Lee Kaufman - Seattle people development based on principles of yoga

It is not because things are

difficult that we do not dare,

It is because we do not dare

that things are difficult.

-Seneca

Now some thirteen years later, I have studied Iyengar, Power/Vinyasa, Bikram, and Ashtanga yoga styles. My practice has been guided and influenced by many wonderful Western and Eastern teachers including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy, Tias Little, David Life and Sharon Gannon. I have twice been to India to deepen my practice, first in 1999 for 5 months, and more recently in the Summer of 2003 to study at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore (www.ayri.org). In 2003 I completed a 200-hour teacher training program at the Miami Yogashala (www.miamiyoga.com), a program registered with the Yoga Alliance.

Business Biography:

I am a mature entrepreneur and business professional. I have direct experience on both on the revenue and cost sides of business. I have worked in large corporations and I have built a business from scratch. I am enamored by the world of business, but more importantly I am impassioned by helping people to realize their greatest potential.

In August of 2003 I was at a crossroads. I had received acceptance to the Carlson School of Management, which is the University of Minnesota’s Human Resources M.A. program. I had visited the school, met with faculty and students, toured the city, and then accepted their offer.

I knew it was an excellent opportunity to pair my strong business experience with traditional Human Resources training to then affect positive change in a corporate culture. However, something just didn’t feel right, so I went to India for the summer to get some perspective before diving head first into graduate school. It was during a particularly beautiful July evening, while sitting on my balcony in the southern city of Mysore, that I realized I needed to return to the States and teach yoga.

What hadn’t felt right about the Carlson opportunity was that it didn’t address the key parts of my personality that I needed to further develop to become a better member of our society: 1) more fully exploring my role as a teacher and leader, and 2) learning to better connect with each person at a heart level.

Now five years later, I have taught thousands of yoga classes to many thousands of students. I have taught yoga to Billionaires, international performance artists, grandmothers and even a former Ms. America. The experience has, more than I could have ever hoped, given me my voice as leader, and provided me with the necessary humility to always remember that I am also forever a student.

First my corporate experiences gave me a keen understanding of business fundamentals and drivers and the insight to see clearly how any current departmental or company-wide deficiencies might impact future financial performance, and now my teaching experiences have given me the confidence and faith to lead from my heart.

To see more specifics on my business background, I invite you to review my CV and an a Functional Use of My Skills.


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Yoga Biography: I began taking classes regularly in 1995 in Berkeley, California with a wonderful teacher named Barbara Herring Kaplan. It was during those anxious walks to class and the relaxed walks back from class when I first started to understand the not so subtle benefits of yoga. Now some thirteen years later, I have studied Iyengar, Power/Vinyasa, Bikram, and Ashtanga yoga styles. My practice has been guided and influenced by many wonderful Western and Eastern teachers including Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy, Tias Little, David Life and Sharon Gannon. I have twice been to India to deepen my practice, first in 1999 for 5 months, and more recently in the Summer of 2003 to study at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore (www.ayri.org). In 2003 I completed a 200-hour teacher training program at the Miami Yogashala (www.miamiyoga.com), a program registered with the Yoga Alliance. Business Biography: I am a mature entrepreneur and business professional. I have direct experience on both on the revenue and cost sides of business. I have worked in large corporations and I have built a business from scratch. I am enamored by the world of business, but more importantly I am impassioned by helping people to realize their greatest potential. In August of 2003 I was at a crossroads. I had received acceptance to the Carlson School of Management, which is the University of Minnesota’s Human Resources M.A. program. I had visited the school, met with faculty and students, toured the city, and then accepted their offer. I knew it was an excellent opportunity to pair my strong business experience with traditional Human Resources training to then affect positive change in a corporate culture. However, something just didn’t feel right, so I went to India for the summer to get some perspective before diving head first into graduate school. It was during a particularly beautiful July evening, while sitting on my balcony in the southern city of Mysore, that I realized I needed to return to the States and teach yoga. What hadn’t felt right about the Carlson opportunity was that it didn’t address the key parts of my personality that I needed to further develop to become a better member of our society: 1) more fully exploring my role as a teacher and leader, and 2) learning to better connect with each person at a heart level. Now five years later, I have taught thousands of yoga classes to many thousands of students. I have taught yoga to Billionaires, international performance artists, grandmothers and even a former Ms. America. The experience has, more than I could have ever hoped, given me my voice as leader, and provided me with the necessary humility to always remember that I am also forever a student. First my corporate experiences gave me a keen understanding of business fundamentals and drivers and the insight to see clearly how any current departmental or company-wide deficiencies might impact future financial performance, and now my teaching experiences have given me the confidence and faith to lead from my heart. To see more specifics on my business background, I invite you to review my CV and an a Functional Use of My Skills.