MY STORY
In 2001, I was introduced to yoga by a dear friend who moved here from California, one month after my 40th birthday. I was a full time Mom and homemaker with a small personal training business on the side. I was an avid tennis player, and had just run my first marathon. Excited to add something extra to my workout routine, Power Yoga was a challenging new form of exercise. Little did I know, but my life was about to change significantly. The practice of yoga, for me, evolved into a vital lifeline that kept me sane and grounded.
My passion grew deeper to learn all that I could about this ancient practice. At that time, there was only one yoga class in town that I could attend regularly. Yoga classes were even forbidden at some facilities. I started to travel across the country to seek out training from very well-known and highly respected yoga teachers from different schools and styles. I read lots of books. With a background as a Registered Nurse and having worked in the fitness industry for most of my adult life, I felt confident to open my own studio in 2002 and to pursue teaching Yoga as a career.
Out in the community, in 2005, I began work at Pine Grove Behavioral Health Women’s Center teaching yoga and wellness principles to women in recovery from eating disorders and chemical dependency. I eventually developed the Behavioral Health Yoga Therapy Program at Pine Grove Gentle Path, now called Gratitude, where I currently work with men and women in recovery from multiple addictions, including relationship and sexual addiction. In June of 2022, I added Pine Grove’s Professional Enhancement Program and Next Step to my weekly agenda.
I have promised my students and patients to remain on a continual path of study and to share all that I have learned from my teachers. My more recent studies, in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, have involved Functional Movement and Mobility Training. I completed the Movement and Mobility 101 training with Physical Therapist, Dr. Kelly Starrett and as a Movement Specialist I help yoga students and athletes to recognize movement patterns, to heal and to prevent injury and to optimize athletic performance. I have worked with several professional athletes, the University of Southern Mississippi football team, and high school athletes pursuing college scholarships in baseball, football and soccer. In the fall semester of 2024, I also had the privilege to work with the Graduate Students in the Theater Arts Program at USM to design movement and mindfulness practices that enhance performance on stage.
I also have experience working with adolescents with learning disabilities, anxiety, and behavioral challenges at Petal High School and for a privately owned Special Education Home School. After submitting more than 2200 hours of Yoga Therapy group and private sessions, in 2017, I became a Certified Yoga Therapist with The International Association of Yoga Therapists. For the variety of ways to serve, and the opportunities that have come my way, I am so grateful. I have always believed that yoga practices are effective as alternative and adjunct therapy for the prevention of illness, the management of symptoms, and a companion on the road in recovery.
I am a Senior Consultant with the Gulf Coast Trauma Institute, am certified at the highest mark with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and am a Continuing Education Provider (YACEP). In addition to my studio classes and outside contracts, I am available for private sessions by appointment.
