I began yoga while in University, during a phase in my life when I seemed to have it all — the opportunity to receive a respectful education, a vibrant social life and loving family…yet inside I felt empty and lost. I was disconnected to the things that lit me up and felt suppressed by the trajectory of my life.

My Journey

Growing up, I went through the public education system where I felt mostly uninspired and disengaged. I craved something different and deeper, and I knew the traditional route was not for me. I began playing with boundaries, seeking some sort of freedom and fulfillment and started using drugs and alcohol in high school.

The substances were a temporary escape and quick fix to feel some sort of freedom and pleasure, but of course it didn’t last and the addictions grew. My grades dropped and I barely graduated high school. All I wanted to do run far away and travel to some foreign land, leaving behind the world I knew. Instead, my parents insisted that I first receive a University degree so I applied and enrolled in the local state University.

Although I wasn’t totally thrilled on the idea of another four years of school, I decided to use it wisely and save up as much money as possible to travel. I moved off campus to a nearby city which was up and coming with lots of live music in funky cafes, yoga studios and juice bars. I began waitressing and bartending at nights and made friends with an older crew of girls who just so happened to be practicing at the nearby hot yoga studio. I was inspired to practice and went to my first class at eighteen.

I remember coming out of Savasana feeling more alive and free in my body / mind than I’d ever felt before! I felt myself whole again, reconnected and pugged into a life source. I felt grounded yet light, vital and empowered, peaceful and in a space of trust.

I didn’t understand from a cognitive level what had taken place, but I knew something had shifted and I followed the feeling. I was immediately hooked, trusted in the magic and dove in, practicing daily at the studio. Yoga became a gateway to cultivate stability and openness in my body. It gifted me the tools to work with my mind and how to respond to life from a more centered and clear space. It opened me to a sense of Divinity and for the first time in my life I felt connected to a larger force or Source within the Universe.

It didn't take long to notice the overall impact yoga had in all aspects of my life. I cultivated discipline, discernment and focus. I became more kind, patient and present. My habits and routines shifted as I structured my life around the practice. My desire for drugs and alcohol naturally began to fade away and I became more clear in myself and the direction I wanted to go.

As my University graduation neared, I began asking the bigger life question of 'what next' and reflected on what was bringing me joy and what my heart was yearning for most…

My answers led me to follow my desire to travel. Within a few months I bought a one way ticket to South India, packed a backpack and flew across the world to volunteer at a yoga center that offered retreats and trainings. I found myself living in a thatched roof hut with a sand floor, meters from the ocean, with a handful of possessions — yet had never felt so fulfilled.

It was on that small palm lined beach that I was introduced to an entirely new way to living which integrated daily practice, plant based foods and a diverse community of world travelers, creatives, expats and entrepreneurs who shared a similar desire to design their life base on their values and creative purpose.  I accessed a new paradigm and way of being which resonated on the deepest level within my Soul.

The following year I completed my first Yoga Teacher Training, and began teaching the very next day...

Yogahas led me to live, learn and share all over the world, and brought me to my two most influential teachers who I mentor with. My commitment to my own practice and continual studentship, unique teaching experiences, vast travels, and global network continue to shape my path.

Yoga has gifted me the tools to live with authenticity — to believe in myself and find the courage to listen to the whispers of my heart. I am forever grateful and honored to share the philosophies and practices which help me to stay anchored in this place of trust.

After a decade of living nomadically, I returned to the place where my heart feels most at home to build roots in Ibiza, Spain. The island has gifted me wings in many ways and continues to be a source of nourishment through its abundance of nature and the vibrant heart based community I am surrounded by.