Sam started doing yoga with no higher aspirations than wanting to touch his toes; no one is more surprised than he that it ended up becoming his calling. Growing up severely asthmatic and groomed for a career in academia, he saw little use for his body for the better part of 20 years. In his final year of university, he was awarded an all-expenses paid fellowship to study any subject he chose at Oxford, and then in moment of insight or revolt or both, turned it all down to figure out what he really wanted to do with his life. The following year found him on the yoga mat for the first time, and soon he could indeed touch his toes. Not long after, his asthma disappeared. Years later, yoga continues to be the most vital tool he knows for understanding and transforming his body, mind, and spirit.
Sam holds the highest teaching certification offered by the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, the largest yoga center in the nation, as well as a Masters Degree from Harvard University. He leads public classes, retreats and teacher trainings nationwide, blending Kripalu's unique methodology with an extensive background in a multitude of yoga traditions to guide students toward a deepened understanding of yoga as a tool for the conscious and deliberate act of personal transformation.
He also leads corporate yoga programs for the United Nations, the National Guard Rodale Publishing, the Harvard Club, and firms of all sizes throughout the country. His teaching and expertise have been featured in Yoga Journal and YogaLife magazines, as well as Runner’s World, Kripalu, and The Huffington Post.
In New York, Sam holds a private practice specializing in custom-designed yoga practices to meet the specific needs and intentions of clients at any level or background. His clients include Olympic athletes, international rockstars, Fortune 500 CEOs, newlywed couples, families of eight, and everyone in between.
He currently lives in Brooklyn with an incredibly fat cat named Ralph, and his fiancee Tara, who is just plain incredible.