Josephine Russell, MA/DMT, RYT and certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher

Josephine took her first yoga class on a slow boat to India back in the late 60s. Since India she has traveled the world studying yoga and meditation with teachers including Sarvani, Shiva Rae, Rodney Yee, Rama Birch, Rajashree, Shanti Desai, Dr. Lad, Beryl Bender Birch, Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das and Gurmukh. True to the origins, she allows our experience of the natural world to nourish our movements and meditations. Josephine has been a pioneer for bringing yoga out into nature; she was one of the first to lead “yoga and hiking” and “yoga and canoeing.” She is full of wisdom and is brilliant at leading groups on mindful trips. She believes that like the ancient sages arrived at the knowledge of the asanas while meditating in nature, we can also learn a great deal from practicing out of doors.

Josephine lives in a passive solar home in the small town of Surry, New Hampshire with her husband, JC; they have raised 4 children, 2 of which teach yoga and lead retreats with her. She is unique in that she lives a retreat-style life in her home. She has a great love of music, especially the piano. Her yoga therapy dog, Shadow, practices savasana during her yoga classes. During the winter months, she often has a knitting project in her lap. During the summer she is likely to be off on an exotic adventure, such as canoeing a wilderness river in Canada or climbing the highest peak in northern Africa.

On a retreat with Josephine expect to be doing yoga out in nature, enjoying the smells, sights, and sounds that nature lends for an intoxicating natural yoga experience. She enjoys her quiet retreat home life but also puts her whole heart into her full-time yoga teaching career, including leading Yoga Adventure Travel tours to Samoa, Peru, and around the USA.