Leslie Freyberg Bio

Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher Leslie Dillingham Freyberg came to Yoga from twenty years in the dance and theater profession. While a member of the Jean Erdman Dance Theater, she met Ms. Erdman’s husband, the renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell.  It was through Campbell’s seminars on the mythology of India that Leslie received her first exposure to Sanskrit, the language of sacred sound, ancient Indian texts, and of Yoga.

Years later, Leslie met the late Mary Dunn, her first yoga teacher, and embarked on her study of yoga as disseminated by Shri B.K.S. Iyengar.

Leslie has studied Sanskrit extensively with Vyaas Houston (director of the American Sanskrit Institute), Edwin Bryant, John Campbell, Manorama, and Dr. Ram Sharma of the Yoga Societies of San Francisco and New York.   It was while attending Yoga retreats with acclaimed Iyengar Yoga teacher Patricia Walden that Leslie, through Walden’s inspiration and guidance, began to develop  chanting sessions with fellow participants.  The chanting of Sanskrit mantras proved to add an enriching dimension to the Yoga practice.

Leslie continues her studies with Patricia Walden at Yoga Mala of Cambridge, MA., where she enjoys leading Patricia’s students in chanting.

As a member of the faculty of the American Sanskrit Institute, Leslie travels nationwide under its auspices to teach the foundation of the Sanskrit Language, an indispensable component for the serious study of Yoga.  Leslie teaches the Iyengar method of asana and pranayama in her home town of
Redding and in Ridgefield, Greenwich and Stamford, CT.  She serves on the faculties of Patricia Walden’s Yoga Mala, the Iyengar Yoga Institute in New York City, and at TheYoga Space in Stamford.
She conducts weekly classes in Sanskrit at the Yoga Shala of Georgetown, CT.

Husband Tony and Cocker Spaniel Henley continue to support and inspire Leslie in the ongoing study of Yoga and Sanskrit.

The CD Chanting Learning with Leslie was created by fellow Yogini Leslie Manes.  Its purpose is to serve as a vehicle to aid the listener in learning the proper pronunciation of Sanskrit sounds while chanting some of the most beloved prayers of India.