Meet Elizabeth Jefferson, Ph.D., RYT, NASM-CPT
Elizabeth Jefferson grew up in northern Ontario, Canada with a passion for figure skating. She eventually decided to escape the deep snow and ice and obtain B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at McMaster University in southern Ontario. She wanted to help people by developing new medicines to improve the lives of patients. As a medicinal chemist she was drawn to Southern California for its strong biotechnology industry. She went on to spend over 10 years developing cancer drugs. She was introduced to rock climbing by a co-worker early in her professional career; she then began practicing yoga to complement her climbing. After a climbing accident that required surgery, she discovered endurance cycling and quickly recognized the benefits of yoga for cyclists and other endurance athletes. Yoga quickly went beyond the physical benefits for her and she underwent a personal transformation where yoga entered her mind and spirit. This eventually led Elizabeth to leave the biotechnology industry to work full-time in health, fitness, and wellness. (She also returned to rock climbing, and climbs 5.11 routes.) Elizabeth received her 200 RYT certification from White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara with Ganga White and Tracy Rich. She has developed a unique vinyasa flow style class using a creative and healing sequence based on strong alignment principles. She offers power, hatha, and vinyasa classes for all levels, as well as specialty yoga classes for endurance athletes. Elizabeth completed her PhysicalMind Institute mat Pilates certification with Maria Leone, owner of Bodyline Fitness Studio in Beverly Hills, CA. Elizabeth learned to teach the TheMethod® Pilates Matwork utilizing the principles of Joseph H. Pilates' exercises including the application of the Institute's 16 Fundamentals to the 25 Classic Pilates Exercises as well as 10 new Advanced Fundamentals. She is also certified in Standing Pilates® where 21 of the Classic mat exercises have been reconfigured to Standing Pilates®. These sequences require an evolved technique use of the deeper core muscles of the pelvic floor, transversus abdominus and multifidus. While riding a 100 mile cycling event in Death Valley she met the founder of AdventureCORPS , an endurance sports event production company, and, as a result, she began teaching yoga to endurance cyclists and runners at AdventureCORPS cycling and adventure sports events, camps, and retreats. In cycling and running there is repetitive stress on certain muscle groups and the accompanying uneven development of the musculature. As a result, cyclists and runners tend to have highly-developed legs, but frequently without the same sort of muscular conditioning of the upper body. TRX, Yoga, and Pilates exercises counteract this by emphasizing balanced overall strength and flexibility as well as the development of underused muscles. By incorporating TRX, Pilates, and yoga together, Elizabeth creates classes with a focus on core strength and overall flexibility. NOTE: In 2010, professional cyclists Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer train for cycling with TRX! Read about it here. | Elizabeth's Yoga,TRX, and Fitness Yoga Resources |
Elizabeth's Cycling Event History>>>
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Elizabeth teaches yoga, Pilates, TRX Suspension Training, indoor cycling, cardio-strength intervals, and total body conditioning regularly in the San Diego and La Jolla area at a variety of locations, including 
