“I discovered yoga during winter break of my freshman year in college. I was exhausted from an intense first semester of music school and needed to do something physical besides walking to and from the music building. After the first few classes, I quickly realized that yoga’s benefits extended far beyond just my physical body, but also to my emotional and mental states. After spending hours in the practice room or in orchestra rehearsal, yoga is what kept my sanity.”
—Ann Lam
Ann has practiced yoga since 2001 and received her 200-hour teacher training from Greenhouse Holistic in New York City. She currently teaches Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, and Restorative classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Her classes focus on building strength and balance, with attention given to gentler restorative asanas (poses). Through the development and experience of each asana, she strives to grow awareness among her students, opening up pathways to restoration, transformation, and healing. Ann’s main teachers have included Leigh Evans, Summer Quashie, and Paul Manza.
Drawing from her own experience as a classically trained violinist, Ann specializes in yoga for musicians, in particular string players. She regularly offers workshops for musicians—addressing general issues—as well as tailors private sessions to individuals based on personal interviews and performance observations. She addresses bodily discomfort and injuries arising from the rigors of the orchestral, chamber, or solo performance environment. Common symptoms and causes include the following:
- Back pain due to sitting or standing in a relatively fixed position for a sustained period of time
- Jaw, neck, and shoulder cramps due to holding the instrument and/or constantly shifting one’s gaze to music stand and conductor
- Carpal tunnel or tendonitis due to repetitive motion in the arms, wrists, and fingers
- Aches and pain due to imbalance in strength between the left and right sides of the body
- Nervous tension arising from the pressures of performance
- General tension caused by emotional frustration
Available for individual and small group sessions, Ann has worked closely with chamber ensembles in New York City, teaching pre-rehearsal yoga classes designed to stretch and strengthen the body as well as focus the mind. For more information e-mail ann@ann-lam.com.
Upcoming Workshops