Hello friends! I am here to share my knowledge and experience, in any way that I can. Exercise has been a key player in my own self-growth and continues to make me feel more confident one day at a time. Once I realized how movement can make you feel better mentally, I shifted my career as a massage therapist to work in physical therapy so I could implement it more in my treatments.
When I was 23, I started struggling with some chronic low back pain. After about two years of trying different methods, I discovered that it all stemmed from having a hypermobile body type with significant instability in my feet. Yoga came into my life and I started working more on the subtle engagement of my stabilization muscles. At the same time, I discovered a lot about foot exercises, gait mechanics, and the barefoot lifestyle. After a year of transitioning to minimal shoes and being barefoot as much as possible, recovery was apparent. Here I am able to walk as much as I want with no pain!
A couple years ago, I was starting to feel unfulfilled by my work as a physical therapist assistant. I was yearning to work with dedicated clientele that truly wanted to grow and heal. On the flip side, my patients who were diligent and made great progress always asked me “how can I continue this work now that I am done with PT?” So I decided to be that person for them! My exercise programs already revolved around mostly Yoga movements so I got my teacher training. I could finally continue the process of bringing people back to not just efficient movement but now to proficient training. Because of my background, I offer beginner level classes for first-timers, people working with an injury or students coming back to Yoga after a while. Yoga Asana is so wonderfully accessible for any level practitioner and anybody can benefit from it. I am always very excited to teach newcomers to the world of Yoga and see them find more balance in their life thanks to their practice.
Seasoned practitioners may also find benefit in my teachings as I like cue engagement to every part of the body to bring awareness to subtle regions, which really increases intention and thus effort. Every now and then I offer arm balance and inversion workshops as well for all level students. Aerial fitness has also been a part of my life for 5 years & I teach a conditioning class for my fellow flyers at Kama fitness. It is a floor based conditioning session to help aerialists improve their skills in the air. The bulk of my private sessions are actually my friends from the studio who train with me for their goals of feeling better and stronger to perform their aerial apparatus.
My work is goal oriented and meticulous, which works well with students who are highly motivated and open to trying new things. My personal journey, of course, has taught me the most so in turn, I focus more on balance drills, foot engagement, and joint positioning during my classes. Often, I will speak to common issues with certain positions and offer different variations in the poses so my students can have the most comfortable experience. Through my rehab education, I incorporate isolation work and other exercises that are non-traditional to Asana, in efforts to help improve functioning of the body. Learning about Yoga spirituality and philosophy is continuous for me and I share this knowledge in my classes for all to experience the lifestyle of Yoga and not just the exercise aspect. Aside from poses, meditation, one of the eight limbs of Yoga, has been crucial for me to develop as a person. It is my belief that this facet of Yoga has been lost in the Western culture. Every class, I will offer moments of calm and guided concentration for you to experiment with different types of meditation. My years of career changes have been driven by my incessant curiosity and need for new knowledge; this is how I feel alive! If I were to think of a few phrases that guide me in my life right now they would be:
Just have fun with everything.
Stay consistent for others to make progress.
Open up more and talk about how you really feel.
If you are looking to solidify your practice or to try something new, I’m here for it! Feel free to contact me prior to signing up and tell me about your goals or if you have any questions.
Namaste.
