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| On Sunday, October 9, 2016 at Ford Field in Detroit, I had the honor of guiding breast cancer survivors through a vinysa flow yoga class which encouraged participants to go at their own pace while honoring their breath. |
The year was 1998, and I, being a longtime competitive long jumper and sprinter, was of the firm belief that if physical activity didn't involve pounding the pavement, it wasn't worth doing.
But by the time I was a senior in college, I was also in fervent search of a means to cope with grueling midterm exams—something that didn't produce throbbing shin splints.
And while deep stretching—and even deeper breathing—seemed like an intriguing option, I arrived at yoga's doorstep kicking and screaming.
So, I reluctantly popped in a VHS recording of Rodney Yee's Yoga for Energy, and soon discovered that, over the course of several years, the gift of yoga would far exceeded my wildest expectations, and in essence, would actually transform my life.
In 2011, while pregnant with my first child, I earned my RYT-200 teaching certification from Sattva Yoga Center (a Yoga Alliance registered school) in Dearborn, Michigan. I then began teaching a year later at Taylor Yoga in Taylor, Michigan.
By 2014, I had experienced quite a shift in my own yoga practice.
I was a mother of two under the age of three. I could hardly step foot on my mat without sharing the space with my kids.
A lightbulb went off, and before long, my “Mommy and Me Yoga” curriculum was born.
With my kids in tow, I provided weekly family yoga classes at Starfish Family Services in Inkster, Michigan, and in 2015 I began teaching yoga at Wayne Memorial High School as a staff member of Eastern Michigan University’s Bright Futures, an after school program.
Then, in 2017, I was able to share my passion for yoga with the students of Detroit Lions Academy in Detroit, Michigan.
I have shared the gift of yoga with such esteemed clients and locales as Marriott Hotels and Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions. Today, I continue to guide students of all ages on their path to a gratifying yoga practice.
Having practiced various forms of hatha yoga, including Bikram, yin, and restorative, my preferred method of teaching remains rooted in vinyasa flow and yin yoga.
I also incorporate unique styles of music as well as aromatherapy as a means of unlocking a student's full potential, while simultaneously encouraging him or her to proceed at their own pace.