Patty Townsend is the director of
YOGA CENTER AMHERST, and the developer of our distinguished EMBODYOGA™ In-Depth Yoga Study & Teacher Training Programs.

Patty was among the first wave of teacher-trainers in the US, training teachers as early as 1985 in Los Angeles. Her classes reflect her many years of study in classical Hatha Yoga including Iyengar, Vinyasa and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Her breath and awareness centered approach, incorporates a deep knowledge of alignment that is profoundly influenced by the innovative approach to consciousness and full embodiment that is presented by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen of the School for Body-Mind Centering® where Patty has completed certificate programs in Embodied Anatomy and Embodied Developmental Movement.

Patty is a teacher of Tantric Mantra Meditation. An expressive and joyful teacher with a daily practice of postures, pranayama and meditation for more than 30 years, Patty brings a strong understanding of all aspects of Yoga practice and philosophy to her classes with clarity, wisdom and humor.

PHOTOS of Patty Townsend, 1985! while in residence at the Center for Yoga, Los Angeles. Ana Forrest was Patty's primary teacher at this time. You can certainly see Ana's influence in Patty's feet! She was also studying with senior Iyengar teachers, Angela Farmer and Dona Holeman. These photos are pre-Ashtanga Vinyasa. In 1986 Patty began a decade of Ashtanga Vinyasa Practice before moving to Amherst, meeting Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and developing EMBODYOGA™ click here

“Patty Townsend is an exceptional teacher, manifesting deep integrity, wisdom, enthusiasm, humor, sensitive awareness and kindness.  Her comprehensive yoga courses are heart centered, precise in the execution of asana, clear in the transmission of the underlying principles of pranayama, knowledgeable of the philosophy of the sages, aware of the importance of personal embodiment, and caring of the individual differences within the group of participants.  Patty is a joy and a gift for those of us who are fortunate to study with her.”

Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Educational Director and Founder of the School for Body-Mind Centering