I began to practice yoga in 2004 to ease pain and stiffness I was experiencing post-surgery from scoliosis. My first Savasana came as a surprise, showing me the possibility to transform pain and physical limitations into something else. For the first time in years, I felt some relief, accompanied with an ease inside the body. Yoga helped me work through the difficulties and pain which accompany scoliosis (still a work in progress), and I was very inspired to share the healing benefits of yoga with other people through teaching. Most importantly, I was empowered psychologically as a result of my practice and my feelings of limitation, fear and weakness were gone.
I like yoga because it’s immediate: the connection to my students is immediate, the experience of yoga is immediate. What is revealed to me time and time again is that as much as the sensations in the body after practicing are physical, healing is very much a holistic process.
I teach from a compassionate place of acknowledging the fundamentals in yoga (breathing and cultivating healthy spinal movement), and the challenges that sometimes arise in both. I like keeping an open mind, allow exploration, and for every student to come to their own conclusions, rather than indoctrination of the yoga teachings. As long as we can accept and love where we are, whether on or off the mat, we are doing yoga anyway.
I currently specialize in yoga for cancer patients, hatha yoga, prenatal yoga, yoga for scoliosis and yoga therapy. My interest lies in witnessing the therapeutic transformations and healing that takes place in one-on-one sessions.
My training to date includes:
- 250-hours (YA/RYT) Teacher Training: The Yoga Sanctuary (2005-06)
- Pre and Post-natal Training: Esther Myers Yoga (2010); The Yoga Sanctuary (2006),
- Kids Yoga Training: The Yoga Sanctuary (2008)
- *Restorative Teacher Training with: a) Hali Schwartz@Yoga Space (2008), b) Sachne Kilner@Yoga Plus (2011); both 30 hours plus assisting.
- Yoga for Scoliosis teacher training with: Elise Browning Miller (2009); Yoga Space.
- Advanced Yoga Philosophy with Hali Schwartz (2008-2011)
- Yoga Therapy with Karusia Wroblewski (2006, 2009)
- Many anatomy-focused study sessions with Cat Kajary, Karusia Wroblewski and Christine Cinq-Mars: Yoga Plus.
- Pre-Natal Yoga training with Dr. Neslihan İskit (2013, Istanbul)
- Yoga Therapy Training with Dr. Neslihan İskit (2013, Istanbul)
- Yoga Therapy Modules with Hart Lazer (2015, Istanbul)
- E-RYT Designation; Yoga Alliance (2012-)
Other personal interests include Sanskrit, chanting, Hindu mythology and yoga philosophy. I continuously studied advanced yoga philosophy with Hali Schwartz until I left Toronto, and have finished a Yoga Psychology course with Scott Petrie which was the first of its kind at the time.