Tom Fronczak has been practicing yoga for nearly 9 years. As a yoga instructor, he has been trained by Baron Baptiste in the tradition of Baptiste Vinyasa Power Yoga and by Seane Corn in a very spiritual form of Vinyasa yoga and Body Prayer. He has over 25 hours of direct advanced anatomy training with Paul Grilley to make his teaching style informed, intelligent and with specific attention to safety. A regular participant of Baron Baptiste's BOOTCAMP Weekend Workshops, in May 2004, he completed training in advanced movement biomechanics with Baron Baptiste at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Professionally trained and also practicing as a licensed social work psychotherapist (LICSW) for the past 23 years, Tom maintains a full-time private psychotherapy practice working with adults and adolescents around a variety of issues. He facilitates individual, couple, and group psychotherapy at the Wayland Wellness Associates, a group of independent body-mind practitioners.

It was a personal history of back surgery 11 years ago and more recent rotator cuff injury that drew Tom to yoga to help strengthen and heal from these life events. The increase in flexibility, decrease in physical aches and lower back pain, as well as a sense of centeredness resulting from his yoga practice moved him into his own teacher training. He finds that yoga can work as adjunct to help heal the body, ease the mind, and center your entire being. The result is a psychotherapy practice influenced by yoga, and a yoga teaching style influenced by his psychotherapy practice (for example, non-judgmental, non-competitive classes, where there is room for everyone to be exactly as they are). He is committed to making the benefits of yoga available for everyONE and everyBODY. This is yoga you CAN do and be successful at!

No one needs to be able to do a perfect inverted pose; put their foot behind their head; or hold a balancing pose for several minutes. It certainly doesn't make anyone a better person. There are no perfect poses. Each body is different, hence we see various expressions of poses in class. Tom will place emphasis on moving into healthy poses, with a focus on alignment and movement biomechanics. You will be encouraged to open to possibility, while making room to honor yourself and your body exactly as it is in the moment. Tom’s classes combine the challenge of a flow (vinyasa) style of hatha yoga (movement from pose to pose) with some strength-based power moves (Baptiste influenced) to develop core strength and greater flexibility. Quiet music is played in the background of most classes to allow for alpha wave, deepening relaxation in both mind and body.

“I love this work. It’s such a natural integration of the psychotherapy work I am involved in. Yoga is not anything magical. Anyone can do yoga at whatever level and with whatever modification is right for their body. Yoga is also not just about sitting in unusual poses. Yoga actually means “unity or oneness”. It’s about the integration of mind, body, and spirit, and I’m always going to suggest the expansion of ‘possibility’. When your body is ready for the next pose or a deepening of the present pose, you will know. This is how growth takes place in class. Yoga class is the perfect metaphor for life. Through practice, we grow and expand. You’re often not sure if you can do it, but if you stick with it, and continue your practice, you suddenly see that you are growing and attaining your goals. Anything is possible in yoga class as in life. Set the intention and be amazed at the possibilities you can create for yourself and your life!” Namaste. Tom