Valerie Damstra
Valerie Damstra first tried yoga in 1998 as a junior in college. But the only class offered in her community at the time was “Yoga for Menopause.” Being the youngest woman in the class, it struck Val that while these women were more than twice her age, they were so beautifully strong and centered and were aging so gracefully. It was this experience that led Val to want to pursue yoga for years to come.
Since then Val has practiced yoga and pilates for many years taking classes and learning from various instructors. Prior to moving to northern Wisconsin, Val studied for two years in Petoskey, Michigan with Mary Reilly, a senior certified Iyengar yoga instructor and the Committee Chair for the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States. Val’s studies with Mary were life-changing and inspired her to one day teach others the benefits of yoga.
In September 2012, Val will begin her 200-hour Alignment Yoga Teacher Training program with Scott Anderson. She is particularly interested in working with students on how to integrate regular yoga practice into their daily lives.
Val is originally from Michigan and moved to Ashland in 2009. She is married to Rick Damstra, an Aquatic Ecologist for the National Park Service, and is a busy mom to Violet, a precocious preschooler (who is developing a passion for yoga as well!). She also has two setters, Ivy and Max. In her day job, Val works to involve citizens in taking care of their home watershed for the Bad River Watershed Association. Among her other pursuits are crafting, baking, running, hiking, and berry-picking. In the summertime, Val and Violet keep busy traveling between Ashland and Houghton, Michigan to visit Isle Royale National Park, where Rick works in the summer months.