MY YOGA STORY
You don’t find yoga. Yoga finds you… when you’re ready. And, there’s a yoga for everyone.
When I was a college student, yoga was a fun work-out with friends in a crowded room with loud music. When I was a High School English Teacher, yoga was the only thing to quiet my busy, worried mind.
It wasn’t until I lived in India and my roommate accidentally signed us up for Kundalini that I felt “clean” after a class. It felt like I was brushing my teeth but for my brain. It was the first time all parts of me - body, mind, and spirit felt sparkly, shiny, new, and oddly more whole.
I don’t have tattoos - but I’m told they are addictive. After you get your first one, you start dreaming about your next. That’s how I feel about yoga certifications. I am addicted to learning - and yoga is like this endless buffet of self-study that fills you up so much you have to share these ancient tools with your loved ones. Then when you get brave enough you start sharing this precious heart work with strangers (who eventually become loved ones).
That’s how I become a yoga teacher.
Things I Love
ABOUT KUNDALINI YOGA: It’s known as the Householder’s Yoga. We as humans are not meant to seclude ourselves from society - living in a cave to master a peak pose. This lineage encourages us to be of this world - to have relationships, families, jobs, and bills. The magic of this ancient technology is its accessibility. With a 3-minute keep-up exercise or 11-minute meditation, we can bring each other back to the best versions of ourselves, to our essence.
ABOUT KHALSA WAY PRENATAL YOGA: Women are powerful. Pregnant women are powerful. Goddess Mama or not, I love Khalsa Way because it reminds all women of their fierce grace. Two things can be true - you can be strong and soft. You can be playful and potent. This practice reminds women of their sovereignty and the sacredness of sisterhood.
ABOUT KIDS & FAMILY YOGA: It is such a gift to make space for children and families to indulge in the joy of just being together. It doesn’t matter if a kiddo’s downdog looks like a pancake or a falling triangle. Are they moving their bodies joyfully? Success! Are they learning how to use their breath as a tool? Beautiful! There is nothing for kids to achieve during a yoga class beyond feeling good in their bodies and connected to the other humans in the room.
Things I Believe
Self Healing is everyone’s birth right.
Dancing is medicinal, and should be done daily.
Words are wands we can cast spells with.
They can also be swords we throw out for protection.
The gift is that we always have a choice in how we use them.
We are all here on purpose, for a purpose.
To Make A Long Story Longer …
I received my Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Certification from the Kundalini Research Institute in Espanola, New Mexico (2018). I have studied with Gurmukh Khalsa Kaur and am certified to teach Khalsa Way Prenatal Yoga (2016), received my 200 RYT Vinyasa certification from Zen Yoga Garage (2015), where I have taught kids yoga for nearly five years. I have a Masters Degree in Special Education (2011) - and have worked in the field of education and the non-profit world for over a decade. The lessons learned in my first year of teaching still guide everything I do today.
Nice to E-Meet You!
So, that’s my yoga story … what’s yours?
