DEREK
COOK

He/Him

Teacher Training

What is something that would surprise me about you?
1) I don’t use social media
2) Ive dissected more than a dozen bodies
3) I teach PE to K-8th graders
4) I live in a school bus that I converted myself….
5) At the age of (almost) 40 I decided to go back to college… for fun?!?

What can I expect from your class?
You can expect bad dad jokes peppered between nuanced cues intended to get you out of your habitual ways of moving and practicing and into a novel experience of yourself, your body, your opinions, your preferences and your practice.  I hope you find something that feels like your yoga but sounds like an invitation to explore.

What is the most essential part of practice for you?
Curiosity.  From the most cutting-edge cognitive psychology research, to the daily lessons I see when helping 2nd graders struggle with making mistakes (if you think you don’t like messing up… try being 7), is that we learn SO much more through failure then we do when we get it right… For me, my practice is all about being willing to not know, and being curious about what is in front of me.

Derek is an experienced bodyworker, yoga teacher, and internet ordainer reverend preaching the gospel of the human form.  His study has led him deep down the path of not only asana and movement but of the physical mechanics and philosophical intricacies of the human experience.  As an anatomy teacher and bodyworker, Derek has honed his understanding of the form and function of the human body, both in the laboratory setting alongside world-renowned fascia expert and anatomical explorer Dr. Gil Hedly, and through working with countless moving bodies of all sorts..  Derek has developed a passion for sharing the beauty of the physical form and helping others to see how through understanding we have the power to heal within our grasp.

What is something that would surprise me about you?
1) I don’t use social media
2) Ive dissected more than a dozen bodies
3) I teach PE to K-8th graders
4) I live in a school bus that I converted myself….
5) At the age of (almost) 40 I decided to go back to college… for fun?!?

What can I expect from your class?
You can expect bad dad jokes peppered between nuanced cues intended to get you out of your habitual ways of moving and practicing and into a novel experience of yourself, your body, your opinions, your preferences and your practice.  I hope you find something that feels like your yoga but sounds like an invitation to explore.

What is the most essential part of practice for you?
Curiosity.  From the most cutting-edge cognitive psychology research, to the daily lessons I see when helping 2nd graders struggle with making mistakes (if you think you don’t like messing up… try being 7), is that we learn SO much more through failure then we do when we get it right… For me, my practice is all about being willing to not know, and being curious about what is in front of me.

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Derek is an experienced bodyworker, yoga teacher, and internet ordainer reverend preaching the gospel of the human form.  His study has led him deep down the path of not only asana and movement but of the physical mechanics and philosophical intricacies of the human experience.  As an anatomy teacher and bodyworker, Derek has honed his understanding of the form and function of the human body, both in the laboratory setting alongside world-renowned fascia expert and anatomical explorer Dr. Gil Hedly, and through working with countless moving bodies of all sorts..  Derek has developed a passion for sharing the beauty of the physical form and helping others to see how through understanding we have the power to heal within our grasp.