A “styleless style” of yoga:

Every practice begins with floor-based somatic movements, largely inspired by Prajna Yoga’s SATYA (Sensory Awareness Training for Yoga Attunement) program. SATYA guides yoga practitioners away from “doing” movement and toward sensing, receiving, and “being” movement. The SATYA practice is inherently therapeutic as it offers profound physical rest and prepares the body for more traditional asana-based movements as well as sitting practice. Rooted in the somatic modalities, SATYA involves neuromuscular re-education, reduces myofascial holding in the body from the inside out, and fosters greater capacity for sensory awareness. This all supports the process of becoming more awake and engaged in the world.

The second half of practice weaves the heart of Prajna Yoga together with offerings from other brilliant movement teachers (like Carrie Owerko). The word prajna in Sanskrit means insight, deep understanding, and mindfulness. It suggests a dynamic, embodied wisdom that permeates every cell and every tissue in the body. Tess discovered Tias Little’s teachings from his book Yoga of the Subtle Body and was immediately captivated by the interweave of metaphor, anatomy, myth, and felt experience. Since that initial discovery, Tess moved to Santa Fe for a year of immersion and is honored to be part of the international Prajna Yoga community and share this inclusive “styleless style” with her students. She has assisted Surya Little (with Women’s Health and Mastering the Basics) and Djuna Devereaux (with The Subtle Body and The Fluid Body) in the 200-Hr Program.

Meet Tess:

Tess Adams (MA, RYT, LMT #26605, she/her) is a seeker who inspires further seeking. She started practicing yoga in high school and officially teaching after a decade of devoted study. Inspired largely by her studies with Tias and Surya Little, Djuna Devereaux, and Carrie Owerko, as well as her colorful professional experiences (ranging from the visual arts to painting conservation to lighting science to various bodymind therapies), Tess's weave of the classical yoga traditions with more contemporary somatic-based modalities and the artist's way creates an inspiring web of resources to support her students' journeys.

As a certified Prajna Yoga and SATYA teacher, Tess guides students to attune to their internal landscapes from the very beginning of practice. She finds in her own practice and through the gift of witnessing students that it is this inner connection (the ability to sense and feel within) that fosters our ability to move from a ground of interconnection, wakefulness, and compassion. This profoundly impacts how we are and who we want to be in the world, and inspires us to continually grow into ourselves as well as our communities.

Tess brings a passion for the practice that is infectious as she has been blessed with the desire and ability to show up for her practice day in and day out—to continually fuel her commitment to this path. She also brings a love of doodling and analysis which manifests as an always-exploding filing cabinet full of sequences. Ever-fascinated by the myriad ways to string movements and other elements of the practice together for different healing effects, Tess curates a dynamic yet restorative practice and tailors the experience for each individual. Each offering envelopes all levels of studentship.

Select credentials:

• 500-Hr Program—in progress; 150-Hr SATYA Program; 200-Hr Program (Prajna Yoga)

• 200-Hr Hatha Yoga Program (Deva Daaru School of Yoga & Integral Studies)

• 800-Hr Massage Therapy Program (East West College of the Healing Arts)

• General CST Certification Program (The Carol Gray Center for CST Studies)

• MA Conservation of Wall Paintings (Courtauld Institute of Art)

• BA Mathematics + Art and Art History (College of William and Mary; Hertford College, Oxford University)