Everyone from the newbie yogi to yoga instructors can learn something from Richard, I know I did!

Melita Mollohan

Since 2005, Richard Gartner has been fostering a non-dogmatic and compassionate attitude about students’ abilities and circumstances in Pittsburgh and beyond.

Richard’s style is paradoxically both unique and universal. His instructions allow for any student to approach the practice, embracing all levels of experience and ability. This allows for yogis to explore their own unique structure and make every practice their own.

This philosophy was infused into Onward Facing Yoga, an app Richard released in September 2015. The eleven sequences on Onward Facing Yoga playfully explore various aspects of yoga philosophy, anatomy and breathwork, at various levels of challenge.

His teachings fuse traditional posture and breathwork with contemporary anatomy and bodywork. He draws from many forms of yoga, fascial release, mindfulness techniques, and common sense.

Richard and his wife Kristin were mentors in the first cohort of Hello Neighbor, a Pittsburgh organization that supports recently resettled refugee and immigrant families. Richard is currently the secretary of NABR, which helps guide refugee mentors on their journey to build an inclusive community.

Richard helped me understand that yoga is not a substitute for something better, but indeed is the foundation of a complete physical regimen that can be as intense or as restorative as anyone might want.

Clyde Jones