The joy of movement and its connection with breath came into my life through dance... and I danced my way from childhood to adulthood. In 2001, I rolled out a mat for the first time and almost instantly discovered the beauty of an ongoing yoga practice. Beyond the physical aspects, Yoga gives me an opportunity on a daily basis to reflect and connect. Truly, a practice is 24/7 -- and it's mostly about what happens once we step off the mat and into the world. Like everyone else, I am a work in progress. I enjoy the sense of community I've found in yoga rooms all around the world: even when I'm in foreign places where they are speaking words I cannot understand, I know I'm right where I belong.
Experience
- Senior Instructor: 1300+ hours of teaching experience in class settings; 10+ years of working one-on-one; presentations and demonstrations to various organizations and community groups; faculty member for various Yoga Teacher Training programs educating next-gen instructors with specialties in Yin Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation, and the Business of Yoga.
- Instructor at House of Jai, NYC. Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, and Yin.
- New York City Bar Association: Member of NYC Bar Association's Committee on Mindfulness & Well-being in Law. Guest Speaker for NYC Bar CLE segment entitled Gratitude... in Practice and its Benefits.
- International Retreat Leader, designing and leading holistic wellness experiences for private and corporate groups in locations such as Greece and Iceland.
- Guest Instructor at luxury beach resorts around the world, offering a variety of classes from all-levels Hatha and Vinyasa to specialty classes in Yin and Yoga Nidra.
- Founder and CEO of National Parks Yoga, which organized local programs as well as luxury retreats in the US.
- Founder and CEO of Lyric Yoga and Wellness in Tucson, a yoga center that extended its services to numerous off-site facilities including schools, hospitals, resorts, and corporate settings.
- Creator of Khela Kids, for ages 6-12, that intertwined yoga postures and breathwork, children's literature, and core values. This program was available at the Lyric center, in schools throughout Tucson, and at the University of Arizona.
- Managing Editor of Arizona Yoga quarterly magazine for three years; in addition to overseeing the publication, I contributed numerous articles on a variety of topics.
- Laughing Lotus, NOLA. Assisting advanced yoga teacher training in restorative yoga.
- Flor de Liz Dance Studio. YogaFit and YogaStrength classes. YogaStrength is a trade-marked fitness program focuses on developing muscular strength and endurance throughout all major muscle groups in the body. A challenging workout that fuses functional strength and flexibility with the benefits of added resistance. With the safe use of hand-weights, a student can enjoy enhanced muscular toning, shaping benefits and an overall feeling of mind/body strength.
- Rice University, Online Yoga Classes
--Restorative Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4BUsTWnNzE.
--Yoga for Stress Relief: https://youtu.be/SDZieW8Pk1Uk1
Training
After completing the YogaFit (Level 1) and YogaStrength yoga teacher trainings, I received my 250-Hour certification at Providence Institute (Tucson). Subsequently, I completed my 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training through Laughing Lotus in NYC:
- 50 hours Restorative Yoga Advanced Intensive
- 50 hours Yin Flow & Essential Oils Advanced Intensive
- 50 hours of Ayurveda Advanced Intensive
- 50 hours of "Hands On" Assists Advanced Intensive
- 50 hours of Super Sequencing Advanced intensive
- 50 hours of Chakras Advanced Intensive
- 25 hours Yoga Nidra Advanced Intensive
Advanced Teacher Trainings at Santa Barbara Yoga Center:
- Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield
- Yin Yoga with Sarah Powers
- Meditation with Chandra Easton
- Children's Yoga with Anne van de Water
Additional continuing education includes programs at OM Yoga, Kripalu (Yoga for Women), and Omega Institute (Yoga Nidra); I've attended workshops from luminaries such as Ana Forrest and Gurmukhi Kaur Khalsa. CPR-certified.
Here and Now...
After five years at Lyric, I decided to dedicate more of my time to projects related to animal welfare, which included going to law school to focus on animal law issues. (And I was delighted when I was able to contribute to Animal Wellness magazine with an article about practicing yoga with a companion animal.)
Although Yoga is no longer my full-time focus, I still enjoy working with yoga students one-on-one and opportunities to lead a class, whether online or at a local NYC studio. Most classes tend to be a blend of Hatha and Vinyasa. Specialty classes and workshops include Hot Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Restorative, and Yoga Nidra. In addition, I continue to organize events and retreats and also serve as instructor for teacher trainings as well as a guest instructor at prestigious resorts around the world.
Recent events include:
- NYC Bar Association. Friday Mindfulness Breaks (virtual, ongoing)
- Yoga + Nature Walk at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (seasonal)
- Yoga on the Beach at Jacob Riis Park, New York (seasonal)
- Amorgos, Greece Retreat, 2022
- Joshua Tree National Park Retreat, 2022
- Iceland Retreat, 2023
- Guest Instructor at Club Med Punta Cana, 2023
- Guest Instructor at Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica, 2024
Upcoming Events:
- Guest Instructor at Couples Swept Away Jamaica, December 2024
- Guest Instructor at Breathless Cancun Soul, January 2025
- Guest Instructor at Dreams Playa Bonita Panama, March 2025