Yoga

 

I studied and then practiced architecture for nearly thirty years.

There is discipline, attention to detail and an awareness necessary to create functioning, aesthetically satisfying spaces for people to live and work in.  I love the world of design and I have enjoyed the privilege of working with many fascinating people but stress was starting to trump joy and I needed to make a change.

 

I had this recurring dream that I was sitting on a hill under a tree looking out over a beautiful valley but I could not sit still. I longed for the stillness but I could not inhabit it. 

 

In 2006 I decided to quit my job and reconnect with myself.  The new found space in my life raised some tough questions – “When you're not an architect and you’re not a mom - who are you?”  As always when you make space you allow new things to enter your life.  It was then that I took my first yoga class.

 

Coming to my yoga mat I experienced both a sense of play and a sense of stillness. I felt empowered and graceful. I loved the lessons on practicing non-judgment, moving beyond fear and opening my heart. Yoga re-connected me to my essential self and it has revealed a path of learning and teaching and love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am grateful for the gift of wonderful teachers, mentors and friends:

 

• Theresa Murphy with whom I completed my 500 hour teacher training in August 2014.  Theresa has offered me a fresh perspective on exploring yoga creatively and in depth.  Through a wondrous enthusiasm for anatomy and alignment, energy theories, historical texts, modern psychology, meditative practices, pranayama and coming to your mat daily, Theresa inspires me to fully integrate and embody the practice of yoga.

• Sarah Powers who gave me a structure for silence and invited me to commit to a meditation practice which is now a foundation of my life.

• Kim Gebo at Ebb n' Flow Yoga who opened her arms and her studio to me when I needed a friend and place to begin again.

• Jacqui Bonwell for the endless inspiration she brings me through a perfect honest balance of tenderness and strength.

• Rolf Gates with whom I completed my 200 hour teacher training and learned to sit in meditation.

• Shawn Shaw who introduced me to yoga and graciously permitted me to take my first steps as a teacher in her studio.