About Inner Mountain Institute

INTEGRATION:
Body
Mind
Soul

TOOLS:
Yoga
Meditation
Mantra

TRAINING:
Teacher Trainings
Personal Practice
Dharma Coaching

LINEAGE-BASED / TIME TESTED / AUTHENTIC TEACHINGS

Yoga does not require a studio or a mat, and the spiritual journey is not for a select few but must be accessible to anyone. Inner Mountain Institute is an antidote to the cookie-cutter modern American yoga and meditation, offering the authentic teachings for all who are interested, in a way that meets each individual where they are to best serve their needs. We are committed to working with all levels of students: the layperson who wants guidance in practice; the yogi who wants to challenge their understanding; and the advanced student who wants to teach yoga.

Yoga does require determination, self-discipline, and a sincere desire to better oneself through practice. By cultivating these qualities under the guidance of a skillful teacher, even the highest peaks of yogic achievement are attainable by anyone willing to make the trek. Along the way, through personal practice, one builds resiliency and strength of both body and mind, as well as joy and an increased capacity to live one’s life with ease.

Inner Mountain Institute is dedicated to offering these tools and techniques with passion and integrity. We support individuals in their personal journey, and we train teachers to do the same. We gratefully embrace the responsibility of living the very teachings that we offer so that what we share is not simply something we read in a book or learned in a training elsewhere, but it rises out of our own lived experience, committed practice, and continuous study.  This is the promise we make to you.

Photo Rosalind Newmark

E-RYT 500 

C-IAYT

VISHOKA MEDITATION CERTIFIED

MFA IN DANCE

THERAPEUTICS
Several amazing and influential teachers have shaped the Institute’s ability to utilize physical posture, breath, and consciousness in the healing process. Key among them are Donna Farhi, Judith Lasater, Elise Browning Miller, Jenny Otto (from whom she received her first yoga therapy certification), and Rod Stryker.

ALIGNMENT
Alignment is a key component of Inner Mountain Institute. Mary Johnston-Coursey, founder and teacher, has diligently studied the art of physical alignment for over 40 years, since starting on her own journey of yoga, and dance. Physical alignment is intimately linked to the deeper self; as she says, “ The body reveals the mind and heart”. Beyond physical alignment, Mary and the Institute seek alignment of thoughts to words and words to actions, to remain in integrity and alignment with one’s greater purpose in life. The nuances of clear alignment are shared through all the offerings at Inner Mountain Institute.

About Mary Johnston-Coursey, Founder and Teacher

Mary Johnston-Coursey is the founder and operator of Inner Mountain Yoga Institute. She is the primary teacher and collaborates with other advanced teachers from all over the world bringing age-old and modern teachings to long-time yogis and students. 

Mary was initiated into Transcendental Meditation and mantra practice at the age of 15. She began to practice yoga at age 20, jumping into daily Astanga practice in 1980 (before there were yoga mats!), and started teaching the following year. She has studied numerous styles over the years with many inspired teachers and is deeply grateful to them all. Mary has found her path in the study of Tantric Hatha Yoga and is honored to be a part of a Sri Vidya lineage of the Himalayan Masters. 

In 2004, Mary encountered Tantric hatha yoga with Rod Stryker. She immediately knew that this work would change her life but had no idea how significant that change would be. She received her 500 hour certification through ParaYoga and spent several years as part of the ParaYoga Faculty, guiding students towards certification. She now continues her journey studying under Pandit Rajmani Tigunait of the Himalayan Institute. 

Mary’s approach to asana skillfully weaves together breath, alignment principles, and therapeutic practices. This physical practice is a gateway to more spiritual practices like pranayama and meditation. Mary credits her meditation practice with the most profound changes in her life and is passionate about sharing the gift of meditation. Mary's goal is to meet students wherever they are at - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually - and empower them towards greater capacity and freedom.

Mary is certified E-RYT 500, certified as a Vishoka Meditation® teacher, and is a certified Yoga Therapist with I-AYT. She leads teacher trainings, workshops, and meditation courses; she has worked extensively in guiding students to discover and live their dharma; she mentors budding yoga teachers; and she works extensively one-on-one, helping students shape their practice to find the greatest joy and purpose in their lives.

Mary is also an artist, with an MFA in modern dance. Her 20 plus years in dance has molded her understanding of yoga: she learned the art of teaching at numerous college/university dance programs; performance offered an intimate exploration of energy and its sublime expression through the body; choreography became for her a spiritual inquiry; finally, multiple dance injuries gave her many opportunities to experience directly the therapeutic benefits of yoga. Mary has performed as a singer and storyteller; has taught movement, music, and art to children; and has worked in ceramic and stone. She sees the creative impulse, in all of its many forms, as a source of joy.

Yoga is, for her, an opportunity to direct the outer self towards an inward focus, to seek the essential seed of creative impulse from within, then to grow it open and offer this newness back to the world. Mary is both thrilled and humbled to share this work with her students.


Stonecircle music