Teacher’s Profile: Mark Uridel

By Tracy Green

Each month, Yoga Sanga will feature a yoga teacher and give you a sense of their experience relative to yoga and how it has changed their life.

I met Mark at a Kirtan event; he is a quiet presence who led the Kirtan inviting people to chant and attune to the vibration that is generated by the mantras.

Little did I know how he became a Kirtan practitioner. Mark used to play the drums as a young child and the saxophone when he was in College. A bad auto accident broke his front teeth and when he realized he was not going to be able to play the saxophone any more, he went back to the drums and learned to play the dumbek with Oliver Rajamani. After an adventurous yoga retreat where he and his wife played, he started to play the harmonium, having Jai Uttal as a big inspiration.

With regard to the practice of Kirtan, Mark comments “In Kirtan we sing in Sanskrit because this primordial, ancient and richly spiritual language taps into the intention of the sages, who were on a quest for truth…a quest for God, just like us. Chanting in a group of like-minded people is very elevating, and the power of numbers multiplies the effect. Kirtan is ecstatic chanting, and when I chant I am ecstatically singing to God…the Love inside me and

outside everywhere and me and in everything.  I feel a deep connection to my joy through Kirtan.”

In addition to being an accomplished musician, Mark is also a well-known anatomy teacher. He is aware that for many practitioners or yoga teachers, anatomy is not a favorite subject. Anatomy makes little sense for them until you are in a pose and the teacher starts talking about the pelvic floor, your trapezoids or the upward rotation of the scapula; it is at this moment that people think, oh man! Do I really have to learn that?

Mark knows the human body in an amazing way after exploring the inner corners of the human body to support the Asana practice. After being a runner for 15 years, Mark found his way in one of Peggy Kelley’s class and discover tightening areas in his body regardless of his great physical condition. Through his practice he wanted to know more about yoga and had the realization that it was more than stretching; at that moment he started In 1985, his spiritual quest for “truth”.

He went on to study with a number of different teachers; each one adding another piece to the puzzle of what is the truth? Mark learned that “it’s not what you do; it’s how you do it.” That the journey is more important than the destination, so we should embrace the moment..” Yoga has taught Mark  That the only time any one has is right now; therefore the best way to transform the world is to transform oneself.

“Yoga to me is a physical, mental and spiritual practice of becoming more and more present to what is real, …and what is real is …Love.  Love and happiness is our natural state.  Everything else is a delusion of the mind caused by layers of mental filters built up over  lifetimes. Yoga cuts through those layers and exposes our essence, our light, and our love,” adds Mark as his own definition of Yoga.

His titles are multiple: Licensed massage therapist, personal trainer, 500 h level Yoga instructor, Yoga therapist, and he is currently a doctoral candidate in Physical Therapy. Mark integrates modern medical research with ancient yoga practices to provide a healing and transformational experience.
Today, he practices a holistic combination of these healing arts in a way that addresses the individual needs of each patient. He has studied Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and also many eclectic variations of Hatha Yoga, and integrates all of the best things that each form has to offer. Mark says, “I have never been a purist, and embrace all forms of yoga. For me, I practice what my body, mind and spirit need, and that is always changing. I have learned to be very intuitive with my practice and move beyond form or style.”

Currently, Mark teaches three regular Yoga classes, and also teaches Anatomy of Yoga for teacher’s training programs.  He also teaches at  a National Yoga Conferences where his specialty has been Yoga Therapy for Back and Neck Pain.  In addition, he teaches continuing education courses for physical therapists, massage therapists, and yoga teachers through his company Healing Arts Continuing Education.

In the spirit of seva (service) Mark leads the Kirtan the first Saturday of every month at Yoga Yoga South from 7-9 p.m.

For more information on Mark Uridel, visit www.HealingArtsStudios.com or send him a message at info@healingartsstudios.com