My mission statement:
To expand the possibilities of being, feeling, and knowing—for myself, for others, and for the world.
“I want to know who I really am.”
-Ram Dass
I’ve been practicing, studying, and teaching yoga for more than 25 years, and it’s been a light for me in dark times, a path to an ever deeper understanding of myself, and a source of joy even when life has been very hard. I am a transgender/nonbinary person and a person who lives with cPTSD and chronic depression. I have lived through a lot of pain and grief and loss, and yoga has been there for me through all of it. That is why I am called to share this work with you.
But yoga has also been a practice of joy and forward momentum. It has helped me understand my true needs and desires, given me the strength of purpose and flexibility of mind to achieve big things, and brought me back to my center even in the midst of change and stress.
My calling is to create opportunities for play, experimentation, and reflection to help people deepen their understandings of themselves, discover new ways to feel and see, and expand into the fullest expression of who they are.
I teach one-on-one because it’s important to me to know you, to understand what is happening in your life, and to honor all the parts of you and your experience. A personal practice, individualized to your needs and experiences, is one of the most powerful tools in the world for self-awareness and authenticity.
Before I started this work, I spent many years in academia, earning my PhD and teaching college students. Then I had a second career working in nonprofits, doing everything from research and program design to community outreach and fundraising. In every one of my jobs, it has been my purpose to help people figure out who they are, what they really want, and how to develop personal practices to get there. I bring some of that background with me to my coaching as well.
I use physical practices from the yoga tradition and from my experience as a therapeutic movement specialist, but my coaching practice is intentionally holistic, incorporating physical and creative play, personal experimentation, dance and movement, traditional coaching, and much more to design a practice and a journey that is just for you.
If you think this work might be for you, please reach out. I’m excited to hear from you!
Therapy vs Therapeutic Yoga
I am not a licensed therapist or counselor. I teach the practices of yoga, which can provide substantial relief from psychic and physical pain but do not delve into or seek to resolve specific issues in your past. A yoga practice is an excellent partner with therapy because it can give you the skills to sit with the hard stuff that comes up in therapy, find relief from stress and anxiety, and create routines and structures in your life that are very helpful while going through deep inner work of any kind.
I very often work with people who are also in therapy, and I’m happy to collaborate and coordinate with your therapist, if that helps you on your healing journey.