The Heart Knows the Way
At Yoga from the Heart, our mission is simple: We want to share the life-altering tools and techniques that we, ourselves, have so greatly benefited from through the practice of yoga. Using the uniquely integrative method devised and refined by our founder, Lynn Burgess, we provide information and inspiration to help students move with awareness, intention, and delight.
For over 25 years we’ve been infusing alignment-influenced yoga with functional movement, somatic practices, and strength training. Lynn’s playful and poetic approach encourages students to enjoy the process of learning and connecting with their bodies.
We don’t just demonstrate.
We educate.
“Do not kill the body for the glory of the pose. Do not look at your body like a stranger… Watch it, listen to it, observe its needs, its requests, and even have fun.
To be sensitive is to be alive.”
— Vanda Scaravelli
Our classes have thematic focuses and are sequenced – choreographed – to move from easy to more challenging throughout the class. This allows your body to warm up and your mind to become present. Although increasingly a lost art, this progressive style of teaching is accessible, mindful, and safe.
Rather than standing removed at the front of the studio and demonstrating a flow, we give modifications, explain how and why props can help, explain how your body moves and offer hands-on adjustments. This can deepen your practice and help you access poses you might otherwise not be able to experience. We teach which muscles are working – often using visual aids to show what is happening in the body - or what can happen if practiced incorrectly.
We don’t believe in off-the-rack yoga classes. Our instruction is bespoke. You deserve nothing less.
Our Founder, Teachers, and Students
“The best teachers are those who have spent their lives studying and understanding the human body, the human mind, and finding ways to teach and share this wisdom.”
– Lynn Burgess
We’re honored to witness small and meaningful shifts in our students. As pain or stress recede, a relaxed strength and balance settles in. We love seeing the way dedicated practice enhances our students’ lives. At Yoga from the Heart, we don’t just celebrate your accomplishments, we celebrate your efforts and study.
From our hearts, we’re looking forward to practicing with you.
Lynn Burgess, Founder & Owner
Lynn Burgess, founder/owner of Yoga from the Heart in Sarasota, Florida, has taught yoga since 1996. Her experience and dedication is evident in every class and with every student. Her energetic, light-spirited approach is one reason she is in high demand not only as a studio teacher, but also as a guest instructor, corporate presenter, and national workshop leader.
Curiosity, openness, and warmth are of the utmost importance in Lynn’s approach to alignment-influenced yoga, as is the integration of science, yoga philosophy, and poetic imagination. Her style is effective, playful, and accessible to all levels and all ages.
Lynn’s teaching is in demand with private clients as well — from young entrepreneurs to CEOs and retired baby boomers — all of whom appreciate her ability to tailor lessons to their specific physical needs as well as their personal schedules. Lynn has also spent several years developing and refining a yoga program for students with Parkinson’s Disease and teaches a weekly class at Parkinson Place in Sarasota, Florida.
Prior to opening Yoga from the Heart, Lynn earned her MBA and worked in corporate America. Overworked, stressed, and plagued with nagging back and neck pain, Lynn realized she wanted a different life.
A perpetual student, Lynn continues to train several times each year with her own primary teachers, Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee. Additionally, she is a devoted student of functional movement.
“I am a problem-solver at heart,” Lynn says. “What initially drew me to yoga was a curiosity about how yoga could help reduce my physical pain and reduce the mental stress I felt. I fell in love with the study of the human body and mind which, in turn, has enabled me to help others create a movement-rich life.
Our Teachers
Katie Hebda
Katie has been calling Yoga from the Heart her home away from home since 2013, when she was 16. After one passage through the studio’s beloved purple door, Katie knew that she’d be learning from Lynn and Steve and laughing on the yoga mat for thousands of classes to come!
Now, years later, Katie is so grateful and excited to begin teaching and sharing her endless love of yoga at what she calls, “the most special place on earth.” In 2022, Katie completed her 200 Hour teacher training at Yoga from the Heart.
When she’s not at Yoga from the Heart, you can find Katie teaching Spanish at a local elementary school or hanging by the beach with her family and friends. Join her for a class to find a joyful, sweet escape that will allow you to enter back into the world feeling and spreading all of the peace, love, and light that yoga has offered you.
For Lifelong Students
Our students want to learn. They want to be comfortable with movement, at home in their bodies, and to gain understanding of how that benefits every aspect of their lives. They understand that, while yoga is excellent exercise, it is something to be continually practiced. Not with the goal of perfection – whatever that is – but with the aim of true self-care: ongoing maintenance of the body and soul.
Here are some kind words our community of students have shared:
