I specialize in a few different styles of vinyasa and restorative yoga. I spent five years teaching extensively in Oregon prior to moving to Ohio in 2023.
Initially trained as a power flow instructor in tightly packed, heated studios, I often teach a version that is slower, more gentle, and closer to the ground. Yin yoga is a personal favorite; in this style, long holds tug gently at the connective tissues of the body. This style is known for improving and maintaining mobility. Another personal favorite is a style called Vin/Yin; I teach half an hour of power flow followed by half an hour of yin. Additionally I have much training and experience leading Yoga Nidra, a guided meditation with many benefits including improved sleep.
If you want to book a session or set of sessions with me you can use the contact form here or send me a text. Right now this offering is limited to friends and friends of friends.
We’d schedule a time for you to come over. It would be an hour-long session, but I’d like to schedule for 75 minutes so there's no rush — time to arrive, get a cup of tea, that sorta thing. You can tell me beforehand what you’re thinking in terms of level of desired activity and if there are any parts of your body you’d like to focus on. For instance, if you’d like a yin practice focusing on lower back I can do that.
A one-on-one session like this is more conversational and personal than a group class. We can switch gears at any point. If what we talked about before isn’t quite what you need the day of, we can easily adjust.
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If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that yoga and I have a bit of a complicated relationship. I want to be transparent with you about where I’ve been, how this has impacted my teaching, and how (somehow!) teaching is now available to me once more.
It was this same desire for transparency that led to my abrupt removal from the leadership team of my home studio as they/we moved away from Baptiste Yoga. Baptiste Yoga is an organization known for an empowering physical practice, as well as problematic and culty ideology. When I initially drank the Kool-Aid, I rigidly took on the teachings. I know now that anytime rigidity shows up in yoga — that’s not where I want to be. I was taught that Baptiste yoga was THE way, rather than one of many ways. One of their core practices is inquiry, asking deep questions in order to break through limitations. Inquiry was very present through my initial training, my experience within the leadership team, and in actual yoga classes. It poured into everything. Essentially, inquiry is gaslighting; teachers were taught to gaslight themselves. Inserting inquiry into classes passed along this practice to students in varying degrees.
Following my removal from my home studio I had a hard time teaching. Hell, I had a hard time existing. I had built my life anew on the foundation of yoga ideology that turned out to be culty AF. The relationships and connections that lifted me up and got myself and Kevin through Covid, were changed overnight. I was suddenly a ghost whereas I had previously been a prominent member of the team. The research shows that leaving a cult feels like death, and I can affirm. It broke my heart. So yeah. I had a hard time teaching. I stopped teaching. We moved across the country. I thought I was alright and that I would teach again upon our arrival, and then all the hurts came up to be seen as we settled into our new home and life here in Athens.
Eventually I would make my way into a physical studio and take some classes. I would have moments of wanting to teach, start setting things up with various studios, and then experience severe anxiety and repulsion. So I pretty much gave up on the idea of me ever teaching again.
Over the last few months the opportunity to take over some classes showed up. And I was excited. But then I learned the rate was minimal and wouldn’t work for me. (The insufficient pay for yoga teachers is a big pain point for me and the topic of another post.)
Then a dear friend said, “Well now that you know there’s excitement — that you want to — maybe you can find a way to teach that will work for you.” Just about immediately, the prospect of offering private sessions in the yoga room Kevin and I just finished painting and putting back together became so vividly clear. That was yesterday.
So here I am this morning feeling like this offering is the most natural thing in the world, while also chuckling out loud at the timing and the entire journey.
Which brings me to a guiding principle. We all go through natural ebbs and flows within yoga practice — it’s absolutely normal. Turns out teaching yoga is no different. I highly encourage everyone to embrace the ebbs rather than force the flows. And if you want to take some private lessons with me, I’m here for that.