Derek Rinaldo
Owner of Namasté Yoga Sanctuary
Bio

Derek Rinaldo assumed ownership of the Namaste Yoga and Healing Center in February 2008 and has been infusing the already beautiful space with the spirit of evolution.

“I want people to walk into Namaste and feel they shift inwardly, maybe just a little, to at least slightly experience their own inner sanctuary from the outer chaos; a reflection of the name change to the Namaste Yoga Sanctuary.”
 
Like many people, Derek came to yoga as a fitness supplement to other exercise. In Derek's case this included long-distance cycling, paddling, and running. As a child, he learned the art and practice of meditation, and has maintained a deeply spiritual life throughout his adult years.
 
Derek has been a zookeeper, bartender, counselor, wilderness instructor, teacher, coach, school director, and dean of students. “I’ve been teaching, in some form, most of my life, connecting with people on a gut, soul level… even when I was a kid.” His style of teaching is personal and obviously caring, though he is insistent that his students live fully and clearly in their own power and responsibility. “We can live in mediocrity on our way to living purposefully with integrity”, he says, “but why wait?”
 
Almost six years ago, Derek intensified his yoga and meditation practice as rehabilitation from a near-death motorcycle crash. This was a profoundly transformative experience in his life, through which his spiritual insight has deepened into an offering through the practice of yoga. He has since lived, studied, and taught yoga in the United States, India, and Thailand. Derek has developed an invigorating, yet meditative energy-based style of yoga as a loving offering for others to grow in their own self-discovery and love.
 
“I don't have a resume of celebrity yogi guru names,” Derek says. “That's not where it's at for me. I don’t have a lineage or a named style. In fact, one of my dearest teachers asked me not to mention his name. He offered me deep and penetrating Darshan, insight to God. So, I just practice and teach yoga as Shiva inspires me.” Derek has practiced with many teachers, Yogi Amrit Desai, Swami Vivekananda, Dr. Visnu Das, Rosella Rossi, SriVijai, Joel Pier, Surrendar Singh… and he insists it is the quiet teachers who have the deepest impact in our lives, bringing us to realize that we are our own Guru.
 
Derek has practiced, studied, and meditated in weeks-long Himalayan retreats, and practiced for months at a time with tantric yogi masters. He is certified to teach classical raja yoga at the 500-hour level, and is certified by the Yoga Alliance as an e-RYT500. He incorporates matters directly related from classic yoga texts, tai ch'i, quigong, principles of ayurveda, Thai yoga massage, and yoga therapy into his own life practice, private sessions, and teaching. He lives his life as a dedicated yogi, the core of which is the practice of kundalini, hatha, and laya yoga. He has a son, Brandon, who lives in upstate New York. He rides a Harley Davidson, plays the sitar and a mean game of chess as meditation, and generally lives quietly and intently by the motto, “We are not looking for the meaning of life; we are looking for the experience of life!”