In 1996 I was lying in a hospital bed beginning the slow recovery from a serious back injury I incurred in a very traumatic car accident. My first and second lumbar vertabrae were fused together with bone that was taken from my pelvis. At the age of 18 I had to learn how to walk again. After months and months of rest and physical therapy I was able to walk!  I was hesitant to do much else. I was frightened by what the doctors told me then, discouraging me from any intense physical activity: no sports, no roller coasters, no standing for any long periods of time. They also warned me that I would most likely experience back pain for the rest of my life. Yoga changed all that....

At the age of 22 I took my first class. It was rough. I had been very athletic my entire life, fond of physical activity and adventure which had abruptly been cut short. Not only was I extremely tight and stiff but I carried some emotional trauma with me from the accident. Pretty much every movement in the body originates from the spine--and mine had been damaged…repaired but the real damage was the fear and doubt it created for me mentally and emotionally. That first class was painful to say the least. I went back. I breathed into the places that hurt. Sometimes I cried. I cried because yes, it could be physically painful, but the poses were also a constant reminder of my back injury. That I couldn't just fling myself into any pose I wanted to without thinking. This was a great gift. My injury was a gift. I had to learn to listen to my body, to be patient and compassionate with it's limitations (as I soon found out; that's the true Yoga anyhow). I had to learn to quiet my ego and refuse it's stubborn impulses to accomplish or achieve when I'm practicing. It's been over a decade since that first class and, to be honest, I STILL have to do this. 

After a couple years of consistent practice, my flexibility and strength increased in ways that I hadn't expected. I was healing more than just my body. I knew that yoga would forever be an important part of my life. I became a teacher not only to empower others along their own healing journey, but also to deepen my own. It's been over a decade since my car accident and I have NO back pain. I play competitive beach volleyball. I run. I hike. I practice yoga daily. I do back bends and handstands--I mention this only to celbrate the body's amazing capacity to heal from even the most traumatic of events. I am honored to teach this powerful practice. More than that, I am grateful to learn.