I first found yoga as a very inflexible 18-year-old during my first year of college. Stepping onto my yoga mat for the first in a series of free classes, I was without a doubt the least knowledgeable person in the room. I remember thinking almost immediately, “Oh my goodness this hurts!” And then (one eye open, sneaking a peak during meditation), “Wow. How do they stay still for so long?”

But I stuck with it. I went to every one of those free classes. Sometimes I loved it, sometimes I absolutely hated it—but from early on I could see that yoga brought me a sense of stillness that nothing else could, and I immediately cherished that. For the next several years I found ways to keep yoga a part of my routine, always thinking of it as a way to move, stretch, build strength, and quiet my mind—but not giving it too much more attention than that.

I was in the middle of graduate school and juggling two jobs when I decided to do my first teacher training. Captivated by the material, I started practicing every day and reading everything I could get my hands on. (This lead to my discovery of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ and eventually acupuncture.) During this time, I discovered aspects of yoga that I didn’t even know existed, which slowly shifted my lifestyle, kindness, compassion and so much more both on and off the mat.

When I first began teaching, I remember planning and practicing for my classes hours on end. I couldn’t help it—I was simply hooked; I loved it! I continued teaching for a few more years and was even asked to be a teacher’s assistant in another teacher training lead by a good friend. All of these things lit up my world. I felt finally, that I had purpose! Yoga spoke to me.

Despite all of this, I had this nagging feeling that I wanted to do more with my yoga teachings. I wasn’t sure what, I knew it wasn’t about being the strongest or the most flexible, because let’s be real—I am not and will never be ‘that yogi.' I wasn’t sure what, but I knew I needed and desperately wanted to bring more to my students as a teacher. So I did what I always do when I’m not sure of something: I journaled about it, discussed with the universe, and made a pro/con list. My soul searching determined it was time to focus on acupuncture and have faith that the yoga piece would resurface again.

During this time, I developed more of a Yin style practice at home. I began practicing every morning before any of my activities began for the day, and depending on the day, I could spend the entire hour in as little as 2-3 poses accompanied by meditation and pranayama (breath work). Having to put so much of my mental strength to work every day studying acupuncture, I found my body and mind were simply exhausted and a gentle practice was what called me.

This. Got. Me. Through. School.

It got me through challenging times, stressful times, times I wanted to give up, times when all I could do was cry… I always came back to my mat. At many points in my life, I felt it was my only constant. Everyone needs something they can rely on in this way. I’m happy to say I found mine on my beat up old Jade yoga mat.

Fast forward a couple of years to where I’m at now, and my yoga road has indeed resurfaced! The heart never lies; you can always trust the universe.

After spending years in acupuncture clinics observing people’s tendencies, their complaints, their pain—I have finally found what it was I wanted to bring to my yoga classes. I wanted to bring soul. I wanted to bring something deeper that would get people feeling better longer, feeling more grounded and capable in their daily lives. Combining acupuncture theory, acu points, and all aspects of yoga does this for me. The two go so beautifully together that it feels wrong to pull them apart.

Being an “acupuncturist by day” allows me to see the intricacies of the body. I no longer spend hours dreaming up the most creative transitions between poses; I now think of which poses go together to get you into a posture safely and reduce injury. I do not plan my peak poses to be unattainable by 99.9% of the population, I now plan them based on the meridian in focus, and what will help a person open up spiritually. I now work backward to plan my classes with my end question being, “How do I want my students to feel when they leave?” And the answer is simple: grounded in compassion and gentleness, strong in belief and desire.

As a result of my passion for this ancient healing modality, I’ve been feeling incredibly called to create an “at-home” offering for you, my loyal and faithful friend who has been with me from the beginning. Creating a home practice was hands down THE BEST thing I ever did for my health- body, mind, and spirit. If you are craving a stable ‘constant’ in your life like I was, join me in stepping on your mat. Click here to read more about this incredible opportunity to bring yoga into your own life.

The light within me sees and honors the light within you, Namaste,