About

Shanna Hughes

Shanna Hughes is a trained yoga therapist with many years of experience in classicyoga training with a special emphasis on therapeutic and clinical applications of yoga and special-needs yoga integration.

For the first fifteen years of her life, Shanna lived in Kashmir, India where her parents studied yoga and meditation under the guidance of a world acclaimed philosopher and Kashmir Shaivite Saint, -Swami Lakshmanjwam joo. By joining these classes-from childhood through her young adult years, Shannalearned at a early age the healing power of meditation and yoga.

After returning to America, Shanna continued her studies of yoga, concentrating on yoga therapy. She completed a three-year certification as a Yoga Therapist from Loyola Marymount University. Through this innovative course, she learned how to integrate the practices of yoga with the various approaches to healing found in modern medicine including techniques in physical therapy and stress reduction through bio-feedback.

Yoga can be taught sitting on a chair, laying in a bed or on the floor. Depending on the clients’ capacity and needs, Shanna creates a class in which the client learns how to stretch and strengthen their body musculature using classic or modified yoga positions. Many of her clients have either never practiced yoga before or have had negative experiences because of being pushed too hard. With this in mind, Shanna is able to create a safe, gentle practice that is user friaendly and can be practiced at home daily. Another very important element of her teaching is her understanding of breathing patterns and ways to better these. Proper breathing can invigorate a person with vitality and health. In her sessions,the client learns the practice that best suits their breathing patterns and needs. Shanna has traveled the world teaching gentle physical postures and breathing techniques that have proven to be both calming and healing; and in many cases,reversing what seems like irreversible physical and emotional challenges.

Testimonials for Shanna

 “I have been a student of Shanna’s for almost 10 years now. She is one of the loveliest women and best yoga instructors you will have the good fortune to know. Since she is a yoga therapist she cannot only lead you through a series of vinyasas, but can tailor-make them for you according to your needs. My flexibility and strength at age 59 are a direct result of her classes. If I take time off for any reason, I can immediately notice a difference in my body in a negative way. There are not enough words that can impart how wonderful she is and how enjoyable and beneficial her classes are.”

– Lynn Lansing

 

“Shanna Hughes’ Yoga class has helped me recover from two major surgeries. The back strengthening poses have been just what I’ve needed to gain stability and maintain normalcy in my life. Added to that, the poses for hip opening have been very useful and have seen me through painful stiffness to new pain-free flexibility. Another plus is the general relaxation one feels after one of her classes. Shanna understands the needs of her “students,” most of us well up in our years. She is kind, thoughtful, understanding, knowledgeable, and a simply great teacher!”

– Joy Jacobs

 

“I have practiced yoga with numerous teachers over the last 15 years. I can truthfully say that Shanna has been a unique inspiration. Her kindness and devotion to her students is a joy and a blessing. I have learned to breathe into my stress and feel it slip away. I have been known to tell the guys in the Post office line to “breathe deeply”. They do, and are amazed that it really works!!”

– Evelyn Cronin

 

“In Los Angeles, one can choose from any number of yoga options in most any neighborhood. Yet the experience of one yoga teacher to another can vary widely. Shanna’s consistent emphasis on breath, and her readings of spiritually oriented poems at the mid-way point in class offered students a deep, reflective experience, as well as a good yoga workout.”

– Deborah Myers, CYT

Denise Hughes, Assistant Editor of The Lakshmanjoo Academy

Denise has been working in the field of consciousness for over four decades. At age 18, Denise and her husband, John Hughes, studied for five years with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. During that time, Maharishi gave his blessings for Denise and John to study with the great Shaivite Master, Swami Lakshmanjoo of Kashmir. Swami Lakshmanjoo was the last in a lineage of Shaivite teachers dating back to the great Indian philosopher, Abhinavagupta, 950-1020 CE. Denise became a close disciple of Swami Lakshmanjoo and studied under him for fifteen years, while raising her family in Kashmir. She was with her husband John when he recorded all of Swamiji’s lectures, which includes 700 hours of audio and video recordings. So far they have published seven classic books on consciousness in the Lakshmanjoo Academy Book Series. These books include: Kashmir Shaivism – Secret Supreme, Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism, the Shiva Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Vijnana Bhairava, Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara & the Shivastotravali.  For more information, please visit: www.lakshmanjooacademy.org.

After Swami Lakshmanjoo took mahasamadi in 1991, Denise and John continued with their work that includes 20 more texts still to be edited and published.

Additionally, Denise has taught yoga which includes postures, breathing practices and meditation through the lens of Kashmir Shaivism to individuals and classes for 18 years.

Testimonials for Denise

 “Denise Hughes has helped me to live a healthier, stronger life. I can’t imagine a better yoga teacher! She teaches the real yoga; healing to the mind and body.”

– Mary Gorman

 

 “Just a few minutes into Denise’s gentle, healing yoga class and you will find a shift in your mind, body and spirit. Denise guides each individual to deepen one’s focus on the breath and slowly shift from the challenges of the day to an awareness of the moment. Denise’s kindness and her expertise allows each participant to fully engage at their own level of comfort. Gentle healing yoga will expand your awareness of yourself and your environment: it is not just a class – gentle, healing yoga is a way of engaging with life.”

– Linda Kovaric

 

“Denise is a natural teacher, and a warm and joyful person. That sensibility is evident in her yoga classes. Denise constantly helps us connect mind, body, breath, and spirit in our yoga practice, and does so with humor and gentle encouragement. Denise makes our Saturday morning class feel like a real community. I love practicing yoga with Denise.”

– Andrea Cohen

 

“Denise gave me back my life when I came to her yoga class! I had walked the Camino de Santiago, 500 grueling miles across northern Spain at age 58.  I thought I was fit, but I was not fit enough, and I came home limping. I could not do any of my normal activities such as walking and hiking without pain. The gentle yoga classes were a big part of my recovery from that ordeal. I only wish I had discovered yoga sooner in life. It will always be part of my routine now.”

– Jean Ballantine

 

“I was going through a rough patch in my life, I figured yoga would be the most palatable form of meditation. I have been an athlete throughout school and as an adult. In yoga, I found an experience unlike anything I had experienced in organized sports. For something not competitive, I have never found something so challenging yet relaxing at the same time! I have been lucky to be associated with a person who trained in India and is totally sincere in her efforts to impart the benefits of yoga to her students.”

– Mike Finegold

 

“Denise is special. Her kind and gentle style makes me feel like I belong. She is a gift! My body and soul enjoy Denise.”

– Eileen Miller Krause