About Me

I originally experienced yoga in 1995 as a young and busy professional, having no interest in its traditions or techniques. I simply liked feeling relaxed! Over time, however, yoga has become different things for me, seemingly able to morph into whatever I need whenever I need it.  I still like feeling relaxed—but I also eagerly explore the vast system of traditions and techniques that I once overlooked.  Today, my classes encourage healthy, individualized physical alignment and breath awareness, as well as finding one's personal balance between effort and ease. Throughout our yoga practice, inquiry and internal listening will remain key. In this way, yoga asana can become an ongoing cultivation of “skill in action” as it helps unify the body, mind and heart. 

 

Yoga studies officially began for me with Sun and Moon's 200-hour foundational training, which I completed in 2018.  I also have 100-hour advanced teaching certifications from the Yandara Yoga Institute in Breath & Meditation, Yin & Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra Resonance.  Also in early 2024, I was attuned as Reiki Level 2 practitioner in the Usui-Tibetan lineage and look forward to using this gentle healing modality as I work with my Hospice clients.  And I'm proud to hold certifications in Love Your Brain Yoga, Move with Me Yoga Adventures, Yoga & the 12 Steps of Recovery, and Dr. Dan Libby's Veterans Yoga Project.  My 500-hour certification was completed in February of  2024 and is maintained through the Yoga Alliance.

 

Apparently I love to take classes!  Back "during Covid," I became a trained Family Peer Recovery Specialist with the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority.  Decades ago, I earned an M.A. in American Literature, and in 2015 I completed an M.A. in Religious Studies.  Through all of this, some of my fondest memories come from teaching middle and high school English, leading group yoga in an after-school setting, and guiding mindfulness workshops with kids ages 5-8.  All of these experiences support not only my teaching but also my volunteerism with Capital Caring Health, one of the first and largest hospice and palliative care nonprofits in the U.S.