About Val
I am a 200 hour registered yoga teacher (RYT) through the Yoga Alliance and have been teaching since 2006. I teach private and semi-private lessons in The Central New Jersey area and also instruct at various studios with a specialty in Hot Vinyasa Yoga.
I began my yoga practice about 9 years ago looking for an enjoyable and safer way to keep in shape. Prior to yoga, I did mostly aerobic exercise which took a toll on my knees and joints and I never really enjoyed any of it. But a healthy lifestyle was important to me. I had a friend suggest taking some yoga classes and I decided to give it a try. At first, yoga was a bit odd to me and so different from the conditioning I was used to. However, I stuck with it, experienced a number of different teachers and classes, and it gradually began to grow on me. I always felt physically and mentally content after a practice and noticed how my strength and flexibility improved in a relatively short period of time. I then started doing Bikram Yoga hot classes and I quickly became hooked on practicing in a heated room. I felt so good all around from practicing yoga, feeling better and healthier than when I was 20 years old! I made it a part of my life, regularly practicing 4 to 5 days a week.
At that point in my life, I was also undergoing yet another career dilemma (many experienced since graduating college). After doing some inner reflection, I clearly saw my calling - becoming a yoga teacher. I simply wanted to share with others the incredible benefits of yoga. Since I felt and believed that practicing in a heated environment was even more beneficial than practicing in a “cool” room, I searched for an appropriate teacher training program for hot yoga. I decided to train with Jimmy Barkan in Florida, completing a two part extensive training program in the Summer and Fall of 2007 earning my 200 hour certification with The Yoga Alliance. It was an amazing experience! This was only the beginning for me as I continue to attend workshops, conferences, and read diligently about the many yoga philosophies and practices.
Outside of yoga, I have a wonderful husband Jeff, and a family of three incredibly spoiled cats Hobbes, Sasha, and Tigger that I love too much! I enjoy traveling, reading, good food and spending time with family and friends.
It is so rewarding to see the positive transformation that evolves with my students from their practice. Yoga has certainly transformed my life physically, mentally and spiritually. It is a way of life for me. I know that yoga can do this for every body. Why not give it a try?
Contact info:
Valerie Basile Grunther
Certified Yoga Instructor, R.Y.T
Barkan Method Hot Yoga
Please email me at: valbasile@yahoo.com Call Me: 908-296-0278
“The greatness of a nation and
its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”
Mahatma Ghandi
We can learn a lesson about present moment awareness by observing animals. They live pretty much “in the present,” seemingly striving to avoid personal and extraneous environmental stress. They stretch when they wake from sleeping and they stretch often during the day. When an animal is injured, it simply looks for a dark and quiet place in which to lie quietly and it allows nature to take its course; it will heal or die.
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