Aileen Hansen, R.N., has taught thousands of yoga classes and trained teachers for more than 25 years. She established Contemporary Yoga Inc. in 1985, one of the pioneer yoga studio's of Chicago and taught in the Chicagoland area for 18 years, until relocating to Houston in 2001.
She utilizes broad training in yoga from countless teachers and 18 years of medical expertise in operating room and critical care nursing to enhance her classes. She has also published over 25 educational and inspirational articles on yoga and health.
Her early yoga training was in Swami Rama's Himalayan Institute style. After meeting BKS Iyengar in l984, she deepened her practice studying and teaching his form of yoga for many years.
Since 1988 to the present, she has been studying with Kripalu Yoga/ Amrit Yoga originator, Yogi Amrit Desai, who has most significantly influenced her personal yoga practice and teaching. In 2006 Aileen traveled on a pilgrimage to India with a group of yoga practitioners and Yogi Desai to study the spiritual heritage of yoga.
She was initiated in Paramahansa Yogananda's Kriya Yoga in 2000 by Swami Anilananda. Additionally, she completed a 6-year raja yoga study with Paramahansa Yogananda's organization, Self Realization Fellowship.
A founding member of the Board of Directors of the Yoga Teachers Association of Houston, Aileen served a term as Secretary and then as President. She is currently on the Advisory Board.
www.ContemporaryYoga.net