Victor Dubin Joins Yoga for Healthy Aging

by Nina

I first “met” Victor Dubin when I put the call out for stories about people whose lives had been changed by yoga, so I could use the stories in our book Yoga for Healthy Aging: A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being. Victor wrote in with an irresistible offer to write about how he had used yoga to lower his high blood pressure. Of course, I went for it, and I absolutely loved what he wrote for us (see Low-Pressure Tactics: Using Yoga to Lower Blood Pressure) because not only was it a very powerful story about yoga but it was very well written! And eventually I made his story the centerpiece of our chapter on heart and cardiovascular health. After that, to be honest, I didn’t think much about him until we had our first book party in early December of 2017 in Oakland, when a man walked up to me and announced to me that he was Victor Dubin and that he had driven all the way up from Santa Cruz to attend our book party! I was so happy to see him there and to meet him in person, all I could say was, “Victor!” But I did make a point of including his story in our presentation that night. 

After our presentation, we did have more time to talk and when Victor said he thought we thought do a book signing in Santa Cruz, we ended up making arrangements for Brad and me to do a book signing and Q&A at Nourish, the wellness center Victor co-founded with his wife, Jocelyn. So, a couple of months later, I only got to see Victor again, but I got to meet his wife, Jocelyn, and their daughter and see the wonderful Nourish Wellness Center and to have more time to chat and get to know each other better. Just before I left and Victor broached the idea of maybe doing more writing for the blog. Wow, I just jumped at the chance—hope I didn’t scare him! That’s because I knew that Victor is not only a long-time yoga teacher and yoga therapist, but he is also an excellent writer. Over the years, I’ve learned that this particular combination of skills is quite unusual. So, I started by giving him a trial period (which is what I normally do for writers who want to join the staff). Here is what he wrote during that time: 

Yamas and Niyamas That Are New to Us

Daya: A Yoga Practice of Compassion

Arjava: Integrating Integrity

Steady as She Goes: Forebearance and Steadfastness 

Now I’m pleased to announce that I’ve invited Victor to become a staff member! That means you’ll be hearing from him regularly now, at least once a month. And from now on, he’ll write under the name “Victor” and be listed on our About Us page. He will also have a page Victor’s Classes and Workshops Victor's Classes and Workshops with information his classes, workshops, and trainings.

Now here’s a bit about Victor. He is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT 500) with Yoga Alliance and is also a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. He has been a full-time yoga teacher since 1996 and has taught more than 10,000 yoga classes. He describes his style of yoga as “non-dogmatic and non-denominational’ and says that yoga teaching “is not about attempting to fit people into particular models of practice, but rather is about creating space for people to discover themselves.” He develops and teaches classes in anatomy, physiology, in-depth posture exploration, meditation, philosophy, and history. 

In addition to regular yoga classes, Victor also leads Yoga Alliance Certified 200 and 500 Hour yoga teacher training programs in Santa Cruz and teaches yoga philosophy, research, and posture modification trainings for the ViraVinyasa teacher training program in Tulsa, OK. When it comes to his teaching style, many students respond positively to Victor’s ability to combine taking his work seriously while not taking himself too seriously. 

Victor is also the co-founder of NOURISH, a wellness center in Santa Cruz, CA with his wife, Registered Dietitian Jocelyn Dubin, MS RD, which is wear Victor teaches his yoga classes. 

In addition to teaching yoga, Victor has also been a track & field, cross country, and basketball coach for middle and high school. He is also a stand-up comedian and has performed at clubs in New York, Los Angeles and around the Bay Area. He lives with his wife, Jocelyn, and their daughter in Santa Cruz, CA. 

I personally am looking forward to reading the rest of his series on yamas and niyamas that are new to us but, uh, now that I learned he’s also a comedian, I hoping he’ll write something funny for us one of these days.

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For information about Nina's upcoming book signings and other activities, see Nina's Workshops, Book Signings, and Books.

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