Richard Fabio completed his 200 and 300-hour teacher training through Asheville Yoga Center and is a 500-RYT. During the training Richard really impressed Stephanie Keach (former program director and head mama bear of the yoga center) with his natural talent. He is fully committed to yoga as a way of being, taking yoga well beyond the mat.
His early yogic path began with sitting meditation. While his mind approached stillness, he struggled with chronic lower back and neck pain. Richard remembers barely reaching his hands past his knees in a forward fold. He quickly realized the importance of embodiment (bringing one’s awareness to the body) for the process of healing.
In Richard’s classes, students benefit from dynamic fluid postures combined with insights from his meditation practice. Richard would like to honor and thank his many teachers and the beautiful lessons that have shaped his path, especially his dear friend and guru Gary Weber.
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You’ve come a long way from barely touching your knees in a forward fold! What helped you stay committed during those early days?
My early asana practice was entirely motivated by my internal belief in awakening. I was seeking for the mind to be at peace. My efforts to practice the postures were entirely motivated by the belief that if my body was more fit and mobile, it would allow me to sit in stillness longer.
What is your favorite part of being a teacher?
Getting the chance to meet different people.
To me, there is no better way to see the world than to hear where someone else is coming from.
What’s one teaching from Gary Weber that continues to guide you both on and off the mat?
Gary told me that I am a timeless stillness. Everyone and everything is this. The timeless stillness is complete and fulfilled all the time. He said that by going inward through my mind, I would come to know this for myself.
Can you share a piece of advice or wisdom from a teacher who’s shaped your path?
Gary Weber insisted the awakening experience was direct—that it did not require belief, dogma, or special powers.
Through examining, questioning, observing, and contemplating one’s own experience, an inner peace or freedom was available. In other words, it is available to anyone.
A..n..y..o..n..e.
What's your favorite yoga pose?
Currently, Cat/Cow. Long-term, Mountain.
Aside from yoga, what other hobbies do you have?
I enjoy cooking, tennis, Dungeons & Dragons, and long walks on the beach (not really that last one—it just sounded like a good opportunity to try for a joke).
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