River Flow Yoga and Wellness

By the summer of 2011, I completed my 200-hour RYT certification from the White Lotus Foundation, where studied under Ganga White, Tracy Rich, Kent Bond and Sven Holcomb. Currently, I am E-RYT 200 RYT from the Asheville Yoga Center and working towards my RYT 500 certification.

My teaching style and personal practice is very fluid. I have a deep connection with the water element, and, like water, my asana practice lends itself to attuning with our natural desire for flow and movement. Also, my daughter, Willow, continually inspires me to celebrate each moment and live fully in the present moment, which I share with my students.

I fell in love with yoga in my very first savasana. I was 16 and dancing ballet everyday, so yoga seemed like such a natural complement. What I didn’t know is how it changed something deep within me. There was a shift. Ever since then, I've turned to yoga and meditation to feel whole, even while dancing and later on training in running and triathlons.

In early 2017 I decided to quit my desk job and completed my 200-hour YTT from YogaWorks in beautiful and magical Agadir, Morocco. The training was as much a healing process as it was learning yoga. I knew that this knowledge must be shared.

In my classes you can expect to see influence from my dancing background and perhaps a kick in the booty from running and triathlon training! More importantly there will always be a deep respect to the individual. Meeting everyone right where they are. To have compassion, love, and mercy for oneself, so that we can move off of the mat and into the day with complete Self (capital S!) love and awareness!

Yoga came to me in the form of a VHS video tape given to me as gift in
1997. This embodiment of joy that lives in us all I did not know was
possible for me, until on an otherwise ordinary day I received this
precious gift; the practice of yoga…... I was so captured by yoga that by
the end of 1998 I had received my first certification from Atlanta Yoga
Fellowship, now Peachtree Yoga. Since that time, I have had the
privilege of studying under many great teachers along the way and
hope my eclectic teaching style pays tribute to them all. It is an honor
to teach at River Flow and I look forward to sharing this profound and
ancient modality with our amazing community.
See you on the mat…. Namaste.

My first steps onto a yoga mat were during high school at my dance school’s summer intensive. Having danced my whole life, I had always been connected to movement and the physical aspects of life. As I’ve continued my yoga practice, I have come to learn that yoga encompasses one’s life on a deeper level. It offers a practice of true connection to the body, but also the mind and spirit. 

This led me to complete my 200-hour YTT with Om Factory School of Yoga in New York City in 2019. Since then I have taught yoga in New Jersey, starting a community program at my town's library and teaching Vinyasa-style yoga, restorative yoga, and family yoga at my childhood dance and wellness studio. Now that I have moved to Columbus, GA, I am thrilled to be joining the RFY tribe.

In my classes, you can expect to see an emphasis on integrating the body, mind, and spirit together through breath practice and creative sequences. I believe that yoga is a practice for all, and I strive to guide each student to grow in their yoga journey both on and off the mat. 

I got my first taste of athletic experience at the age of three with a start in gymnastics. Over a span of the next 14 years, movement became an integral part of my life.

Fast forward to after the birth of my first child - and years of inactivity - I began reflecting over my time in sports and realized how necessary the component of momevent is when it comes to physical/mental wellness, and personal expression. I needed a routine of wellness. 

In that moment I knew I wanted to continue learning and exploring the capabilities of my body and what it would look like to jump back into a daily routine of physical activity; so, I did! I normalized daily movement and positive lifestyle choices and felt like I did in my glory days. 

So, if you’re an absolute beginner or physical activity is second nature to you, know that my personal sessions and classes begin with and maintain an emphasis on functional movement, age-appropriate programming, and a specific focus given to cardiovascular and strength training, in combination with balance and flexibility. 

As a certified fitness trainer and nutritional therapist, my passion is to help you transform your life in the most sustainable way possible. So get ready to integrate movement and optimal wellness into the demands of your daily life!

I believe everyone deserves access to health and wellness. Remember, your wellness isn’t dictated by your genes, it’s dictated by your daily routine. 

I began practicing yoga ten years ago finding classes here and there as there were limited opportunities to take yoga in Columbus.  When RiverFlow opened I was thrilled to have found a “home.”  I began adding classes to my busy life as an attorney and mother and found that I never regretted making the time to get to the mat.  Yoga became essential to my life balance.  I found myself at RiverFlow four or five times a week and the studio community became my second family.  When Alee offered her first teacher training retreat in the summer of 2018 I knew that it was time to expand my practice and knowledge never intending to become an instructor – the goal was to just personally grow and transform.  However, the experience made me realize that I needed to share the power of yoga with others so they can become their best selves.  My hope is that those who take my classes will learn they have the power to transform their minds, bodies and spirits in order to live their best life.

I was first introduced to yoga about 10 years ago. My oldest son was 6 months old, and I was trying to figure out life in my body. I had no idea what to expect, but as the instructor guided the class through a flow, I felt so at home in my body, and I was hooked. Over the next few years, my family had the experience of traveling to the Middle East and living in Yerevan, Armenia; where I taught English in exchange for learning Armenian and Farsi. While my time there was short, the experience was spiritually transformational and a catalyst for finding my path. Upon returning to the U.S., I continued to practice yoga sporadically but not consistently until 2019, when I was experiencing some health issues due to stress. My doctors told me I needed to “chill” and practice yoga more often. So, I did. Every class I could find. I began to seek out ways to get my certification while managing a house of 3 littles. I started with YogaFit, and upon receiving my Level 1 certification in 2020, I began teaching classes at a local gym for two years. I completed my 200 RYT training in April of 2022 through YogaRenew. When I am practicing and instructing, I feel most at home and feel my most authentic self. My favorite thing is watching “the lights come on” when others make a connection in yoga, and the realization of “this was so much better than I expected” hits them.

I am a mama to 3 wild boys and married to one wild guy. We love to hike and ride our bikes and dance parties in our living room are our favorite. When I’m not in a yoga class, you can find me with a cup of coffee in hand and hopefully a good book, but probably battling loads of laundry. I have a B.A. in Sociology, and although I don’t work in that field, I very much enjoy people; watching and figuring out what makes individuals tick and how we all flow together in this world.