Your Private Mountain Sanctuary

I am a complete and utter introvert even though no one believes me when I say that. It’s possible that 19 years in the restaurant industry and an extroverted culture taught me how to “people”. It’s not that I’m shy or antisocial– not all introverts are, but I am attention averse, highly sensitive, need lots of time alone, and would generally prefer if someone else took the lead. Perhaps surprising if you consider that I grew up the oldest of six kids, and was constantly called upon to show the way. I love that my career passion, bodywork, does not require much in the way of talking and interaction— just my hands, their breath, and hours of serene quiet. So how, then, did I find my way to the front of a packed room with dozens of eyes on me, talking about Dharma? You could say it was a call, and I’d had it for about 8 years before I answered it. In the spring of 2018, yoga teacher training woke me up. Not only did it form a clear and whole picture from the wide and fragmented puzzle pieces of spiritual inquiry I’d collected up until that point, but it put me in the spotlight— if it was something I wanted to do. And I very much wanted to do it. 

Since then, and at the foot of too many of my own exemplary teachers to name, I learned to embrace this role, and it’s one I take seriously. It’s a delight and an honor. You might even say it’s what I came here to do. So I got the reps in, found my voice, put down my stage fright and social anxiety, developed confidence and trust in myself, stopped trying to be someone else, and most importantly, as I learned to lead… stayed the student. They say knowledge is different from wisdom, that wisdom is earned experience. So it makes sense, then, that instructing is not the same as teaching. I think the best leaders are the ones never done with the Work, continually changing, who practice what they preach. I have met many who seem to have it upon first look— they appear and act the part, have all the right buzzwords— but inside, aren’t truly embodying what they bring. How can you bring it, if you aren’t it? 

I live yoga. I eat, breathe, and bathe in it. And I think as a student, you can tell the difference, especially if what you’re seeking is to practice Yoga in all its forms, not just the poses. I offer a non-hierarchical style of teaching, meaning I am no different from you. We are a community in this together, practicing alongside one another, repeatedly showing up, evolving, awakening. My own practice looks so different now than it did when I first started on this journey. I am less in my ego— a hallmark of spiritual advancement, or perhaps age— probably both. 

These days, I feel called to simply bring people together. I want to create spaces for Sangha: a spiritual community united in their shared commitment to a conscious life. Safe spaces for expression, reflection, and connection. It is my integral belief that coming together, rather than dividing, is what we need now. And it’s a pleasure to lead the way in one small part. I’m so grateful to have had the courage, curiosity, and integrity to become my Self first— through it, I became a valiant leader, fierce facilitator, and humble way-shower. It was certainly not without effort. Above all, I’m grateful to the lovely souls who have joined me along the way, in movement and stillness, in mind and body, in resistance and surrender. Here’s to the winding road, this wild earthly Life— through every season, and may our continued dedication to these practices create the conditions for the liberation of all beings.