of life. I adapt my classes to all levels. They vary from challenging ashtanga-influenced vinyasa flow classes to restorative and therapeutic classes that combine different proportions of asana, pranayama, and meditation. My classes encourage students to bring a softness and grace to their practice while building strength and endurance.

My education includes a completion of Moksha Yoga Studio’s teacher training in Chicago in 2001, studying Thai Yoga Therapy with Paul Weitz, studying with and apprenticing Rod Stryker in a style he has coined "Pure Yoga," and this January finishing a 6 month professional program at Yoga Works in Los Angeles.