I have always been an active person.
My parents had me doing athletics from a very young age and it’s always been something I have enjoyed. My dad is active as well, so I have had opportunities to go skiing, hiking, camping, swimming, etc throughout my life. I believe I am fortunate to have had this upbringing, as my love for sports extended throughout my years of schooling and even now into adulthood. I believe it was participation in sports that allowed me to come out of my shell and has aided me in the journey to who I am today.
Yoga is something that appeared in my life in high school. The first class I ever took was a Bikram yoga class with a bunch of my girlfriends from high school. There was a two week free trial period for a studio nearby, and we decided to take this opportunity (one of my girlfriends had just gotten her license so it was also a chance for her to get behind the wheel). The first class was definitely something new - it was HOT and it was challenging. But there was something about that first class that brought me back for me. I continued to attend classes even after my friends stopped going, instead getting rides from my parents. Of course, not being able to get myself to and from class was a challenge and hindered my ability to take class as much as I had wanted.
So as soon as I got my license, one of the first things I did was get a membership at a Hot Yoga studio. I should mention that it wasn’t the spirituality or philosophy of Yoga that kept me coming back for me - it was the physicality. I was a very physical person and had not explored other realms of the self before, so it was the physical challenge that always brought me back. High school was hard - I was very self-conscious about myself, my body, and my skin, and I believed it was hot yoga that would solve these things. I believed it was hot yoga that would make me thinner and more beautiful to the point that it was detrimental to myself and my wellbeing. By the time I went to college I was the thinnest I had ever been and also the most anxious I had ever been. There were many questions that I was now faced with - what do I want to do with my life? What are my interests? How can I be successful? Who am I? Definition of the self was hard to come by, and I’m not sure if I even had the necessary tools to define myself.
College was surely new, challenging, and transformative. My Yoga practice fell off a bit, especially in those first few years as there was no Yoga that was “hot enough,” or “hard enough.” But time went on. Through many life experiences that involved my education, my jobs, my relationships, my social life, etc. my Yoga practice returned to me, this time in a different form. I started taking class through the school gym. Classes were non-heated, but it was Yoga and I LOVED the instructor. I had taken her Zumba class freshman year, and I was drawn to her comforting, yet fun and energetic demeanor (I was actually so inspired by her that I got my Zumba certification that following summer, but I never used it unfortunately. Turns out, Zumba wasn’t really my thing). So I gave it a shot and returned to my practice. And I kept returning, as now there was something more that kept me coming back. It was like this instructor had a way of unlocking a higher sense of self that I was interested in getting to know. This higher sense of self was compassionate, loving, and patient towards the self and in turn towards others. Now I was so inspired not only by this instructor, but by myself through my Yoga practice.
I remember clearly when I decided that I wanted to be a Yoga instructor. It was in one of her classes and we were in triangle pose, and that was it. A year after graduating, the right opportunity came up and I did a 200-hour Teacher Training with Amy Pastore in Ramsey, NJ and I haven’t looked back since.
Since completing my training, I have sought to refine my teachings over and over again so that I can somehow package all I have learned from when I was a small girl through sports and other movement activities, life experiences through college, and adult experiences through all the rest and deliver it to others who may or may not have had these experiences.
And that’s the thing - us humans, we have all had different experiences and we have all taken different paths to get to where we are today, yet we have still all arrived HERE. Inner growth and acceptance can really only come from within, but there is SO much we can learn from one another to help get us there. I am here to offer that help.
Credentials:
200 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor
Embarking on 300 Hour Teacher Training (will be a 500 Hour Certified Yoga Instructor October 2020)
ACE Group Fitness Certification
Meditation Certification through SCW Fitness Education.
College Level Professor in the weight room and studio
Countless hours of self study through my own movement practice and spiritual readings
Why makes my class a favorite amongst my students?
I make the practice very accessible and I make myself accessible by offering personal accounts and making connections to the Yoga practice. When I talk about my personal accounts and experience, I always try to talk about situations that other people can relate to. I never shy away from poking a little fun at myself to point out the funny things that we ALL do and say to ourselves.
What sets me apart from other yoga teachers?
My class is more than just moving in a way that “feels good.” My class always has a focus and usually leads up to a peak pose. I give specific instructions, meaning that my students have to be dialed in when they are in class, but they also know what to do and what to focus on to get into the pose! By having a specific focus, I make it the Yoga postures more accessible for more people. I also like to bring in spirituality since Yoga is a spiritual practice! I like to talk about WHY we practice Yoga. I like to talk about the 8 limbs of Yoga and how Asana is only one of those limbs! I like to talk about the root of Yoga and how it transcends the body and it’s actually about the mind. I think that is one of the biggest things - yes, we enter through Asana (the body), but the practice is so much more than the body.
What’s my process for understanding my student’s needs?
My process to understand my students is to talk to them. I try to talk to them before and after class or outside of class. I often find myself staying after class to talk to students because it is important for me to offer my time to my students to let them know that I care about them. I want to make each person feel valued as a human being, so whenever I talk to someone, I try to ask questions that could potentially lead to a deeper relationship. Connecting with my students on social media is a way I like to get to know them, but it is really through my personal conversations that I start to have a better understanding of people. I get to know my students’ bodies and how they move simple by watching them in class. When I give a cue, are they actually doing what I tell them to do? Are they progressing, not only throughout the class but through multiple sessions? I generally know what my students are capable of through watching them in class and overtime I start to get a better sense of when I can offer something more challenging.