Yoga and Meditation

 

After graduating from New York University's renowned Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Photography, Art History and Design, I began my studies of yoga.    I was first led to Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico for  an immersive yoga teacher training in Hatha and Vinyasa yoga.

From there, I left for 6 months to travel in India and learn from gurus and spiritual teachers firsthand.  I studied Iyengar Yoga at Amma's ashram in Kerala.  I sat in satsang with self-realization thinkers on the edge of the holy Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai.  I meditated in the caves of Sri Ramana Maharshi   and  was one of the last people to receive darshan by the guru   Sai Baba at his ashram  while he was alive.   

I meditated and attended satsang with Prem Baba on the edge of the sacred Ganges river in the Himalayas,  immersed myself in the teachings of Osho and Osho Active Meditations,  met the Dalai Lama in his hometown of Dharamshala, India and  I sat two 10-day Vipassana Meditation  retreats led by S.N. Goenka to learn the method of meditation Buddha used to attain enlightenment.   I write about this time of my life in my  memoir, Just Be, due to release in 2017.

After India, I taught my first yoga classes in 2011   at an Anusara-Inspired yoga studio in Berkeley.  It was there that I met my mentors Kimber Simpkins and Sianna Sherman.    Since then I have been teaching Hatha, Restorative and Yin yoga at various yoga studios near my home in Sonoma County, California.   

I have over 500 hours of yoga teacher training credentials and have taught nationally and  internationally at retreats, workshops  and teacher trainings across the US as well as in Thailand and Bali, Indonesia.

 

Mentors

 

Much of my training   has come through attending retreats and programs with amazing mentors in my life.  

I bow with great respect to the women who have greatly influenced my life's work: Marin Bach-Antonson,   Marianne Williamson, Gabrielle   Bernstein, Nisha Moodley, Marie Forleo, Nancy Weiser, KC Baker,  Erica Jago, Kimber Simpkins and Sianna Sherman, to name a few.

Thank you for being a reflection for me to see my own greatness. 

 

Institute for Integrative Nutrition

 

I   remember the first time I heard about the   Institute for Integrative Nutrition…it was from two beautiful women I met at a farm-to-table yoga event.  They were glowing.  I remember wondering, “What is so different about these women?”  The answer was IIN.

As a yoga instructor, I was already looking into schools to learn more about nutrition and have the structure to offer coaching into my offerings.

I was surprised when I learned these women (who were still students at IIN) already had business cards, a website and clients!

When I called IIN  to ask about the investment, I realized the tuition was half the cost of other year long nutrition certificate programs I had researched.  And because it is all online -(listening to lectures, filling out the workbook and being on group phone calls with a successful coach who graduated from the school) the teachers are the best in their field.

I had been struggling to pay my rent as a new yoga teacher before signing up for IIN, and it was definitely a risk to make the investment, but something magical happened after I enrolled:   I earned back my entire tuition before graduating.

A few of the teachers:

 

Besides raising my monthly income, and gaining the tools to offer the best nutrition  and business development advice to my clients, the journey I went through on a personal level, was incredibly transformative.  

I gained confidence to face my fears, to believe in my message, to start valuing my financial worth and develop programs to reach a broader audience.

I realized that “glow” I saw in those women who first told me about the school, became my own as I went through the school year.  The health issues I was struggling with: acne and an irregular menstrual cycle cleared up halfway through the year, and I felt like I was flying.

If you’re looking to build your yoga or wellness business, or raise your income while making a positive impact, then you should consider working with me.

I’m happy to tell you more about my experience.