I am from a small, rural Michigan town where I was a competitive gymnast for 16 years. One day, my middle school teacher, Kim Foley, decided to offer a yoga class in P.E. and I immediately fell in love. I remember being 12 years old, laying in my first ever savasana with a sense of calm I had never met before. From then on, I found myself taking a wide variety of yoga classes as a means of seeking out internal peace and self-love, to contrast deeply with the competitive nature and physical intensity of always “pushing yourself further” that the gymnastics world requires. 

I retired from gymnastics and moved on to attend the University of Michigan. In Ann Arbor, I became a member of the Michigan Yoga Club and a devoted studio member at aUM Yoga. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to seek out new ways to engage with yoga, just as we all had to adapt to the changes in our lives. I found outdoor yoga classes hosted by Tiny Buddha Yoga which offered a new kind of flow class infused with Ashtanga. During this time, I began to teach yoga classes via Zoom to young gymnasts in my hometown at the Tecumseh Gymnastics Academy. I was thrilled to offer this practice that brought me so much peace and stability to these young girls who not only were experiencing the challenges of competitive gymnastics, but they were also dealing with social distancing and school closures. At this point, I officially enrolled in my 200 hour yoga teacher training with My Vinyasa Practice, led by Michelle Young. 

I moved to Northern California in the summer of 2021 and began to explore a whole new variety of yoga practices the Bay Area has to offer. This is where my daily practice really took root. I discovered Sunday morning Ashtanga Moon Sequence classes in the lovely Rose Garden with Michael Athanas. I have been attending this class ever since. Additionally, I tried every studio within a 20 mile radius including Yin yoga, Aerial yoga, Ashtanga, Power Flow, Hot 26, Hot Power Fusion, and Vinyasa. 

I officially completed my 200 hour teacher training in October of 2023. My approach to yoga has remained true to the experience I had early on in this journey: providing space for students to connect with their body in a loving manner. My favorite classes to teach are Vinyasa flow classes that incorporate breathing exercises to support the parasympathetic nervous system. I aim to foster a space where students can come to the realization on their own that their internal dialogue can be filled with love and lack of expectation.