My first awareness of yoga was in the late 1990’s, entering my life via friends from different circles that had started attending classes…this coincided with yoga appearing in pop culture (enter Madonna and Sting). Never one to enjoy the gym or sports, too uncoordinated for aerobics, I was drawn to the physical challenge of this slowed-down, breath-centered movement practice. I like to say that it swelled me whole. I was all in. But what drew me in was not what kept me coming back… I was amazing at how the simple act of linking movement and breath could change how I saw myself, my body and the world around me. The internal focus made it less about what was going on physically, and more about what was going on cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. The strength, flexibility and improved balance were all nice side effects.

After a few years of regular practice I completed a teacher training and shifted in that direction. Slowly over time I was drawn to Yoga Therapy – a healing modality gaining in prominence – which uses the tools of yoga (movement, breath, meditation) to address the biopsychosocial conditions that an individual may be experiencing. This second shift in my yoga journey has informed my teaching in profound ways. I became certified in Yoga Therapy by IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) in 2019.

I will always be a student – I believe the learning never ends, and that not only are teachers always presenting themselves, but often they are the students.