Teacher
I was first introduced to yoga as a recovery session in between a busy schedule of college soccer, classes, and homework. Once I wrapped up my competitive sports career, I felt a little lost of what to do with my body. I found long-distance running (my quarter-life crisis canon event, a marathon, how ground-breaking), rock climbing, and rediscovered yoga. But it took time for me to learn that I could be kind and gentle with my body while still building strength and flexibility. Over time, yoga became something more than a physical practice. I would notice the change in my mood, my sleep, my anxiety and overthinking the longer I practiced. I also work as a licensed clinical social worker providing therapy. I have learned, experienced, and seen how healing it can be to see individuals learn to care for their nervous system, their bodies, and their minds, and to turn that into a deeper care for themselves and in their relationships. Yoga (and my own therapist) helps me do that for myself! After a few years of going back and forth, I finally took the leap and completed my teacher training at Yonder, having been introduced to and fallen in love with the Athens studio as a new PhD student at UGA. For me, yoga constantly reminds me to find balance of effort and ease, the practice of being present with the good, the hard, and the sad, and community. I can’t help but keep coming back to my mat over and over.
My goal as a teacher is to provide the same mental and physical challenge that helped me fall in love with yoga in the first place. I hope to create a safe place for you to cultivate your practice, grow more confident in yourself, and have fun along the way.
