teacher feature

Q-What classes and workshops do you offer, and what makes your teaching style unique?

 A-My regular weekly classes are Aroma Flow at 5:30 pm on Tuesdays and Gentle Yoga at 10 am on Saturdays. I also host a New Moon Circle once a month on a Saturday the weekend closest to the new moon. You can also usually catch me subbing a few times a month, and I love to teach everything from yin to vinyasa! In addition to the physical practice, my classes and events explore different themes, music, readings, poetry, breathwork, meditation, mantra, and somatic practices. The postures and movements are only a small percentage of what yoga is about. I love encouraging students to sink into their bodies through physical practice to allow space for personal reflection and growth. I hope to offer a time when students can drop down from the “thinking mind” and into their bodies to regulate their nervous systems and build a communication line with their inner wisdom. It’s never that serious, though, and you can always just come to move your body and enjoy a good playlist!

 Q-How do you envision the future of your teaching and practice?

A-I am a forever student and love to continue learning and practicing right alongside everyone else. In the physical aspect of my classes, I hope to continue to find new ways to encourage students to deepen their sense of embodiment and physical awareness while building strength and mobility. I also love incorporating themes around the elements and the rhythms of the earth and moon and would love to find a way to do more events outside immersed in nature.  

On a broader level, I would love to see these practices hold space where people can understand ideas of power and liberation by first accessing them in their own bodies. As a social work student, I hope to help make the physical and mental benefits of yoga more accessible to all people as a way of shifting systems of oppression.  

Q-What advice would you give to someone just starting their yoga journey?

A-My best advice to beginners starting their yoga journey is to meet yourself wherever you are. It’s okay if your yoga practice looks like stretching for 10 minutes when you first wake up or doing 5 minutes of breathwork before you fall asleep. Start small and do what feels safe and comfortable in your body. The other thing I cannot stress enough to people is that yoga is for EVERYBODY. You don’t need to be skinny, flexible, or “in shape” to practice. There are many different styles and access points to yoga, and it is our right to understand and connect with our bodies. I would also encourage people to try out a studio – there is something so magical about connecting to your breath and body in a room full of other yogis – and you might meet some really cool people along the way.