Welcome, I’m Beth, the creator and founder of Lifespan Yoga®!
I will never forget taking my first yoga class more than 40 years ago. There I was, just a young college student walking into a freezing cold gym in upstate NY, with no idea that what I was about to experience would become my life’s work. What I discovered that day was so much more than an exercise class. It was truly a transformative process that left me with an inner peace I didn’t know was possible. After just one session, I was hooked, spending the next three decades exploring teachers, yoga styles, living in a few yoga centers, and studying this wonderful mind, body, and spiritual practice that would be a guiding light for me through all of life’s ups and downs.
I had always had a desire to learn more about the mind and body, pursuing a Master of Science from Cornell University, a Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Florida, and a Graduate Certificate in Health Administration from the Sloan Program at Cornell University. In addition to my management jobs, I taught everything from undergraduate psychology and research design to statistics and program evaluation. Therefore, becoming a yoga teacher seemed like a natural progression, combining things I was passionate about.
So, in 2010, I became an RYT 200 and launched my Lifespan Yoga® business. I later became an E-RYT 500 and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. My original goal was to simply teach my friends a gentle form of yoga, ideal for those needing to de-stress. But, to my surprise, people started coming to my studio with other needs. From a mother with a brain damaged child to a father coaching stressed out boys to cancer patients, parents of autistic children, disabled seniors, even people recovering from addictions. Disheartened to hear that there were no classes for them locally, I found ways to include them in my mission teaching all ages and stages of the lifespan. I began training yoga teachers and I focused my next few certifications in Children’s Yoga, Chair Yoga, Curvy Yoga, and Oncology Yoga, to be able to fully serve this underserved community.
The latter certification has led to a 14-year involvement with the Christina Phipps Foundation, serving on the Board of Directors and as Executive Director. I loved the mission of providing free yoga for the cancer community, and having experienced so much of this disease in my own family, this cause was near and dear to my heart. I was part of the first Oncology Yoga teacher training class offered by the foundation in Florida, and I continue to teach and train to this day. To-date, I have taught as well as organized the training of over 350 Oncology Yoga teachers at 26 medical centers across the southeastern US, travelling for the foundation and growing the community from a handful of founders to over 700 teachers, students, and volunteers all over the USA, as well as Germany, South Africa, and Greece.
Now I have come full circle. My satisfaction comes from training the next generation of yoga teachers, and coaching them on how to make yoga accessible in a variety of everyday facilities, such as schools, daycares, senior centers, hospitals, cancer centers, and other healthcare settings. I also continue to educate about the practice for different ages and stages of the lifespan, through my yoga training books, courses, manuals, journals, workbooks, and even illustrated children’s books. When I am not in my studio, you can find me leading a very rich and fulfilling life, typically spending my days painting, tinkering in my garden, journaling my latest thoughts, or cooking for my family. A grateful wife and mother, I have learned so much in my 40 years of studying the transformative, ancient art of yoga and I hope to continue to pass on its immeasurable benefits.
Short Bio:
Beth Daugherty, M.S., M.A., is founder of Lifespan Yoga®, author, director of adult and children’s teacher training and the Executive Director of the Christina Phipps Foundation. She is E-RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, certified in Children’s Yoga, Oncology Yoga, Chair Yoga and Curvy Yoga. She is a Registered Continuing Education Provider with the Yoga Alliance. You can find her books, journals, workbooks and planners in the shop (and some paperbacks on Amazon).
Books by Beth Daugherty
Nikita’s Sun (2012)
Lifespan Yoga®: Developmental Psychology Meets the Practice and Teaching of Yoga (2014)
Gentle Yoga: A Lifespan Yoga® Introduction (2015)
Chair Yoga: Lifespan Yoga® for Health and Wellness (2015)
The 8 Limbs of Yoga Journal (2016)
Nonviolence in this Moment (2019)
Nonviolence Journal and Workbook: 108 Prompts for Peace (2021)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga (2021)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Baby (2022)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga with Kids (2023)
Beth’s Chair Yoga Sequences (2024)
Travel Planner (2024)
Yoga in Health Care Settings (2024)
ADHD Workbook and Planner (2024)
Gratitude Journal and Workbook (2024)
Living the 8 Limbs of Yoga for Teens (2024-5 still in process)