Lori Smith began practicing yoga in 2004. Through her yoga practice she began to experience an awareness of the Holy Spirit within her and her relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grew in a new way. Moving in an attitude of prayer and worship during the physical postures and breath awareness, her yoga practice drew her into the Lord’s Presence where she found relief for the anxiety she had fought throughout her life.
In 2006, she earned her RYT 200 level certification and in 2013 her RYT 500 level certification both from New Day Yoga, Kennesaw, Georgia, yoga from a Christian perspective, www.NewDayYoga.com. Lori has developed her yoga teaching style from yoga anatomy studies based on scientific principles including the Yoga Mat Companion Series, by Ray Long, MD, FRCSC, and Tom Meyers’ Anatomy Trains. Her practice and teaching is also informed by classes and workshops by Donna Farhi, Kristine Kaoverii Weber, Leslie Howard and Robin Rothenberg.
Transformation Yoga is her yoga ministry name, inspired by the scripture verse 2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Transformation yoga classes are led as a moving meditation. A key scripture verse is the focus of each class as students hear, embody, move to, breathe in and respond to God’s Word. The breath, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, connected to the movement of the body quiets the mind, disposing the spirit to the Presence of God.
Lori is currently the anatomy teacher of New Day Yoga’s YTT 300 held in Cullman, Alabama and is affectionately known as the anatomy “engineer,” inspiring others with her detailed knowledge and powerful application of physical anatomy and kinesiology. She teaches the anatomy, asana, sequencing and kinesiology workshops for each module. Lori evaluates the anatomical teaching of the teachers-in-training, meeting with them one-on-one to develop their teaching of asana and their personal yoga practice.
To remain connected with other practitioners and teachers of yoga from a Christian perspective, Lori has attended various retreats and classes at different monasteries and Christian retreat centers in New Jersey, New York, Atlanta, and Cullman. She has a passion to share this gift with others and is currently teaching weekly classes at First Presbyterian Church, Huntsville, Alabama, www.fpchsv.org.
Lori Smith is the wife of David Smith and mother of 2 children. She has a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech and supported NASA’s Space Shuttle program until her children were born. Interestingly, Lori realizes that she works on transforming the greatest system in existence, which is the system of body, mind and spirit. Lori is also an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church, USA.