Julie Lawrence has been practicing yoga for four decades, and has been teaching since 1976. Her influence on Iyengar Yoga both in Portland and nationally is widely recognized.  She has trained most of the Iyengar Yoga teachers throughout the Portland area. The Julie Lawrence Yoga Center, which she founded in 1990, was one of Portland’s first yoga centers. It was accredited by Shri B.K.S. Iyengar as the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center of Portland in 2006.

Iyengar Yoga certified since 1984, Julie's clarity and precision coupled with humor and encouragement create a rewarding class.   Her many years of personal practice and teaching inform her classes, illuminating a depth of both passion and commitment to Iyengar Yoga. She teaches yoga, her life-long love, as a transformative practice.

Julie's expertise is also widely recognized outside of yoga circles. She has participated in several scientific studies that have examined the effects of yoga on human health. These include two Oregon Health Sciences University studies on yoga’s impact on people with multiple sclerosis and its impact on healthy seniors, and a study with Kaiser on yoga’s benefits in fighting obesity in teenage girls.

Her national credentials include serving as a board member for the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the U.S. (IYNAUS), and chairing the organization’s national convention in 1996. She was the co-chair of the exceptionally successful Iyengar Yoga Certified Teachers’ Convention, which was held in Portland in May 2010.

Julie loves to travel and has visited India several times to study yoga with the Iyengar family. Other favorite destinations include Bali, Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands and the city of Tret, Italy—the birthplace of her grandfather.

When not practicing, teaching or directing her yoga center, Julie takes dancing lessons with her fabulous husband, Michael. She loves spending time with her family and grandkids, as well as gardening. She is up for all kinds of cultural experiences, including theater, dance and music. She’s is a self-described Pink Martini “groupie” and has seen the Portland-based band perform many times.