WHEN DID YOU BEGIN CULTIVATING YOUR PRACTICE?

I took my first yoga class on January 7, 2018. I fell in love and immediately started my yoga journey.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN HELPING OTHERS CULTIVATE THEIR PRACTICE?

​I began singing the praises of yoga to anyone and everyone who would listen after my first class. I encouraged friends and family to try yoga because of how it impacted my life. Last year I began to both deepen my own practice and help others cultivate theirs in a more tangible way through pre-class yoga prep and hands-on assists during classes. I also enjoy hopping up from my mat during Savasana to assist by giving additional hands-on love during that sacred time at the end of practice. I believe there is incredible power in touch and shared energy when it comes to cultivating a yoga practice. Offering assists is my way to help others cultivate their practice, however, I am always mindful and honor those who prefer their own space too. Meeting people where they are always comes first.

HOW DO YOU ENVISION CULTIVATE YOGA SERVING OUR COMMUNITY? 

Cultivate Yoga has a special magic. Warmth. Inclusion. A deep spirit of community. We both welcome yogis who come to us AND we take that magic out to the community. The Cultivate magic isn't confined to the four walls of a studio. It lives within each of us. The application is so much broader than what happens during an asana practice. Cultivate inspires us to live and share our own unique magic, but also to contribute to collective magic that has power to change and inspire those around us. We bring the spirit of yoga to the world around us. If that isn't serving our community, then I don't know what does!

WHAT HAS YOGA HELPED TO CULTIVATE WITHIN YOU? 

I have a tendency to be "all or none" so I dove headfirst into my own yoga immersion. I was originally doing yoga for a workout and missed the depth of what the practice could do for me. Over time, however, I've learned what yoga truly means and how it can change your life if you open yourself to receive its gifts. Yoga has cultivated within me deeper understanding of myself. The beauty of the impact of yoga is that my intensity has softened. It's still there. I'm still me. However, yoga has helped me find more balance. I have found the strength and peace that exists in the space in-between. I can tap into that intensity when I need to, but with yoga I am better equipped to enjoy the softer side of being. There's so much beauty in balance. It's not a natural state for me, so yoga helps me find it. I work to cultivate balance, self-compassion, self-forgiveness and self-acceptance every day. Yoga brings an awareness of all of these things to me. Yoga is humbling. It's life changing. It can be as little or as much as you need it to be. It is a teacher.

BESIDES YOGA, WHAT IS ONE THING THAT CULTIVATES JOY IN YOUR LIFE?

My family and friends. I am so exceptionally blessed with three amazing kids, a loving family and close friends. I love sharing and growing and crying and laughing and exploring this wild human experience with these people I love so much. It's humbling to step back and observe the wonder of it all. I find joy in experiencing life with people I love. There's immense joy (and a lot of heartache too!) in helping my kids navigate life. We live in a complicated world, but joy is always available to us. For me, it most often shows up through loving and being loved by exceptional people.