Mark Stephens

Born in Santa Cruz, California, Mark Stephens started a daily yoga practice in 1991 and began teaching yoga in 1996. The founder of Yoga Inside Foundation, L.A. Yoga Center and Santa Cruz Yoga, Stephens has written five bestselling books on yoga, primarily textbooks on teaching yoga and yoga therapy. His writings, interviews, commentaries, quotes and quips have appeared in the New York Times, L.A. Times, USA Today, Yoga Journal, Yoga International, People, Health, Elephant Journal and other online and print media. Referred to as "the teacher's teacher" by Yoga Journal, he has written the "For Teachers" column for Yoga International, Yoga Journal Deutschland and Yoga Journal China. He was awarded Yoga Journal's first annual Karma Yoga Award in 2000 for his non-profit work in bringing yoga into prisons, shelters, treatment centers and inner city schools across North America. Learn more at MARKSTEPHENSYOGA DOT COM.