Matthew Tift, PhD, RYT-500
Hi, I’m Matthew, a yoga and meditation teacher in Excelsior, Minnesota. At the end of most classes I say, “may you live at ease.” I want that to describe my own life too, one thing at a time, with care for the people around me.
I teach weekly Gentle Yoga and Vinyasa at The Marsh in Minnetonka, near Minneapolis. I trained at Kripalu, and my classes bring together movement, breath, and stillness.
I also teach yin, restorative, and chair yoga. Sometimes I sing and play harmonium in my classes. These classes and practices offer different pathways to slow down and pay attention. In all my classes, you don’t need to be flexible, fit, or experienced. You only need to show up and be curious. I try to create spaces where people leave with a little more ease.
In addition to yoga classes, I organize daylong retreats and special events in Minnesota.
I have found that a day of practice in a beautiful place can be a balm for the body, mind, and spirit, so I like creating these gatherings with people who want to move, rest, listen, and spend time together without having to hurry. You can hear about my latest classes and retreats by email.
I also take bookings for guest classes, daylong events, and retreats, and I’ve taught for organizations like these. If you help program a community education series, events at a retreat center, or another gathering, say hello. I am especially interested in working with groups and organizations that already bring people together and want to offer an accessible, grounded practice to their community.
When I am not teaching, I write about ordinary life through yoga’s ethical teachings on my blog: a bench on a walking path, a bike ride, a family conversation, or a pause at a tech conference.
My teaching and practice draw on Kripalu yoga and the Theravada Buddhist tradition. I learned to meditate from Buddhist monks, and I owe a great deal to my teachers. These traditions help me look at stress and habit with more patience and kindness, both on and off the mat.
I have tried to carry the practice into the wider community by assisting with the 200-hour teacher training at Kripalu, offering free yoga and meditation classes, and bringing yoga into schools and prisons.
By day I build websites for state and local governments at Lullabot, using Drupal and other free and open source software. I care about plain language, useful tools, and work that does not make people’s lives harder.
When I’m not teaching yoga or building software, I play violin and love playing string quartets with my wife on viola and our two kids on cello and violin.
Currently, I am:
Previously, I was:
- Board Chair, onelove.yoga (yoga in schools)
- Prison Meditation Group Facilitator, Minnesota Department of Corrections
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Musicology, University of Iowa
My credentials include:
- PhD, Musicology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- RYT-500 Kripalu Yoga Teacher
- Eagle Scout
There’s more in my full CV if you’re curious about the rest.
If you’d like to stay in touch and find out first about my new classes and retreats, the best way is to subscribe by email.
