Clarissa Pollack's Yoga Journey and Offerings
Background
I’ve always felt at home in yoga. I was attracted to it as a pre-teen, taking classes with my middle school friends — we loved having time to relax together, and I was fascinated by how certain postures helped me feel calm, a much-needed experience.
From 2010 to 2014, I studied twice weekly with an Iyengar-trained teacher. This precise and deliberate practice built a strong foundation in alignment, muscle activation, and breathwork.
While living in Australia, I earned my 200hr (2016) and 500hr (2018) teaching certifications. These trainings honed my ability to share knowledge and wisdom in an accessible and comfortable way, while deepening my love for yogic philosophy and kirtan. It was in Australia that I discovered the true meaning of asana — Comfortable Seat — and that is what I aim for in every posture. I ask: How can we settle into the space between effort and effortlessness, precision and fluidity, strength and weightlessness?
In 2020, I discovered the teachings of Dr. Uma Dinsmore Tuli and fell in love with her gentle and nourishing approach to yoga, tantra, and teaching — it spoke to the parts of me that have always known we must only practice what feels good and right for our own bodies.
Since becoming a mother, I’ve felt a deep need for nourishment and gentleness in my practice, and I continue to explore and share that in my offerings today.
I teach studio classes, retreats, and workshops, and serve on YTT teams, integrating alignment, pranayama, and nervous system awareness with devotional elements — mantra, yoga nidra, and live music. I am also a kirtan musician and classically trained vocalist, offering standalone kirtan evenings alongside my asana classes. My teaching creates spaces where students can feel safe, supported, and empowered, while connecting deeply with their own inner wisdom and joy.
Inspiration
My practice grew from a largely physical practice in strength and precision in my teens and early twenties to a fluid and intuitive way to move energy through and around my body and my life. The 8 Limbs of Yoga serve as a guide for my ever-deepening understanding of what it means to connect mind, body, and breath in service to the Divine.
Services
Clarissa invites students to move, rest, and chant with presence, opening space for joy, inner wisdom, and subtle transformation. Rooted in Iyengar practice and decades of musical study, her teaching awakens the heart and stills the mind.