Tell us about yourself: My work life is a combination of balancing it all. From crunching numbers during the day with checks & balances, debits & credits to balancing and guiding a yoga class in the evening. I’m very grateful that I get to do what I love and love what I do. I have a husband, son and 2 cats. In my spare time, I enjoy time with my family, greenway bike rides, paddle-boarding and time on the lake.
Tell us about your yoga journey: My first yoga class was 1998 when I was looking for a way to reduce my stress while trying to juggle family and work life. That was when my love of yoga began. Through the years, my mat was my sacred place and helped manage my stress. After I lost my mom to pancreatic cancer, I made the decision to go out of my comfort zone and enrolled in a 200-hour yoga teacher training at Gratitude Hot Yoga in Raleigh. This journey turned out to be more than I anticipated and helped me navigate my grief. After our son left for college, I was ready to continue my education with a 300-hour yoga teacher training with Yoga Farm Ithaca which I finished July 2022.
Any advice or words of wisdom to someone just starting their yoga journey or already on it? You don’t have to be a gumby to practice yoga. Yoga is so much more than a pose. For me, it’s a great opportunity for me to come out of my mind and land in the moment. Any opportunity to turn inward and focus on the breath.
Favorite pose: Supine spinal twist is my favorite pose. The spinal and back stretch feels so amazing while stimulating digestion and calming the mind.
Favorite quote/mantra/intention/affirmation: “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” –The Bhagavad Gita.
My favorite mantra is: Change your mind, change your world.
