Yoga Teacher Profile
I have been a yoga instructor for nearly 30 years with a large and devoted following in New York City and across the U.S. My varied life has led me through several careers, including teaching yoga before it was fashionable. I teach Kundalini, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga, am certified by 3HO (Kundalini yoga) , 500 hour Yoga Alliance and train yoga teachers as well. I have been featured on TV on Martha Stewart Living. My video The Challenge was named among the top 10 in 2000 by Yoga Journal magazine.

I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. My path to yoga began with a B.S. in Nutrition (graduating Summa Cum Laude) from University of New Hampshire. I became a Registered Dietitian (R.D.)  went on to obtain a Masters Degree (also in Nutrition) at Loma Linda University, then went into private practice following graduation. In 1982 a life-changing realization inspired me to move to Europe where I supported myself as a fashion model. In 1985 I returned to New York to embark on an acting career, where I enrolled in my first yoga class. Within a short time my teacher told me I had the aura of a  teacher. Within a year I was teaching yoga. For the next 10 years I worked as an actress (credits include an appearance  in Goodfellas) and taught yoga simultaneously. By the mid 1990’s my passion for yoga outweighed my passion my acting. I shifted to teaching yoga full-time.

In 1997 I purchased Sewall Househttp://www.sewallhouse.com, a historic landmark in northern Maine. It was originally built by my great-grandfather, William Wingate Sewall, in 1865, and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Bill Sewall was a well-known nature guide in the late 1800’s who enjoyed a lifelong friendship with Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt first came to the house as a Harvard freshman suffering from life-threatening asthma. His health was restored (as recorded in newspapers of the time) from his stays with Bill Sewall at the Sewall House. My husband, Kent Bonham, and I have lovingly restored the house to its original glory. Today we run Sewall House as a yoga retreat which has been chosen worldwide twice by Gayot online as well as featured in Instyle, Travel & Leisure, Yoga Journal and others.

I divide my time between Maine and New York where I have taught at the Open Center, Golden Bridge Yoga, Kundalini Yoga East, Equinox, N.Y. Sports club, Waterside Swim and Health Club, H.B. Studio, Pura Vida Spa (Costa Rica), New Age Spa (N.Y.).I have taught extensively privately to stressed out business people as well as A list actors. I have released the videos Strength and Serenity (1990), The Challenge (1996)http://www.ihanuman.com/yoga-download/donna-davidge/kundalini-yoga-challenge (Top 10, Yoga Journal, 2000), the DVDs The Awakening (2004) and Flexibility and the Spine (2005)http://www.sewallhouse.com/shop.html.

My retreat Sewall House http://www.sewallhouse.com has been featured in: InStyle, Travel & Leisure, USA Today, Yoga Journal, Healing Retreats and Spas, More magazine (November 2005), and I have been quoted in New York Times (December2005),Glamour, Allure, Details and Seventeen. For me, Yoga is a way of life as well as a path by which I helpi others to realize their true potential. I share my experience and knowledge as the yoga columnist since 2000 for Inner Tapestryhttp://www.innertapestry.org/columns/a-breath-of-healing.htmland enjoy writing as part of my path for communicating with others.

http://www.donnadavidgeyoga.com

The Reason I Became A Helping Professional

I became a helping professional because I have always been a bit of a rebel. When I was a nutritionist in the early 80's my career came easily to me; opportunites were there. However the need to discover more about life led me to reject a secure path of a good marriage and career for an uncertain path of self exploration which led me to travel to Europe on my own, then disover yoga on my return to the U.S. after three years abroad, mostly in Paris. Yoga for me is a path for really acknowledging the things we want to improve in ourselves and in so doing being happier and help others be so as well.The physical part of it is amazing but the mental part is even more challenging and helpful for the stresses and challenges of these crazy times we live in. When I started doing and sharing yoga in 1985 it was not big business and not mainstream but I believed in it in its pure form as a tool for self growth and self awareness. As a lifelong practice it can complement any physical practice (other exercise), other forms of therapy and whatever religious or spiritual path one chooses. Its universality is a wonderful thing I have shared now with tens of thousands of people and seen firsthand how it helps them.

Donna Davidge

Additional Details

I am:

Married

Sexual orientation:

Heterosexual

Religious affiliation:

Spiritual, but no affiliation

Have children:

No

Donna Davidge

Payment Options

Accepts Credit Cards:

Yes

Accepts Insurance:

No

Accepts Paypal:

Yes

Sliding Scale:

Yes

Fee Range:

Over $120 per session