Daniel has been an adrenaline junkie since the day he was born. Whether it was riding his big wheel down any hill he could find as a kid, playing soccer, snowboarding, dancing to house music, mountain biking, rock climbing, running or competing in triathlons, physical movement has always been a way for him to quiet the mind and tap into his inner Self.
After his second back surgery from snowboarding, he found his way to yoga as a way to try and prevent back injuries from occurring in the future. Initially, Daniel’s interest in yoga was purely as a means to become more flexible and increase core strength. After a life-changing awakening experience in the fall of 2012, something in his heart told him there was more to yoga he needed to learn.
In January 2013 he enrolled in his first 200 Hour teacher training at Yoga District. A few months later he saw a screening of The Highest Pass at a film festival in Washington DC. The yoga teacher from India featured in the documentary, Anand Mehrotra, spoke after the screening. Anand’s words and fierce presence resonated with Daniel on a very deep and personal level.
In April 2014 Daniel attended Sattva Yoga’s Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India, led by Anand earning Daniel his RYT 500. Since then he has been back to India numerous times to continue deepening his practice under the guidance of Anand. In November 2016 he completed Sattva Yoga’s first Master’s Level training. Daniel also completed Baptiste Yoga’s Level One Training in February 2015.
“The Sattva practice resonates so deeply because I feel like I’ve been doing it my whole life. When I was about 15 years old, I would sneak out of my Dad’s house and drive up to Washington, D.C., to go to a club called Tracks. It was at this magical place where I was first exposed to House/Techno music. I’ve always been really into music. When I was about 10 years old, I was into Hip Hop and entered break-dancing competitions. When I was a teenager I started getting into new wave and alternative but when I first heard House music it blew me away.
“That first night I went to Tracks in the late 80’s they started playing early Acid House and Detroit Techno around 2 a.m. in the morning. I don’t know what happened but something greater than me took over and my body started to dance in a way that I had never danced. It was as if my Soul had been transported and I was dancing in heaven. Looking back, I think this was my first direct experience of the divine (whatever word one uses to describe God) even though at the time I didn’t think of it in that way.
As a teacher, I love teaching this practice because it gives me the freedom to experiment and I get to incorporate two of the things I love most in life: music and physical movement. My goal as a teacher is to provide space for all of us to return to our youthful, childhood innocence – loving unconditionally and having fun.”
Website: https://newkindofrebel.com
