Bethany's Santosha Yoga offers classes influenced by respected yogi Dharma Mittra

Sri Dharma Mittra presents Dina Lang with a certificate after she completed her final intensive training module with him fall 2012 as part of the Life of a Yogi teacher training course at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. (Jeffrey Vock)

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By Anna Marum, The Oregonian Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 27, 2013 at 10:08 AM
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Of all the yoga instructors in the Northwest, Dina Lang is one of a select few who has earned her teaching certification from esteemed yogi Dharma Mittra at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. Dharma Mittra is a 74-year-old yogi from the small village of Pirapora, Brazil, who can stand on his head without any support from his other limbs. "There are lots of amazing yogis out there, but he's the real deal," Lang said. Lang, 50,

co-owns Santosha Yoga studio, located in the Bethany Village shopping center. She received her teaching certification in March and brings her new perspective to the classes she teaches, which include power Vinyasa. Student Cindy Hurlbert, who visits the studio nearly every day, said she noticed a definite change in Lang's classes as she completed her teacher training. "What she brings now is the other seven limbs," Hurlbert said. She's referring to the eight total limbs, or branches, of yoga, which include -- apart from the physical poses -- high ethical standards and meditation. Lang's classes now offer more Dharma elements like focused breathing, which Hurlbert finds aids in meditation and brings a "unity of mind, body and spirit." But one thing hasn't changed with Lang's certification: Santosha Yoga is still a very welcoming, inclusive place, Hurlbert said. "She has such a level of humility and kindness in her teachings," she said. "She respects all peoples' reasons for coming to yoga." Lang, a New Hampshire native, has taught yoga since 2008 and practiced it for 16 years. A class led by Dharma Mittra at a 2012 conference inspired her to enroll in his 500-hour Life of a Yogi Teacher Training course. She completed the class over the course of 10 months, and she said it challenged her mentally, emotionally and spiritually, in addition to the grueling physical workout.

View full sizeDharma Mittra poses in Vasisthasana, a variation of the side plank.Courtesy of Dharma Yoga New York Center

"I remember thinking, 'I've never worked this hard,'" she said. "...This was insanity. None of my other trainings have been this intense." As part of the program, she traveled to the Dharma Yoga New York Center for two two-week modules, which required participants to follow a raw vegan diet and devote more than 6 hours each day to perfecting their physical yoga practice. Lang now follows a vegetarian diet and practices yoga every morning before she teaches and takes classes at Santosha. On her off days, she often hikes and takes a yoga class near her home in Northwest Portland. Though she wants to let everything she's learned from Dharma Mittra "percolate" for a while, she would like to complete his 800-hour advanced training course as well. In the meantime, Lang and co-owner Katy Nadal will continue to offer yoga for all types and levels at Santosha, including seniors, "plus-sized" people and children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. "It doesn't require athleticism to practice yoga," Lang said. "It takes heart." -- Anna Marum