Lighten Up Yoga Center, founded by Lillah Schwartz, is now celebrating its 26th year and has been serving the Asheville, NC community since 1981. Our diverse clientele include students ages 18-80 from diverse backgrounds, yoga beginners, yoga enthusiasts and those seeking Yoga Alliance Registration through in depth yoga training. Based in the Iyengar Method, our classes are safe for beginners, yet challenging for all levels of students.

Those seeking relief from muscle and joint pain will find great comfort and satisfaction from Lillah's Back Care DVDs - find relief from back, neck and shoulder pain today!

Lillah Schwartz, E.R.Y.T., is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor and seasoned practitioner who pioneered the method in the Southeast in 1981. Director of Lighten Up Yoga Centers in Asheville, NC, Lillah has studied with the Iyengars in India and the US. Voted Best Teacher in WNC by Mountain Xpress readers in two consecutive years, Lillah instructs novice to intermediate yoga participants, in both corporate and private settings, as well as those seeking 200 & 500 Hr In Depth Studies for Yoga Alliance registration.

Lillah views yoga as a healing art. One of her greatest strengths as a teacher is her incredible knowledge of the body, including anatomy, physiology, emotional experience and the mind/body connection. Lillah is able to translate this information in a way that motivates and guides her students to learn to apply the principles of yoga to improve their lives, their yoga practice and their health. She is an inspirational leader, educator, and mentor.

Her primary studies and teaching include Yoga for Back Pain, Yoga for Scoliosis, and Adaptive Yoga for MS, along with other therapeutic sequences, intermediate sequencing, and the emotional and spiritual content of asanas. Lillah attributes her insightful instruction to her teacher, world renowned yoga master BKS Iyengar. Her other mentors include but are not limited to Felicity Green, Eric Small and Aadil Palkhivala.

Gifted in the therapeutic applications of yoga, Lillah continues to help thousands find the relief they seek. Lillah has produced two therapeutic yoga DVDs for backs and necks in national distribution recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, Yoga Journal and Prevention Magazine. Lillah is also certified in the Eric Small “Adaptive Iyengar Yoga for MS” program and teaches the program nationally through the MS Society.

"Lillah is the best instructor I've encountered in 35 years as an educator. Her patient and thorough instruction, precise demonstration, and gentle but knowledgeable monitoring enable me to practice yoga with confidence." Diane Wilson