Cooper Seay
Encyclopedia
Cooper Seay was a member of the rock
bands Ellen James Society
and Viva la Diva. She recently released a solo album, Fin de Siecle, on Moksha Records
, as "E. Cooper Seay". She also works as a Bikram
and Sivananda yoga
instructor in Austin, Texas
. E. Cooper Seay has studied with Darren Rhodes, Donna Farhi, Ana Forrest, Christina Sell, Doug Swenson, Ed Marks, Mary Obendorfer, George Purvis, Bikram Chodury, Kofi Busia, and Amy DeFilippi.
Cooper began practicing yoga in 1997, blessed by two Integral yoga teachers who were both doctors of chiropractic; her first instruction was both spiritual and profoundly informed by the instructors' knowledge of the body. A lifelong athlete, Cooper became diverted by more physically challenging forms of hatha, going on to become a Bikram instructor. After four years of teaching an average of fourteen classes a week, running studios and eventually opening her own studio, she came full circle.
Following her integral lineage she traveled to kerala India to obtain her Sivananda teaching certificate. It was in the sivananda ashram that she was able to connect her earlier career as a musician with her yoga through both bhajan and kirtan.
After completing a teacher training in Bhava yoga with Peter Rizzo, Cooper began her current path and passion, teaching vinyasa in the Krishnamacharya lineage.
Cooper's personal practice is defined by her love of vinyasa and her love of Iyengar yoga. As counterpoint to her hatha yoga, Cooper practices vippasana meditation as taught by SN Goenka. As a teacher, Cooper strives to integrate the tapas of a strong practice with the santosha of a quiet mind. She is sensitive to the perils of strong physical work in a culture that is body obsessed, and believes that only through the eight-limbed path can we become free from internal friction.
"The yoga shala is a laboratory, it is where we begin to observe our patterning. It is an amazing journey to become aware enough to observe, and in control enough to create more options for our behavior."
"...Each of us is here to discover our true Self, to find out on our own that our true Self is spiritual, that essentially we are spiritual beings that have taken manifestation in physical form. We're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences - it's the other way around: we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences."~ Deepak Chopra
Cooper is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist through the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners #308-286 through the Hypnotherapy Academy of America.
She studied music composition at Georgia Perimeter College. She has owned and managed yoga studios, and is a registered yoga instructor with the Yoga Alliance.
Cooper attended the Hypnotherapy Academy of America in Santa Fe, NM and she has had the honor of studying with one of the fathers of modern hypnotherapy, Gil Boyne.
One of her most recent performances was in Atlanta, Georgia
, as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands Ellen James Society
Ellen James Society
Ellen James Society was a rock band, based in Atlanta, that was fronted by Cooper Seay and Chris McGuire. Gary Held, Jan Dykes, Scott Bland, and Bryan Lilje were also members at various times...
and Viva la Diva. She recently released a solo album, Fin de Siecle, on Moksha Records
Moksha Records
Moksha Recordings is an English electronic music record company. They mainly release alternative electronic music, an example of this would be S.O.L Arranguez , which uses the classical guitar and vocals from Concierto de Aranjuez mixed with modern house music. They have also released music for big...
, as "E. Cooper Seay". She also works as a Bikram
Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram's classes run exactly 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises...
and Sivananda yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
instructor in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. E. Cooper Seay has studied with Darren Rhodes, Donna Farhi, Ana Forrest, Christina Sell, Doug Swenson, Ed Marks, Mary Obendorfer, George Purvis, Bikram Chodury, Kofi Busia, and Amy DeFilippi.
Cooper began practicing yoga in 1997, blessed by two Integral yoga teachers who were both doctors of chiropractic; her first instruction was both spiritual and profoundly informed by the instructors' knowledge of the body. A lifelong athlete, Cooper became diverted by more physically challenging forms of hatha, going on to become a Bikram instructor. After four years of teaching an average of fourteen classes a week, running studios and eventually opening her own studio, she came full circle.
Following her integral lineage she traveled to kerala India to obtain her Sivananda teaching certificate. It was in the sivananda ashram that she was able to connect her earlier career as a musician with her yoga through both bhajan and kirtan.
After completing a teacher training in Bhava yoga with Peter Rizzo, Cooper began her current path and passion, teaching vinyasa in the Krishnamacharya lineage.
Cooper's personal practice is defined by her love of vinyasa and her love of Iyengar yoga. As counterpoint to her hatha yoga, Cooper practices vippasana meditation as taught by SN Goenka. As a teacher, Cooper strives to integrate the tapas of a strong practice with the santosha of a quiet mind. She is sensitive to the perils of strong physical work in a culture that is body obsessed, and believes that only through the eight-limbed path can we become free from internal friction.
"The yoga shala is a laboratory, it is where we begin to observe our patterning. It is an amazing journey to become aware enough to observe, and in control enough to create more options for our behavior."
"...Each of us is here to discover our true Self, to find out on our own that our true Self is spiritual, that essentially we are spiritual beings that have taken manifestation in physical form. We're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences - it's the other way around: we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences."~ Deepak Chopra
Cooper is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist through the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners #308-286 through the Hypnotherapy Academy of America.
She studied music composition at Georgia Perimeter College. She has owned and managed yoga studios, and is a registered yoga instructor with the Yoga Alliance.
Cooper attended the Hypnotherapy Academy of America in Santa Fe, NM and she has had the honor of studying with one of the fathers of modern hypnotherapy, Gil Boyne.
One of her most recent performances was in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
.
External links
- Home page at Daemon Records
- http://www.ecooperseay.com/Index.html