One of the best things about getting older is having decades under your belt & it’s pretty cool to realize that I’ve been practicing yoga for over 20 years. One stereotype about yogis is that we are all very calm and easy-going. In fact, I do yoga precisely because I am not, by nature, calm and easy-going. I am a Scorpio and an Enneagram 3 (read: passionate, intense). I wasn’t even looking for calm when I started practicing yoga. I was just looking for a good stretch sesh.
I got so much more. Yes, some of that is physical—the strength for chaturanga, the balance for Warrior III. But I also found space to quiet my mind, open my heart, and seek peace within myself. My yoga practice has helped me learn to manage my intense emotional landscape. It has sustained me through job losses, cross-country moves—even unplanned natural childbirth. Unlike other workouts or philosophies, yoga doesn’t demand achievement or excellence. As Maty Ezraty said, 'When you’re practicing yoga, you’re not practicing to improve yourself. You are perfect. The practice is there to help you know that.'
Through yoga, I’ve always found community and connection. I remember learning sun salutations from a friend’s sister in my tiny NYC apartment, meeting my first mom friend at a prenatal class in Hoboken, exploring studios in all the new cities I’ve moved to since, and, of course, practicing 6 feet apart, outside at the first GUD location during the pandemic.
I’ve been teaching English at the high school and college level for almost as long as I’ve been practicing yoga, but it wasn’t until I started practicing at GUD Yoga that I finally put the two together.
When I decided to take the leap and go through Yoga Teacher Training, I knew I wanted to do it here. GUD Yoga is a special place, and I consider myself privileged to be part of this community, both as a teacher and a student. I look forward to practicing and teaching for many decades to come!