I attended my first restorative yoga class in 2011 at my alma mater’s fitness center during finals week.  I would sporadically go as a form of stress relief, but preferred other forms of movement, where I felt like I was getting a “workout” in.  Yoga for me started as an occasional practice to move slowly, get out of my head, and relax.

Flash forward to 2016, I realized yoga can be so many things, in addition to restoration, after attending my first Power Yoga Buffalo class with a friend.  I remember laying in Savasana thinking this was the hardest thing that I have ever done.  My heart was beating out of my chest, sweat dripping on every square inch of my body, but I had this incredible glowing feeling and positive energy of people around me.  I had so many emotions and feelings, but simply put – I felt so much happier, lighter, and sweatier after showing up on my mat.  Yoga quickly became my favorite form of physical exercise.  This practice always keeps me coming back and wanting more, because each yoga teacher and classroom of yogis brings different challenges and feelings of power, strength, and also is a space for me to restore my mind and body.

I completed my RYT-200 hour yoga teacher training through the Baptiste Institute in the Catskill Mountains.  This training taught me so much about my life, in addition to yoga, and led me to redirect so many parts of my life, especially my career path switching from finance to education.  Through working in the education field, I love practicing yoga and teaching, but will always be a lifelong learner of yoga.  I love how much Baptiste yoga challenges me physically, and also how much transformation, learning, inquiry, and friendship has come from this practice.  I am so excited and grateful to share the love that I have for this practice with this community!