WHEN DID YOU BEGIN CULTIVATING YOUR PRACTICE?

My first experience with yoga was while I was in high school.  I bought a yoga DVD and would practice in my living room by myself.  I was a competitive figure skater at the time, and already pretty flexible. Yoga taught me that strength balances flexibility, and that I needed both…not just in my body, but also in my mind.  It took a few years to really develop a practice, but when I finally did, I was head-over-heels, in LOVE with yoga.  

As much as I loved figure skating, it was always something I was performing for others.  The stress and anxiety that came with competing, sometimes grew bigger than my love of the sport.  Yoga was something that was just for me.  With over 16 years of a steady practice, yoga continues to bring me so much peace, strength, gentleness, comfort and inspiration.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN HELPING OTHERS CULTIVATE THEIR PRACTICE?

I got my 200 hour yoga certification, about a year and a half after I started seriously practicing.  I recognized a dramatic shift in my self, both externally and internally, and felt called to share this ancient practice with others.  I have been teaching yoga since 2009, and love to infuse my classes with creativity and spirituality, and encourage students to practice turning a mundane moment into a sacred one.

In 2022, I also became an Ayurveda Wellness Coach.  Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old ancient healing system that focuses on lifestyle preventative care, and is all about living in alignment with the cycles of nature.  It is considered the Sister Science of Yoga, or the Self Care aspect of yoga. 

HOW DO YOU ENVISION CULTIVATE YOGA SERVING OUR COMMUNITY?

I see Cultivate helping individuals bring more awareness into their lives, and move more thoughtfully through the world.  I see Cultivate as a warm, welcoming and safe space to move and breathe together, healing both individually and collectively.

WHAT HAS YOGA HELPED TO CULTIVATE WITHIN YOU? 

Yoga has helped me to be more fearlessly authentic and love myself more deeply.  It’s brought compassion, acceptance, and peace to my head and heart.  I have a stronger trust in life’s organic unfolding.  This ancient practice has strengthened my spiritual life, and lovingly reminds me that yoga is not something that I do, but something that I live. 

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

JOY = Family, adventure, nature, dancing, writing, cooking, live music, learning, and creating!