Besides teaching yoga, how do you spend your time?

I am an artist. You may have noticed the birds I painted on the walls [in studio 3 at the Yoga Center of Columbia.] Besides offering a visual focal point for students, these birds were painted after I learned that the names of many birds were being dropped from children’s dictionaries. We will only protect what we know about. The paintings were done during the early days of the pandemic and are also infused with my prayers for the survival of all living beings, including the yoga center.

What have you learned or how have you grown since becoming a YCC instructor?

I have learned to be more fluid and not stress about each student having perfect alignment, allowing them to generally have their own experience. I have learned to slow down and talk less. My favorite thing about YCC is the kindness of this community. I have participated in a number of communities in my life and this is such a warm group, both teachers and participants. It’s the best!

What to expect in class: Patty’s yoga classes are informed by her life-long study of movement and function to provide her students with the “just right” challenge to strengthen, stretch and balance their bodies and mindset. She includes guided meditation/visualization, breathing practices, and humor in her classes.

Patty has been a teacher at the Yoga Center of Columbia for nearly two years, and plans to obtain her E-RYT 500 certification in 2024. As an occupational therapist with over 35 years of experience, an artist, and a devotee of the outdoor world, Patty truly embodies the values of the mind-body connection.

She can be reached at pattyiammatteo@icloud.com.