Ezra Masse-Maher

Yoga Teacher

What brought you to yoga?
After breaking both of my ankles at the same time, twice... I discovered Restorative Yoga. I also discovered a space in my mind, and my breath, giving me a powerful sense that I could fully heal. Over the next 10 years, I toured with professional dance and circus companies all over the world performing at venues such as America's Got Talent and Olympic Stadiums. I ended up breaking over 20 bones total, within that decade. Every break would lead me back to the mat for recovery. I largely credit yoga for the longevity of my career as a performing artist and even still to this day, I enjoy dancing and tumbling.

What’s your yoga background and what are you most passionate about teaching?
Born and raised in NY, I can remember as a child my older brothers creating stretching programs for off-season summer snowboard conditioning. We would stretch in unconventional methods with our boards attached to our feet at different parks. Creating a routine together, collaborating, developing community and inspiring each other with our intuition as a means of learning. I often believe our first interaction with yoga comes well before the “first class”, as the definition of yoga can best bedescribed through experiences. My experience with the multitude of styles within yoga grew as I moved to Los Angeles when I was 20 years old and took that first class. As I studio hopped intro deals around LA I began to focus on the potentialhealing benefits the practice offered. Each discipline showed me new tools, perspectives, new sensations and motivationsnot just for my profession as an acrobatic dancer, but for my relationships, health, and life overall. From the whirlwinds of trampolines, tumble tracks, crash pads, and trapeze tricks I was surprised most of all by the untapped stimulations I received from stillness. 

My teaching stems from a combination of eclectic techniques of my past career in theatre arts such as ballet, breakdancing,diving, juggling etc. as well as my recent teacher trainings in Yin, Restorative, Myofasical and Pre-natal Yoga. My goal as a Yoga instructor is to combine all the tools that I've developed over the years to help people find their own sense of intuition with their Yoga practice/experiences.

What would your students be surprised to know about you?
I love uneventful evenings and quiet mornings.