I first came to yoga by chance in 2003. The integration of a mind/body practice, through asana (poses), pranayama (breath) and meditation, was a revelation to me. I began in the Kundalini style, and have also practiced Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, and Restorative Yoga. I'm happy to be able to share my love of yoga, and am grateful to my many teachers along the way.
In my teaching, I want to help people learn to love themselves. We all have things we don't like about ourselves. Some of these things are that tight hip, or how balancing is difficult. When we're off of our mats, there are other things we don't like about ourselves. Through our yoga practice we can get to know and accept ourselves, and even learn to like what we find there through compassion and love. Because we've all been through stuff (ie: life) I've also trained to be a Trauma-Informed teacher, and have completed Levels 1 & 2 of Jane Clapp's Movement for Trauma. I have also trained in ELDOA (SPL3), and am excited to be integrating these exercises in my Yoga for Life classes, as well as teaching ELDOA classes.
In an effort to learn more about functional movement, I became aware of Buteyko (functional) Breathing. I became a Buteyko Educator, studying first with Steve Donald and then with Christine Bauman, and began teaching Breath Retraining techniques to clients to help them with disordered breathing and the resulting conditions, as well as to improve their athletic performance. Combining this knowledge with my understanding of the bio-mechanics of breathing, as well as looking at the breath though a trauma-informed lens, I continue to teach Breath Retraining courses, both to individuals and in groups. I have also completed the Integrative Breathing Therapy course with Dr. Rosalba Courtney, and have begun to study Yoga Therapy at The Yoga Therapy Institute.
After teaching in Toronto for the past 7 years, I have moved to Moncton, New Brunswick. It's a beautiful place, close to family, with a slower pace of life. I am continuing to teach breathing as well as webinars and in YTTs on the Science of Breath online, and will be looking into teaching yoga classes in the Moncton area in the future.