Dar Vander Hoop has been immersed in yoga practice and study for five decades, drawing from multiple styles. Earning a B.S. (with honors) in Movement Therapy from U.W. Madison, Darlene performed and taught Modern Dance in San Francisco but soon discovered the brilliance of yoga while casually attending The Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills one fateful afternoon in 1978.
She continued studying with various masters, including Alan Finger at the Yoga-Tantra Institute, and Senior Iyengar teachers in NYC. Soon, she soaked herself in all that this popularization of Yoga had to offer, including courses with Kundalini Yoga founder Yogi Bhajan, Yin Yoga master Paul Grilley, and lesser-known teachers at the Larchmont Center for Yoga and Yoga Works in Santa Monica. She attended Mark Whitwell's "Advanced Teacher Training" at The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, in 2009, and attends multiple workshops. Dar earned a 50-hour Yin certification from Bernie Clark, a 45-hour Mindfulness Meditation certification from Jon Kabat-Zinn, and a 200-hour certification from The Yoga College of India. She has a 300-hour and YACEP credential from Yoga Alliance. Dar has spent the last 24 years at Inner Fire Yoga in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sharing my love for movement and yoga is my bliss and right livelihood — I'm always exploring styles to share with all the beautiful people I have had the honor to meet all over the globe — beginning with Inner Fire Yoga, and its great community — then throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Mexico, and across the U.S.A., where I've presented teacher trainings in all styles.
A published writer, co-publisher of LA WOMAN Magazine, and later penning a nationally syndicated love column under the pseudonym Norma Jean Thompson from 1994–98, her passion for both writing and yoga runs neck and neck. Dar has acted in TV soap operas and on stage, appeared on magazine covers, and lived an out-of-the-box life with gusto. She lives with 3 dogs and is the proud mom of an amazing 33-year-old son.
Leading live Zoom classes with up to 2,500 seniors attending weekly through SILVER SNEAKERS is my most recent inspiration.
Dar's website: www.darvanderhoop.com
Substack: darlenevanderhoop.Substack.com — "It's Life and Life Only" (where you can read some memoir chapters). Turning 75 this year puts me at 50 years of teaching movement and yoga. See you all on the mat!