my story

how movement healed me

yoga + pilates + craniosacral

I have always found joy and strength through movement.

I am an adventurous and free spirit who loves to travel and explore, be in the flow with nature, dance, move, play in the ocean and help others feel good in their bodies. I had my own struggles with pain and exhaustion earlier in life, which often held me back from experiencing the true joy and freedom of my spirit.

As a former professional dancer in LA for 10 years, I thought being in pain or discomfort was a natural thing. I was getting beat down by the hustle and bustle of a professional dancer driving all over LA for auditions and the constant competition and focus on physical appearance. I had 2 waitressing jobs and my body also hurt - I had low back pain and a tweaky knee.

I’ll never forget the first time I did a Pilates session.

It satisfied the mover in me and I felt strong doing the work. It ignited my passion for anatomy, it made so much sense and it showed me a structural way to move, align and strengthen my body. After that first class, I knew it’s what I wanted to do with my life, and I got certified to teach a month later in 2003.

I founded pH7 Pilates, Health and Fitness which opened in 2004.

I didn’t know much about business, but I believed in myself and knew how to connect with people and build relationships. I started small with two reformers in an office, and grew into two locations and the space of my dreams. I developed my 450 hour Pilates Teacher Training program and fell in love with developing teachers. I am very proud of how many of my graduates have gone on to be leaders, studio owners, and healers in the Pilates field.

I contain my energy with pilates, find flow in yoga, and realign using craniosacral work.

After supporting and loving my studio pH7 for 15 years, I sold the business in 2018 to continue pursuing my passions as a retreat leader, teacher, and practitioner.

My movement practice is my passion.

Pilates and yoga are a great combination and equally influence my teaching. I am a PMA Certified Instructor and have certifications in Power Yoga (200 hr Core Power Yoga), Yoga Sculpt (40 hr Core Power Yoga), and Forrest Yoga (240 hr Training). In 2013, I graduated from the Kathy Grant Heritage Training led by second generation master teacher Cara Reeser.

I believe touch is an important part of how we learn and connect to each other, and I’m passionate about hands on adjustments in my teaching. I believe a good yoga or pilates teacher should touch and use hands on adjustments on their students. After years of teaching so many bodies, I noticed that many of my clients came in with overactive minds and taxed nervous systems. Even after a good workout, something was missing. I saw a need to create a sacred pause, a re-set, to fully integrate the work we had done before they walked out my door and back into the busy world. So in May of 2018 I began my journey to becoming a Craniosacral Therapist.

After experiencing nerve pain for many years, I discovered the magic of CranioSacral therapy.

CranioSacral therapy is a form of bodywork that uses gentle touch to palpate the joints of the cranium, spine and pelvic bones. The gentle palpation of these bones has a positive effect on the cerebral spinal fluid that flows from the brain to the pelvis and back like a loop. The cerebral spinal fluid inside our spinal cord has a rhythm that can get “stuck” in a sense when we are stressed, injured, or holding emotional tension, and Craniosacral therapy can get that fluid moving in a healthier way. It leaves your body feeling like you just got a reset to your nervous system. I find 15-30 minutes of CranioSacral works in such concert after a moment session to soften pain, quiet the mind, and integrate the session so my student walks out the door feeling a 'lightness of being'.