Q1: For those who may not know you yet, can you share a little about your journey into yoga and what first called you to this path?
I started practicing yoga after graduating from college in 2000 (eons ago!). My mom recommended it to me as a means of stress relief, and I was hooked from the first class I took at a local gym. A year later, the opportunity knocked to volunteer at an eco-retreat center in Hawaii and attend a yoga teacher training program at the same time — I jumped! I took my first training at Kalani Eco Retreat Center in June 2002 and found Asheville Yoga fairly shortly after my return home. I actually studied Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga with Stephanie Keach and Shala Worsley in 2004 and was introduced to Todd Norian through a special workshop at AYC. I graduated from Todd’s Anusara yoga training program in 2006.
Q2: What inspired you to continue your studies through Asheville Yoga Center’s 300-Hour program? At that stage in your journey, what were you seeking to deepen or explore?
Time and again, I have been drawn to the incredible workshops and teachers at AYC. In 2018, I decided to take the leap and pursue my 300-hour program. I was already familiar with many of the teachers and loved the program’s structure and format (and the chance to get away to Asheville every few months!). I had taken several other pre- and postnatal yoga teacher trainings at that point and was co-facilitating an 85-hour prenatal yoga teacher training with the co-founder of Whole Mama Yoga, but I wanted to be able to broaden and deepen my own teaching. I have always been drawn to the perinatal population, but I was also really curious about the intersections of yoga with chronic pain and illness, and I really wanted to reinvigorate and re-inspire my own teaching.
Q3: One of the intentions behind AYC’s 300-hour program is to support teachers in stepping more fully into their authentic voice. What does showing up authentically mean to you?
To me, being fully present with my students and getting out of my own head is when I feel most authentic in my teaching. I am showing up as me — with all of my quirks and imperfections (and hopefully a sense of humor to accompany both) — rather than as someone trying to emulate the ideal yoga instructor.
Q4: Why do you teach prenatal and postnatal yoga?
For so many reasons. Referring back to the previous question, I love the authenticity of this time of life. Birthing people show up so authentically, and when we’re pregnant or postpartum, we have no choice but to be really embodied. Things are changing all the time, and honoring those changes — and how our bodies feel and react to them — is essential to the experience. I am also really drawn to the community created as a result of a shared experience. I start all of my classes with a check-in and find that the mutual support inherent in that deepens the experience. People leave feeling better in their bodies and with new friends to boot.
Q5: What’s currently lighting you up in 2026? What are you creating, building, or dreaming about?
I am feeling really inspired about a few things this year! We just finished the 10th iteration of our Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training a few weeks ago, and we had an amazing group of teachers. I am constantly in awe of the depth of shared wisdom, experience, and passion that shows up in our cohorts, and I am so grateful to be able to participate and learn from such amazing people. We are increasingly focused on reproductive justice in the work that we do, and that continues to be reflected in the students we attract to our training. I would love to offer the training more than once a year, so we’re looking at different ways to make that happen. I am also finishing up my first year in a graduate program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling and am looking forward to offering a mutual support and movement group for postpartum parents this fall. Moving into Motherhood combines emotional and mental wellness practices with supportive postnatal yoga, and it is a particular favorite of mine. I hope to replicate the model I’ve created at other yoga studios and wellness spaces in the coming year. I am actually excited to seek support for the program in order to increase accessibility for all who might be interested in participating.
Q6: Where can our community connect with you and support your work?
Whole Mama Yoga is the organization that I co-lead with my dear friend and fellow teacher, Erin Hanehan. We’re based out of Chapel Hill, NC, but are available to lead workshops in North Carolina and the Southeast. You can learn more about us at wholemamayoga.com or follow us on Instagram or Facebook @wholemamayoga. I am happy to talk to anyone interested in learning more about teaching yoga to the perinatal population or to parents!
