At 66, Sandra has been teaching yoga for more than 35 years. Through Yoga Outreach, a volunteer organization, she’s also brought yoga to the disenfranchised, including women in prison and the mentally ill. “Sandra’s work is both timeless and visionary,” says one of her students. “She brings in the truth that has always been there, in a way that is simply understood in our modern times.”

Tell us, Sandra, what’s your favourite position? My favourite yoga position is the Shoulderstand. I just love the way it makes me feel. If I’m tired or out-of-sorts, the Shoulderstand brings me back into my body so I feel calm and ready to go. Along with the Shoulderstand go the Fish and the Plough; after that sequence, I’m in heaven.

What first brought you to the mat? In 1971, at the age of 29, my marriage ended and I was a nervous wreck. The doctors recommended Valium, and my mother suggested yoga. After my very first yoga class, I was hooked. I loved the way it made me feel. It took the fear, grief, anger, and disappointment out of my body.

How many Sun Salutations before we reach enlightenment? We can go to the garbage man and get wisdom and we can go the vicar and get garbage; therefore, the ability to stay present in everyday actions is more a matter of where your heart is while practicing Sun Salutations, [rather] than how many you actually do.

Can yoga save the world? Yes, because yoga helps us to be more open and sensitive, and to lead a life that contributes to the health and nourishment of others and the planet on which we all live.