I began my yoga journey quite reluctantly in 1998 at the subtle encouragements of a friend who thought I might enjoy how yoga helps with inner relaxation. I took my first yoga class at a gym in Las Vegas(where I am from), all the while watching the other bodies of the women and comparing myself to them(very common in beginning yoga), then the yoga instructor led us much deeper in the yoga pose' Savasana -A full mind body relaxation meditation at the end of class. This is when I knew wholeheartedly my new path had been given to me. I walked out of the class never having felt so relaxed and at peace in my life up to that point. Time slowed down, everything was more vibrant and I felt at home in myself, finally. I went right to my friend and hugged him with deep gratitude because I knew he had given me blessings by offering me a pathway to be deeply responsible for my own inner peace, happiness and relaxation, all from within myself.
My approach to yoga is from a mixture of yoga styles, yoga teachers and yoga study. However my main yoga teachers have been from the Iyengar/ Hatha perspective of a slower meditative style of yoga, with a focus on safe/comfortable body alignment, grace and fluidity. The slower type I teach is where one can really hook into the deeper layers of the mind/body and unwind our own subtle life force energy from there. Yet when we are truly present in life...Our teachers are everyone and everything From the person in front of you, to the trees, to the sky, to the birds, to the insects. Everything in the universe is a teacher for us to be deeply aware and present to how amazing we are and how wonderful the universe is.
My intention in practicing yoga and thus teaching yoga is the total mind/body surrender to a life path meditation of being deeply mindfully aware in every moment. Aware of what my thoughts are, what my heart space is feeling..and how my body is moving in relation to that. This deeper presence is where we learn to stretch in to a yoga pose(or life) with blissful awareness, grace and presence. So being this aware of mind flow also helps us consciously choose how to react and then stretch into any situation in life with presence and awareness. This is so we connect with the divine flow of peace and ease available in every moment. That is yoga. Unity of mind body and spirit.
I teach people how to listen deeper within and honor that inner guidance for becoming more aware to the beautiful garden that resides in all of us. It is simply a shift in focus and inner consciousness that can awaken us to whole new worlds inside of ourselves.
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I truly believe that anyone can practice yoga. Yoga is not about who is most flexible or a competition, rather it is about being with yourself. your mind/body...learning it, loving, moving with it..in whatever "life pose" you are in. This could be washing dishes, or doing a simple stretch of the arms/shoulders while sitting in a chair,(chair yoga)...or doing an 'advanced' pose like the yoga back bend I am doing in the picture on my website.
Either way yoga is about accepting your mind/ body with where it's at in the moment...and stretching or not stretching into yourself, your life from there. Our own minds are what we compete against, there is no reality to the perfection of a yoga pose or oneself, for perfection is an illusion. It's all about feeling, feeling with presence your deepness, feeling your muscles, feeling your own inner shine! And then helping others do the same.
Many yoga teachers focus on outer strength...my yoga focus is on inner strength and grace evolving into outer strength...and what that 'strength' is?
My approach to yoga is from a mixture of yoga styles, yoga teachers and yoga study. However my main yoga teachers have been from the Iyengar/ Hatha perspective of a slower meditative style of yoga, with a focus on safe/comfortable body alignment, grace and fluidity. The slower type I teach is where one can really hook into the deeper layers of the mind/body and unwind our own subtle life force energy from there. Yet when we are truly present in life...Our teachers are everyone and everything From the person in front of you, to the trees, to the sky, to the birds, to the insects. Everything in the universe is a teacher for us to be deeply aware and present to how amazing we are and how wonderful the universe is.
My intention in practicing yoga and thus teaching yoga is the total mind/body surrender to a life path meditation of being deeply mindfully aware in every moment. Aware of what my thoughts are, what my heart space is feeling..and how my body is moving in relation to that. This deeper presence is where we learn to stretch in to a yoga pose(or life) with blissful awareness, grace and presence. So being this aware of mind flow also helps us consciously choose how to react and then stretch into any situation in life with presence and awareness. This is so we connect with the divine flow of peace and ease available in every moment. That is yoga. Unity of mind body and spirit.
I teach people how to listen deeper within and honor that inner guidance for becoming more aware to the beautiful garden that resides in all of us. It is simply a shift in focus and inner consciousness that can awaken us to whole new worlds inside of ourselves.
.
I truly believe that anyone can practice yoga. Yoga is not about who is most flexible or a competition, rather it is about being with yourself. your mind/body...learning it, loving, moving with it..in whatever "life pose" you are in. This could be washing dishes, or doing a simple stretch of the arms/shoulders while sitting in a chair,(chair yoga)...or doing an 'advanced' pose like the yoga back bend I am doing in the picture on my website.
Either way yoga is about accepting your mind/ body with where it's at in the moment...and stretching or not stretching into yourself, your life from there. Our own minds are what we compete against, there is no reality to the perfection of a yoga pose or oneself, for perfection is an illusion. It's all about feeling, feeling with presence your deepness, feeling your muscles, feeling your own inner shine! And then helping others do the same.
Many yoga teachers focus on outer strength...my yoga focus is on inner strength and grace evolving into outer strength...and what that 'strength' is?
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