Portrait of a Yoga Teacher by Anne Ferrer
In the Fall of 2005 an ambitious young woman came to my hot yoga class one Friday evening. Looking for a way to step out of what some deem normal and come into a place known as yoga. Anne’s weekly visits and continued dedication is an inspiration and testament to the benefits of yoga. The young woman was Anne Ferrer, an undergraduate at Princeton University majoring in the rigors of a Journalism degree. When Anne contacted me about doing a portrait piece for her Journalism studies I was thrilled to oblige my dedicated student. Below is her portrait of my path, it may very well be the beginnings of the Soliloquies of a Yogi!
Verification of the idiom: Everything happens for a reason
Red Rover; Steal the Bacon; Tetherball; Marco Polo –
common childhood games, playground pastimes, and summer
camp givens. But for Michael Cremone, while other kids
shoveled their way to China in the sandbox at recess,
he practiced breathing, meditation, and perfecting the
sun salutations his mother had taught him. While other
kids were pestered to brush their teeth before bedtime,
Momma Cremone would ask Michael, “Son, did you
practice your breathing today?”
Although his mother would never refer to her exercises as ‘yoga’ nor attach religious meaning to the undeniably spiritual practice (she raised her three adopted children as Roman Catholic), it’s no surprise Michael became a yoga teacher given his unconventional upbringing. Michael’s career as a part-time yoga instructor began at a health club near Princeton, New Jersey eight years ago. Combining the physicality of power yoga introduced to Michael by Bryan Kest, the Californian “Rock Star” of yoga, and the tenets of Bikram yoga (one noteworthy tenet being the 105oF setting), Michael created his own sequence of poses. His innovative approach to yoga instantly generated enormous popularity and before he could say Triang Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana, he was invited to teach at Global Fitness Conferences, offered a teaching position at Princeton University, and other fitness centers from Rumson New Jersey to Mid-Town Manhattan, New York.
Now Michael owns his own studio – Yoga Above – on Nassau Street and teaches no less than 20 classes per week, including open flow yoga, hot yoga, and pre-natal yoga. The majority of his clientele ranges from 20 to 50 years old and many of his students are Princeton undergraduates (a.k.a. burnt out kids searching for an outlet from the burden of Ivy League pressures). Michael’s favorite part about teaching yoga is being able to share, to “give without expectation.” Yoga, meaning “mental and physical balance,” emphasizes the importance of moderation. “It’s more than something you do on the mat,” he says.
Princeton senior Paige Bernick enjoys Michael’s Friday evening hot yoga class. “I can recall times that I dragged myself to the studio, regretting my decision to leave my bed, but after following through with the class, I always feel so much better,” she explains. From Michael, who encourages his students to practice at their own pace, Paige was able to carry the serenity she created on her yoga mat to the LSAT, which she calmly took the morning after a much-needed yoga cleanse. Nothing is more gratifying for Michael than hearing “Thanks, Michael!” from students like Paige, who he believes he’s “prevented me from cracking.”
But Michael’s lucrative career did not crystallize overnight. Yoga Above, a purposeful studio that reflects Michael’s mystical vision and occupational success, symbolizes the ending of a fascinating fairy tale, embedded in tragedy and coincidence.
Yoga Class Information
More from Michael
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Open Flow Yoga the Philosophy
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Off the Mat words from Michael
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Jñãna Yoga coming Spring 2015
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Audio & Video for Home or Away
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YogaDogs Balance the Animal
Connect with Michael
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