Movement has been a powerful practice for me since I was a child, throughout my healing journey and my professional life as a former Physical Therapist. I love to dance, to hike, to meditate, but most of all… too deepen my practice in Yoga.

Yoga is more than a challenging workout or a sequence of asanas to relax. Yoga is a work-in, where we look inside, build internal strength and improve self-awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are. So that we can be right here right now. And that’s my aspiration for everyone to experience.

“Yoga is the ultimate practice. It simultaneously stimulates our inner light and quiets our overactive minds. It is both energy and rest. Yin and Yang. We feel the burn and find our bliss.” -Elise Joani

I started practicing yoga at a young age, but particularly committed to my practice during the scary times of quarantine. Committing to a daily practice during those months at home helped stop me from falling into a place of deep fear and anxiety.

As a result of this new commitment to yoga, I found myself mentally equipped to adjust to the ever changing world we’ve found ourselves in these past few years. When 2022 rolled around, I knew I was being called to teach yoga. I wanted to share this practice in the way that I’ve come to know it, as a means of healing from a place of radical vulnerability and love. I received my certification around the corner from YogaMaya at Ebb and Flow Yoga Studio in May 2022 and started teaching immediately after.

My personal practice is based around my passion for grassroots movements and resistance; to heal Mama Earth and all of her inhabitants we must first start from within, from the root. I bring this energy to my classes by encouraging deep reflection and the gooey connection between mind, body, spirit that mindful breathing cultivates. The classes i teach are spaces for release, community and ancestral healing, and most of all increased connection to oneself and the world around them.

Yoga is a connection worth experiencing. It’s a safe and quiet place for you to get lost in time, listen to your mind and really feel your body. It’s a connection which feels almost like magic. You don’t have to be flexible, you don’t have to be strong, you only need to be willing.

Not only do I have a passion for yoga, but also for life coaching

“I will remain true to myself through utilizing my strengths while still owning my weaknesses, and continually working on those weaknesses to better improve myself, so I can best support those in need through honesty, love and transparency.”

My mantra is “There is joy in me, and there is joy in all of those around me”, and I strive to learn, love, and appreciate life.

I began my yoga journey in 2009 when I attended Iyengar yoga classes during an extended stay in Hawaii. I was having back pain, and I hoped that yoga might help. 

When I returned to the mainland, a friend of mine told me about hot yoga. I was curious, so I attended my first class and have been a devoted yoga practitioner ever since. My back pain is greatly relieved by a regular yoga practice, and it has given me a sense of peace. 

I’ve gained so many benefits from yoga, and I wanted to give back to others by teaching. To me, this was a natural extension since I’ve been a school teacher most of my adult life. 

In 2012, I completed Akasha Yoga’s first-ever 200-Hour teacher training in Vinyasa yoga. In 2018, I completed a second teacher training: True You Hot Yoga 200-Hour Teacher Training with Helena Monica. In 2014, my husband Bob and I purchased Akasha Vacaville from Jamie Testa. We passed the baton to new owners, Lee and Carmen in 2018. I hope to teach and practice yoga with the Akasha community for many years to come.