CLASSES
My teaching stems from a classical Yoga background and is strongly influenced by B.K.S Iyengar. In my classes, we use props, such as belts, blocks and straps as aids to help us into asanas (poses) one step at a time. Through the developement of the asanas, we focus on the structural alignment of the physical body. We pay careful attention to alignment so that each student can receive the maximum benefit from each pose in a safe manner. We focus on the development of strength, stamina, flexibility and balance, as well as concentration (Dharana).

In my classes, there is an emphasis on standing poses as they strengthen the legs and improve balance, general vitality and improve circulation. They also create a strong base for all other poses. B. K. S. Iyengar, one of the foremost Yoga teachers in the world today, is the author of the classic Light on Yoga, in which he has systemized hundreds of asana and pranayama techniques and has discovered the anatomical principles on which they are based. He was born in 1918 and continues to teach and practice yoga.

MY PATH IN YOGA
I took my first yoga class in 2001. I was living in New York City and working as a photo researcher. A friend took me to his yoga studio in the East Village and I was hooked.

After moving to Austin, Texas in 2003 with an injured groin muscle, I was looking for a way to heal and strengthen my body through yoga. That's when Murti Hower and Paula Harnish introduced me to the principles of the Iyengar system. I was reassured that I could continue practicing yoga while my groin healed and started to gain a deeper awareness in each pose. It was at their studio, "Healing in Yoga" in 2005, that I earned my 200 hour RYT certification from the Yoga Alliance.

I continue to study and am currently working towards my 500 hour teacher certification in the Iyengar tradition with Lillah Schwartz at Lighten Up Yoga in Asheville. There, I am learning additional methods and techniques to help people take their practice deeper and work safely with injuries and modifications. I am extremely grateful to be studying and teaching yoga and for the warmth the yoga community has shown me since moving here in 2006.

INSPIRATION
My students amaze me every day. They teach me about courage and strength and remind me constantly that yoga is about awareness and compassion for ourselves. A lovely friend and student of mine practiced yoga up until and right after her hip surgery. She has slowly regained very good function in that hip. Another of my students with osteoarthritis no longer has to wear her knee braces because she has strengthened her knees in yoga. Other inspiration comes from Erich Schiffmann, Rumi, Hafiz, Lillah Schwartz and Jim.

PRACTICE
I'm often on my mat surrounded with books, blankets, straps and chairs, building a contraption that will help me with forward bends; or in Padangusthasana II with one leg up on the sink checking my hip alignment in the bathroom mirror. My practice is my time to play, to think about the poses differently, and venture outside the box.

INTENTION
I hope to create a friendly space for students where they can explore the poses. When you come to my class I invite you to strengthen, to relax, to smile, to become grounded, and to lengthen. And then to take all of that home with you.