Welcome friends... it honors me to guide you in your practice. Here is a little about me and what started me on this path.
I took my first yoga class in 1998 as a means to manage the stress of my corporate job in New Jersey. I immediately realized the benefits not only to my stressed mental state, but to my body which had been affected by years of weight training, running, and poor posture as I sat at my computer 8+ hours a day (sound familiar?) Somehow I found that my body felt longer and more spacious after class, and events that might have bothered me seemed to roll off my back with more ease.
I continued participating in yoga classes in various styles after we re-located to North Carolina. One day a friend invited me to a class at Family Yoga taught by Cheryl Andres. With Cheryl's guidance, my practice blossomed and I was soon attending classes with her several times a week. Her attention to alignment combined with the grace of the flowing movements of vinyasa spoke clearly to me, and Family Yoga became my home base for years. I owe Cheryl a deep debt of gratitude for many reasons; among them inspiring me to look deeper than the physical benefits of yoga, and for suggesting I pursue my own training as a teacher. That seed did not germinate for several years, but it was planted deeply and would grow... eventually.
In 2009 I completed my training in the Vinyasa style of yoga (breath linking movement) at Asheville Yoga Center where I had the honor of studying with many nationally respected and inspiring teachers including Stephanie Keach, Cindy Dollar, and Shala Worsley. Every journey I made to Asheville for training felt like the perfect metaphor - days spent at higher elevation in the mountains with my sangha, my spiritual community of fellow teachers and seekers. I can't say enough good things about Stephanie Keach's program... which inspired my own meditation practice as well as many other precious gifts. Dedicated to a lifetime journey of deepening my own knowledge and practice, I attend continuing education workshops as often as possible. Master teachers Judith Hanson Lasater, Doug Keller, Roger Cole and Jenny Otto have been my favorites... their depth of knowledge is so inspirational. If you ever have an opportunity to attend a workshop with any of them, don't miss it.
I credit yoga and meditation practice with my "glass overflowing" outlook on life and with relieving the low back pain I suffered with for years. I strive to infuse my classes with elements of the alignment based Iyengar style, the graceful flow of Vinyasa, the radiant joy of Anusara, anatomy based therapeutic applications, restorative relaxation poses, and a healthy dose of fun and laughter. It is my passion to assist the release of tension and pain from bodies, in order that the mind and spirit be free to experience the bliss that is the true center of all of us. My long term vision is to provide free yoga props and restorative yoga instruction for those in my community who are undergoing treatments for cancer, so they may reap the benefit of the nurturing and healing practice of this amazing healing form of yoga (developed by Judith Hanson Lasater) in the convenience of their homes. I have no doubt this will become a reality. The universe will draw to me, irresistably, those who can help me make that happen.
I offer several classes a week at The Wellness Center, a beautiful space located in the heart center of historic Revolution Mill, as well as private in-home instruction. I am energized and inspired every time I walk through the studio doors and feel the combined creative energy of all true seekers.
The light in me honors the light in you... namaste.