I am a traveling yoga instructor and practitioner from California. While I study all forms of Yoga, my journey began with Bikram Yoga in 2011.
I have been involved in athletics from a young age, but there was a period in my life where I was not active or taking care of my health. During 2009 and 2010, I developed severe issues with sciatica and low back pain. I was twenty years old and barely able to walk without pain. No amount of doctor visits or pain medications helped, and I was beginning to accept that for the rest of my life, I would be in pain. I was desperate and decided to Google yoga in my hometown. There was a Bikram Yoga studio only ten minutes from my house. Looking back at it now, it feels like it was all meant to be.
Bikram Yoga helped give me my life back. During my two years of pain, I realized how much I took my body for granted. It was quite an experience being unable to handle simple daily tasks without pain. I don’t have any fear that I will be unable to keep up with my friends and family during any get-together now. No longer do I worry about my first movement in the morning being a painful one. I am able to enjoy all the activities that I love! I want all my students to be free of their pain.
Practicing Yoga became a big part of my life, and in the Fall of 2012, I decided to take the next step on my journey and attend the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training. I was Valedictorian of my class of over four hundred and fifty students. Upon graduation, I immediately began teaching in California. Aside from teaching, I started training for and taking part in Yoga competitions. In 2013 I was the California Yoga Champion and placed in the top ten nationally. Training began to cause aches and pains though, and some balancing was needed. In 2014 I added Yin Yoga to my practice and fell in love! Shortly after, I began teaching Yin, and I share this practice wherever I go.
I have had the opportunity to teach and travel around the world, even becoming the 2017 New Zealand Yoga champion. As I continued to explore more yoga practices and experience my practice beyond asana, I chose to attend a Baptiste style Power Vinyasa course in New Zealand. Now back in the United States, and with opened eyes and heart, I enjoy the wonders that my country has to offer.
A firm believer in a disciplined practice, I emphasize breath, stillness, and attention to form over depth.
In my class, I offer students the tools to de-stress and relax through stretching, movement, and breathe. I make sure these tools are transferable to the student’s everyday life, with breath being the top tool to maintain a healthy well-being.
