Yoga came to me through the back door. As an athlete my whole life, I spent countless hours on the softball field and the volleyball court since the age of 8 working part way through my high school years. During college, I found myself sweating through hard core workouts on the stair stepper, plugged into loud music, disconnect from the world, more importantly from my body.

After college (go beavs!) I found myself back in the Portland area, back in the gym, back in the routine of mindless work. One evening about six years ago, I was visiting my mom and she brought home a video of a yoga practice. We put in the tape and began moving our body in all sorts of ways, laughing through the whole practice. After moving to the tape a few times, I notice new parts of my body working and thought hmmm....I don't have to sweat to move my body and something still happens. Then a sense of wonder about the practice of yoga set in.

Roaming around different areas of Portland in search of the yoga path, I found several different messages that didn't seem to add up. My friend (thanks, B!) handed me the Shala's schedule, "Teacher Training" it read. Is this the message that I have been waiting for? An extensive training program that seemed to match my idea about the practice and more importantly point me into the right direction. I blindly signed up for the training hoping that my harden body would carry me through.

After a few weeks into the program, I felt the true message yoga being delivered graciously by Matt as he gently pointed me into the right direction. Since, with a lot of hard work, determination, self inquiry, I have been hooked. Yoga has given me the gift of freedom and opportunity. Wonderful teachers like Matt, Jody and others have opened my eyes to the beautiful path of yoga, thank you.

Not only am I now a teacher, but an ongoing student, I will never go back to the gym. As a teacher, I strive my best to give simple instruction to allow students to explore postures safely. The ideas of pairing breath and movement fascinates me. In my classes, students get a chance to explore this beautiful connection on their own in a groups setting. A gentle yet physical practice leaves one feeling great.

Outside of yoga, I enjoy good food, music family, friends and the outdoors.