I am certain that yoga has saved my life on more than one occasion. Over the years there have been many ups and downs and through it all, yoga continues to support me – to be my strong-hold. Here it is just me – on the mat – nothing to prove.
In my personal practice and in my teaching I like to take a playful non-dogmatic approach to yoga. I realize that each day is different and that the yoga practice changes over time – that as individuals we each come to yoga with our own needs. With this in mind, one of my favorite parts of teaching is giving hands-on adjustments. In this way I have a better idea of what is going on in the class and of the needs of the individual students.
It has been my experience, that through awareness, change is possible. I believe that the internal work of yoga is more important that trying to fit into someone else’s image to the “perfect” asana – that, indeed, there is no such thing as a “perfect asana.”
Like so many things in my life, I came to teaching yoga through the back door. In trying unsuccessfully to organize a yoga teacher for the Bavarian International School, one of my colleagues convinced me to teach the class myself. I will always be grateful to Jane for her encouragement and persistence in this. After discovering my passion for teaching yoga, I went on to study with Paul Dallaghan at Centered Yoga Institute in Thailand with a focus in Ashtanga yoga and pranayama starting in 2007. In addition to my daily personal practice, over the years I have completed numerous yoga workshops and trainings.
When I am not on the mat, you will often find my spending time with one of my best teachers – my son, Paul, or simply snuggled up with a good book on the couch with our two cats. I also love to dance, to draw and to swim in salt water.
- 2025 – Optimal Yoga Training with Doug Keller, Vienna, Austria
- 2024 – Teachers Intensive with Richard Freeman, Damstadt, Germany
- 2023 – Pranayama, Anatomy and Asana – Paul Dallaghan und Team
- 2018/19 – Silent Retreat with Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor
- 2017 – Adjustment Clinic – Nancy Gilford
- 2016 – practice with Saraswati in Mysore, India
- 2013 – Teachers Intensive with Richard Freeman
- 2012 – YogaBee Studio
- 2012 – First 10-day Vipassana Meditation
- 2012 – Moving Limbs – Manfred Gauper
- 2012 – Teachers’ Training with David Swenson
- 2010 – YogaBee
- 2010 – 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training – Centered Yoga – Paul Dallaghan
- 2009 – Pre-/ Post- Natal Yoga Teacher’s Training – Centered Yoga
- 2007 – 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training – Centered Yoga – Paul Dallaghan
- 2005 – Ashtanga Yoga Intensive – Mark Darby
- 2003-2008 – Bavarian International School (München) – English as an Additional Language Teacher (grades 1-5) and Team Coordinator (grades K-12)
- 1999-2003 – Anglo-American School of Moscow – Russian Language Teacher (grades 4-8) and Language Team Coordinator (grades K-12)
- 1999 – MA in Russian Language and Literature – Middlebury College
- 1995-1999 – Norfolk Public Schools – Russian Language Teacher, grades 6-12
- 1995 – BA with Honors in Russian Language and Literature – Knox College (1995)