For Tim Feldmann, yoga is much more than a physical practice. It is a lifelong path of inquiry, healing, discipline, and service—and his commitment to giving back has become an important part of that journey.
A cherished senior Ashtanga Yoga teacher, Tim is the director of Miami Life Center, the yoga shala he founded with his wife, Kino MacGregor. Originally from Denmark, Tim began his yoga journey in 1994 and has been devoted to the Ashtanga practice since 1999. He was set on the yogic path by his first teacher, Lino Miele, and was authorized to teach by both Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his grandson, R. Sharath Jois.
As a practitioner of Ashtanga’s Advanced A Series, Tim remains deeply committed to the traditional method. His teaching is informed not only by decades of practice, but also by his background as a professional dancer and internationally acclaimed choreographer, as well as extensive studies of anatomy, alignment, the F.M. Alexander Technique, meditation, and yoga philosophy.
Over the past decade, he has immersed himself in the study of Patañjali’s Sutras, Sankhya, the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, and other essential texts under the guidance of distinguished scholars in South India.
For Tim, however, the depth of yoga is ultimately found in how we live.
“The body is the way to our spirit, to our true Self. That’s what asana is for.”
His teaching reflects that philosophy. Known for his engaging, humorous, disciplined, and detailed approach, Tim encourages students to approach yoga with both rigor and compassion—to cultivate steady practice, study, and devotion while exploring the deeper questions of what it means to be human.
Yoga as a path of service
Tim’s connection to Yoga Gives Back grew from this same understanding of yoga as a way of contributing to something larger than ourselves.
As he shared when becoming a YGB Ambassador:
“As an aspirant of yoga I have found myself looking for personally meaningful ways to help sustain all things in this world of ours.”
For Tim, supporting YGB offered a way to contribute to a community and a cause he cares deeply about without needing to build something from the ground up himself. He saw an established organization doing meaningful work and felt privileged to lend his support.
“The privilege of simply backing an initiative already established instead of having to create one from the ground up makes it both easy and simple for me to lend a hand.”
And, in his typically understated way, he concluded:
“YGB is an initiative whom I have trust and it is my honor to be helping out as an Ambassador.”
A birthday gift that became a gift to many
year, Tim found another beautiful way to put that commitment into action.
After turning 60 in May, Tim decided to celebrate with a small birthday gathering in August. Rather than receiving gifts, he invited friends to support Yoga Gives Back if they wished.
One of those friends, Frances C. Jones, responded with an extraordinary $5,000 gift to YGB.
Frances is a longtime Ashtanga practitioner and close friend of Tim’s, with a connection to the Ashtanga tradition that goes back to Pattabhi Jois. Her generosity was a wonderful example of how one person’s commitment can ripple outward through a community.
For Yoga Gives Back, the gift was especially meaningful. A contribution of this magnitude can help provide higher education opportunities for girls through YGB’s SHE Scholarship, helping young women build a different future for themselves while reducing their vulnerability to forced marriage and human trafficking.
It is also a beautiful reflection of the generosity that has long characterized the global Ashtanga community.
When YGB expressed its gratitude to Tim, he explained simply that he had asked his friends not to bring gifts—and instead had included a link to YGB with an invitation to support its work.
Frances did exactly that.
Sometimes service begins with a simple invitation.
The power of community
For nearly two decades, Yoga Gives Back has been fortunate to receive support from people throughout the global yoga community. Tim’s story is a reminder that giving can take many forms. Teaching, volunteering, introducing others to a cause, and making a donation. Or simply inviting the people in our lives to learn more and participate.
What makes Tim’s gesture especially meaningful is that he did not simply support YGB himself. He created an opportunity for someone he cared about to become part of the work, too.
That is the spirit of community that makes the Ambassador Program so powerful.
We are deeply grateful to Tim for his many years of support and for sharing YGB with his community.
Thank you, Tim, for your generosity, your trust, and your continued commitment to service.
And thank you to Frances for turning a birthday invitation into a gift that will touch many lives.
Learn more about Tim Feldmann and his work:
Miami Life Center – http://www.miamilifecenter.com
TimFeldmann.com – http://www.timfeldmann.com
