Yoga Philosophy
My yoga training continued during graduate school when I traveled to India. Under the guidance of Krishna Sikhwal at Rishikesh Yog Peeth I meditated, practiced, and developed a better understanding of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras. My daily practice included Hatha, Yin, and the Astanga primary sequence. The 300-hour certification encouraged me move beyond the physical practice of yoga and more into kriyas, pranayama, and meditation. From this I was had developed a more profound understand of how yoga can integrate the mind, body, and spirit.
My classes now follow the Hatha yoga tradition and cater to the needs of the students. I aim to fluidly integrate many yoga theories in a creative, invigorating, yet restorative practice. My classes always highlight alignment and energetic intention as I strive to promote a safe and individualized practice for all students. In addition to weekly class offerings, I offer workshops on the theory or practice of yoga for beginning to advanced students. I am also certified to provide continuing education for current yoga teachers, and have developed yoga teacher training curriculum for aspiring teachers.
My somatic journey began in college after years of sports and gymnastics. While pursuing an acting degree, I focused on dance training. During this time my yoga practice helped me develop a keen understanding of body mechanics and the mind-body connection. A weekly yoga practice allowed me to balance the mental and physical demands of college and rigorous dance training.
When I began working professionally as a dancer in Chicago I pursued a 200-hour teacher training at Global Yoga Center Chicago under the guidance of Rhonda Kantor and Rita Knorr. Deeply rooted in the sutras, their philosophy took an interdisciplinary approach to teacher training which I draw upon to this day. The energetic principles addressed in Anusara and Kundalini yoga informed the development of my early Hatha and Vinyasa classes, while Iyengar formed the basis of my alignment training.