Tara Murphy

Before yoga, I sang. I trained in voice at Westminster Choir College in Princeton and spent my twenties singing at weddings, in church choirs and in regional theater. Breath was always the foundation, and when I took my first yoga teacher training in 2009, it felt like learning the same lesson from a different direction.

Today I teach chair yoga to older adults in their homes and in community rooms around Short Hills and Millburn. Every pose can be done seated or with a hand on the chair back. We focus on posture, steady breathing, and moving the shoulders, hips and spine through their full range. For students who want it, I also teach singing: warmups, simple songs, and how to support the voice so it carries.

I sing alto in a church choir in Glen Ridge and take a long walk around Verona Park whenever I can. My students tell me the most useful thing I teach is how to take a full breath before standing up. I think they are right.