Richard Freeman

Richard Freeman is one of the most intellectually revered Ashtanga yoga teachers in the world, known for weaving together the physical practice with profound philosophical understanding. A student of yoga since 1968, he spent nearly nine years immersed in Asian contemplative traditions before meeting Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, eventually becoming the second American certified to teach Ashtanga Yoga. In 1987, Richard founded The Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, which has since become one of the most renowned Ashtanga studios in the United States—a true temple of practice and learning. His teaching uniquely synthesizes his studies with B.K.S. Iyengar, emphasizing precise alignment, with his deep immersion in Ashtanga's flowing methodology. Richard's background is remarkably diverse: he has studied Zen and Vipassana Buddhist meditation, traditional Hatha Yoga, Bhakti and traditional Indian music, Ayurvedic medicine, Sanskrit, and a variety of other contemplative practices. He even taught yoga to Iran's royal family before the revolution. This vast tapestry of knowledge infuses his teaching with rare depth. A prolific author, Richard has written transformative texts including "The Mirror of Yoga," exploring the philosophical foundations of practice, and co-authored "The Art of Vinyasa" with Mary Taylor. His teachings continue to inspire practitioners to see yoga as far more than physical exercise—as a complete path of liberation. Richard Freeman represents the possibility of bringing rigorous scholarship and heartfelt devotion together on the mat, honoring yoga as both an embodied practice and a philosophical tradition that transforms consciousness.