My Yoga Story
Yoga is something I was introduced to at a young age, my Nana was a yoga instructor which meant we spent a lot of time in tree pose and taking breath breaks together. However as i got older I became resistant to a yoga practice. 60 seconds on the mat felt like hours of torture, at the time I didn’t understand why.
During that time I was in the beginning stages of my eating disorder. Asking myself to sit and notice my body was a super activating task, so I did not feel connected to the wellness and relaxation stereotypes we all hear about yoga.
One day I ended up on the mat again (surprise surprise I was taking a class with my Nana), and finally experienced that feeling of safety on the mat. It was in that moment I knew I had to share it. As soon as I made it back home I signed up for a teacher training. Though I had felt the benefits of the practice, I still felt some resistance in studio spaces, this is something I continued to experience throughout my time teaching at studios.
I decided to take the practice outside of studio spaces as often as I could-if I felt this discomfort in studios, even as an instructor, I thought others might feel the same. I taught at parks, a petting zoo, restaurants, anywhere that would let me lay out some mats. The exploration of yoga outside of studios led me to YOGA N DA Hood, an organization dedicated to bringing yoga and mindfulness to high needs schools. This is where my passion for providing yoga to underserved communities and individuals impacted by trauma truly began.
I realized mindfulness and regulation can be found through many wellness skills,an hour long yoga class isn’t the best fit for everyone! I began to deepen my knowledge in other areas of wellness so I could support individuals in creating their own wellness toolbelt. I currently live in Savannah Georgia where I provide Trauma Sensitive Yoga Classes for Recovery and Behavioral Health spaces. I also partnered with Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council offering wellness classes,and trauma informed mindfulness training to assist our community in:
- Offering Self- Support to themselves
- Sharing their voice and experience to offer peer support to others in the community.
As. a Yoga Therapist I continue to offer my support at recovery spaces, crisis centers, and virtually!