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RONALD P. CUTRONE 

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Private Yoga on
​Staten Island

​Interview with a Renee Kroeker Private Yoga Client

When I took a leap of faith about a year ago to leave the security of a steady teaching job that I had held for almost a decade to establish my own business that focused exclusively on serving person’s interested in private yoga sessions in their homes, (Renee Kroeker Private Yoga) the most common question I got asked from family, friends, loved ones, and random persons I ended up in conversations with at social situations was “What’s private yoga?” After giving what I generally felt was a pretty solid explanation, (“I travel to people’s homes and work with one or two individuals at a time, teaching yoga. Kind of like a personal trainer, but without the gym, the confusing equipment, the crowd or the noise, and infused with a lot more peace and mindfulness.”) the next question was often “What makes someone choose to hire a private yoga teacher instead of going to a group class?”
From these dialogues, I have been inspired to go directly to the source and share with a greater community the answer to that question. I asked one of my clients, Dr. Lucia Bove, a clinical psychologist and executive coach with a private practice on Staten Island, who specializes in trauma, if she would be willing to meet with me for lunch at The Mustard Seed, a lovely coffee shop on Forest Ave, and take part in an interview about this very topic. She generously agreed.
Dr. Bove and I started working together in October 2018 and quickly bonded over our mutual interest in yoga, spirituality, human behavior, and a deep love for the feline species. During our first yoga session, one of Dr. Bove’s cats, a black and white named Charlie, immediately befriended me and has joined us for almost every session since, frequently sitting on my lap or next to me as I instruct. Charlie truly adds an added element of Zen to the experience. He is quite the master of savansa, the relaxation portion that takes place at the end of a yoga practice.
Charlie (right) and his buddy, Flute, participating in a yoga sessionI began our conversation with asking Dr. Bove to share a little about her previous yoga experience before we began working together.     
L.B. When I was quite young (20’s), I found this exercise book and I loved it. And I did the exercises in it religiously, a certain section of the exercises. It took me years before I realized that I was doing yoga. I just thought of it as an exercise book.
Then, somehow that led me to an exercise studio in Brooklyn…I took classes and then hired an instructor privately at that time. And I thought it was absolutely wonderful. She was very attuned to people and had extensive training in yoga. She went to Tibet for a while. I continued to love yoga through her teaching.
Then, when I came to Staten Island, I tried a few different classes and found that I wasn’t really enjoying group classes. So I’ve tried, on and off, to do it on my own, to go to classes…I did have some private instruction previously from someone. (on Staten Island) That person became very busy. Then, I came upon a few different cards at Fab Cup (a coffee shop on Staten Island) and I actually tried a few different people before I met you! That changed everything! Your manner and style is very calm and attuned to what I need on the particular session we have.
​ (Continued next column)

Renee's Cats at Yoga Session

R.K. What was it, when you tried the group classes, that you felt like you weren’t receiving that you needed?
L.B. Well, I found the instructors to be very good, but there was a quality missing…and maybe it was that responsiveness to people that I was just referring to…and sometimes the classes are too big for people to respond. So, that’s when I started thinking I really need that personal interaction.
R.K. Now that you’ve shared what you felt was missing for you from the group class experience, can you speak more specifically to what else you wanted from private yoga sessions?
L.B. Well, to fully know that each time you have a lesson, your body might not be in the same mood or your body might not be ready for the exact same thing, (as other people) so with the private sessions, it’s personalized and tailored to what you need that day.
L.B. It’s been a very soothing experience. And in my hectic, overly busy life, it was really relieving to know I was going to have a yoga practice without having to run out and drive somewhere, look for parking, and then have to drive again afterwards. So it was very calming because of your manner, but also because after you left, I could just relax and enjoy what I’d just been through.
R.K. What would you like to add about other advantages to private yoga in the home?
L.B. Well, there’s things like being able to adjust the temperature! To have it be exactly what I want it to be. Also, I feel comfortable speaking up if I don’t feel capable or ready to do something, and we can change direction and move on to something else that I am capable of doing and know I enjoy. It’s both about the in-house yoga, but also about you teaching, the combination of those things made it very soothing. It helped me to feel like I was finally back into movement and taking care of myself a little bit. There’s just no beating that individual attention.
R.K. One of the other things that I’ve gotten feedback about from other clients in relation to their motivation for seeking private yoga is that they are experiencing a lack of confidence, either because they are a beginner, are out of practice, or have had an injury that has affected their mobility or range of motion. Does that resonate with you at all?
​R.K. So, we’ll come back to that again in a bit. For now, since we’ve been working together for close to a year, can you reflect upon what the experience has been like for you?

L.B. For me, it was not having practiced in a long time. It was really the first time I had gone as long as I had without practicing at least on my own. So I really wanted it to help me get motivated to practice on my own again…which it did do, the experience in my own house made it easier to do it in my own house again.
R.K. So it was that “friendly kick in the butt” that got you going?
L.B. (laughs) Yes! Are you going to quote yourself in the article saying that?
R.K. (laughing) We’ll see….so another thing that I have noticed with my client’s is that they often feel more comfortable in a 1:1 environment talking more openly about their health history that they might not share with a teacher in a class.

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Renee Kroeker is a private yoga teacher located in Staten Island, NY. She is the founder of Renee Kroeker Private Yoga, a therapeutic practice that promotes well-being through gentle and restorative yoga in the comfort and privacy of your own home. To learn more, please visit www.reneekroekeryoga.com.
Renee can be contacted at reneekroekeryoga@gmail.com

L.B. Yes, it is definitely a freeing feeling to be yourself and to speak up! In class, you don’t want to disturb other people…So, I think, especially with people who may be shyer, quieter or more self-conscious, it would give them a more comfortable platform to be themselves.
Also, having professional experience working with trauma, I know that sometimes people who have experienced it, (trauma), at times, have a disconnect between their mind and their body. So yoga helps to make that connection because it works in both areas, the mind and the body. And in the act of making that connection so privately when you’re doing the yoga, it allows a person to have that experience, but they don’t have to share it with anybody, they can just sit with it personally as they’re doing yoga…the yoga can also help them to relieve some of the symptoms associated with trauma, such as anxiety and depression. It helps them put some of the puzzle pieces back together in a way. They can do it at their own pace, especially in private yoga, where you have the opportunity to say “Can we do something else right now, something gentler or less intense?”
R.K. Yeah, the client is really in the driver’s seat of what they want to experience and is given quite a bit of agency, which I know is incredibly important to many people, but can have significant importance to a trauma survivor that may have had choices taken from them.
I’ve also had several people tell me they felt too shy or embarrassed to go to a group class if they’ve never done yoga before. There are those that say that the classes move too fast for them. A client I worked with previously shared that she had tried one class and found herself giggling the whole time! I’m sure that came from nervous energy. Her and I both thought it was pretty funny.
But moving on, can you speak to some of the results you’ve gotten from our sessions? These may be physical, mental, or even spiritual in nature.
L.B. People think yoga is about relaxation, and it certainly is, because there’s something calming to the whole system when you do yoga…plus it often ends with relaxation. (savasana) But, a lot of people don’t realize that yoga is a strengthening exercise. And as far as I can tell, it is a lot about your back. So, it strengthens your core and helps you to become more flexible, especially around your spine…and that just makes life easier! I find myself reaching deeper, turning more…even turning around when you’re driving looking to see if there are any cars behind me, it’s easier to turn and I turn further! The yoga is seeping into my everyday life and my everyday movements.
R.K. And what would you say to anyone that is considering in-home private yoga sessions?
L.B. You’ve got nothing to lose by trying! And by actually doing it, it can get you started, wherever you’re at, and maybe you’ll eventually add group classes if that’s something you want. If you do, you’ll feel more comfortable after having spent some time strengthening your body with private yoga. It’s an absolute pleasure to do yoga! I love Renee’s style and technique. She’ll make you feel at ease, comfortable, and supported right away!
R.K. Thank you! It’s been a pleasure spending time with you! I appreciate it and hope your insights have shed some light on what the private yoga experience is all about! And please give Charlie a pet and a hug for me and tell him I’ll see him soon! •
yoga photos in this article are by Stephanie Cowan, The Blonde With The Smile


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