Allie Labate

I came to yoga for the physical. I wanted to get stronger, move better, and feel better in my body. After years of bodybuilding, I was looking for a practice that could help me work with the tightness and chronic pain I had accumulated along the way.

I didn't expect yoga to change much beyond my body.

But over time, the physical practice opened a door into something much deeper. I became fascinated by what was happening beneath the movement—the way breath could change attention, how stillness could reveal things that movement couldn't, and how a practice that began with the body could ultimately change my experience of consciousness. Yoga led me to meditation, and meditation became the part of the practice I most wanted to understand.

Today, I teach movement, meditation, and internal arts with the belief that the physical practice can be a powerful preparation for stillness. My classes are intentional and physically engaging, but the goal isn't simply to make you stronger or more flexible. It is to develop attention, awareness, and the ability to become deeply present in your own experience.

My own practice is rooted in ongoing study. I currently study Nei Gong under Damo Mitchell of the Internal Arts Academy. I also incorporate Ayurvedic principles into my life and teaching as a Chopra Health™ Ayurveda Teacher. My formal yoga training includes Ashtanga, Rocket, Power Yoga, Yin, Restorative Yoga, meditation, and pranayama, along with continuing education in handstands and other areas of physical practice.

After more than a decade of teaching yoga, my work has evolved beyond teaching physical postures. I am most interested in what happens when we learn to use the body, breath, sound, and attention as tools for going deeper.

That is why vyb exists.