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Piper is an IYT (Integrative Yoga Therapist), ERYT-500+ (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher), Certified Level 1: Foundations of Ayurveda, YCEP (Continuing Education Provider) and IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), and Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Yoga Practice and Therapy.
Piper first became a student of yoga while attending the University of Vermont in 1994, drawn to its balancing and meditative qualities as a complement to academics, running, climbing, and skiing. Having navigated significant challenges in her early life, she experienced firsthand the regulating benefits of this practice, and instantly knew yoga would be a lifelong passion, transforming her body, mind, and energy. (read more on her Substack) As a psychology student, Piper completed her honors thesis, “Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention,” and embarked on a lifelong exploration of all aspects of yoga. She received her 300-hour Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT) certification in 1995 and has been teaching full-time since 1996. Her early training included Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara, and Tantra traditions, providing a strong foundation in both alignment-based and holistic approaches. With over 5,000 hours of instructor training and 25 years of teaching experience, Piper brings confidence, depth, and a well-rounded knowledge of yoga to her classes. Certified in the Foundations of Ayurveda by Dr. Claudia Welch and Dr. Robert Svoboda, she teaches with an understanding of the deep synergy between these sister sciences. Piper is a practitioner of the Safe and Sound Poly-Vagal System developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, and as a HeartMath® Provider—a system that uses heart-rate variability techniques to reduce stress and enhance emotional regulation—Piper brings a supportive and encouraging teaching style that invites students to listen deeply and explore with compassionate inquiry. Piper specializes in working one-on-one with students of all levels and ages, from beginner to advanced. Her teaching emphasizes alignment, diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, relaxation, and various manual and therapeutic modalities. She is deeply invested in the healing capacity of this ancient art and science, and its profound effects on our well-being. Through her continuous study of yoga and therapeutic modalities, Piper has developed innovative teaching methods. Her breath-based instruction helps students attune to their inner environment. By bringing awareness to our grounding points, and our relation to gravity, we cultivate a deep felt sense of connection to the Earth. The guided final relaxation serves as the culmination, allowing the benefits of the practice to sink deeply into our being. We move more freely, relax more completely, and are anchored in the present moment. As the founder of Burlington Yoga since 2001 and director of the Burlington Yoga Teacher Training since 2009, Piper is especially inspired by the integration of yoga into daily life. "No one steps into the same river twice, for the river is not the same and neither are you" — Heraclitus Piper's writing on Substack |