Gretchen Griffin

Her teaching weaves Yin, Restorative, and Mindful Hatha yoga into an integrative journey of awareness and renewal - linking her work in conscious leadership to the mat, one breath, one interaction, one class at a time.My Story: Fifteen years ago, I was a stressed-out corporate executive running on caffeine, deadlines, and willpower. My naturopath gently suggested yoga, so naturally, I went all in -Type A style. Ninety-minute hot yoga classes, seven days a week. If I didn’t sweat, I wasn’t doing it right.Then one day, on a business trip, I missed the grace period for a local class and, out of sheer stubbornness, slipped into a Yin Yoga session instead. There were only eight people in the room, the lights were dim, and everyone was lying still on the floor, wrapped in blankets and propped up on blocks. It felt foreign, uncomfortable - even wrong. For the first 29 minutes, my mind screamed for an exit strategy. I planned at least six ways to leave without embarrassing myself or offending the teacher.But somewhere around minute 30, something shifted. My body softened. My breath slowed. My mind grew quiet. I felt something I hadn’t felt in as long as I could remember - stillness, calm… peace. In that moment, something deep within me exhaled. I didn’t know what had just happened, but I knew it was real. And I knew I needed more of it.That one class changed the trajectory of my life. I enrolled in yoga teacher training in Asheville, North Carolina, and later studied Yin Yoga and meditation with Sarah Powers in upstate New York. Eventually, I left my corporate career and opened a yoga studio to share what I had found - a space where busy, purpose-driven people could slow down, reconnect, and remember who they are beneath all the striving.Though I no longer own the studio, yoga remains at the heart of everything I do. Today, I blend somatics, life coaching, and expanded consciousness through integrative yoga and conscious leadership work - helping others find the still point within the spin of modern life.Yoga changed my life, not through effort, but through surrender. It became my path home - to myself, to presence, and to the simple power of one breath, one class, one interaction at a time.