Keen on Yoga Podcast #139 Clayton Horton - Living The Yamas and Niyamas
Asian philosophy | Hippy San Francisco | Hatha yoga | Baptiste yoga | Iyengar yoga | Brian Kest | Tantra, meditation | Teaching in Asia | Body types | Individualised teaching | Living the yamas and niyamas | Changes in teaching | Meditation | Diet | Pattabhi Jois | Current practices
Clayton Horton is the Director of Greenpath Yoga. He has been a student of yoga for over 30 years and began teaching in 1996.
Clayton is an experienced and internationally known KPJAYI Certified Ashtanga yoga teacher born in Oklahoma, USA. He discovered yoga at age 21 whilst living in San Francisco, California, when his mother took him to a pranayama class. After several years of practice and a long trip to India, he began teaching in 1996. To Clayton, yoga is a healing path back to the Self, allowing us to experience true peace and happiness. Being kind and living in balance with nature continue to guide his life.
Clayton studied with masters Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and the Greensufi for 14 years, both of whom gave him great inspiration to practise daily and develop a yogic lifestyle. Clayton received formal authorisation to teach Ashtanga Yoga from the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute of Mysore, South India in 2003 and he received Level Two Authorisation in 2010. While attending a course for teachers in Mysore during the summer of 2016, Sharath Jois awarded Clayton with the blessing of ‘Certification’ – the highest level of accreditation for teachers at the institute.
Clayton’s teaching style is traditional, yet light-hearted and relaxed. He believes that by practising and living yoga, we can transform ourselves and the world around us.
According to Clayton, Ashtanga Yoga is a complete and well-balanced system in which an experienced and skilled teacher can help any student ‘find their place’ within its structure regardless of individual challenges, aptitude, and constitution.
From 2001-2006, Clayton operated Greenpath Yoga Studio in San Francisco, California, USA. The studio was one of America’s first Green and Environmental–Friendly yoga studios. It was an inspiration with its progressive yoga programs, philosophies, events, and authenticity. The studio helped to inspire awareness of Earth Friendly yoga practices, philosophies, and products.
Currently, Clayton teaches Daily Ashtanga classes at Pure Yoga in Hong Kong. He teaches workshops, retreats, and courses and presents at yoga conferences internationally. His favourite hobbies are surfing, swimming, singing, and playing guitar. He is committed to making the world a better place by living with eco-awareness, teaching yoga and meditation, serving others with charity work (karma yoga), and offering music & Kirtan chanting (bhakti yoga).