What is yoga to you? 

As T.S. Eliot says, “We shall not cease from exploration, but at the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”  This is yoga to me..about coming home to our true selves.  Through the practices of asana, pranayama, meditation and ayurvedic lifestyle practices, we become in touch with our true nature and with that we live more compassionate and joyous lives.

How do you see yoga evolving in the next 5 – 10 years?

I see people going into the deeper practices of yoga beyond the asana to learn about the philosophy and the subtler practices of yoga to calm the mind.

What inspired you to become a yoga teacher and with whom have you done your trainings? 

I needed balance in my life.  I was a competitive triathlete and marathon runner and was running my own business and I needed balance both physically and mentally.  I tried a few types of yoga and I fell in love with Jivamukti style flow and Ashtanga.  I have did my first training with Moksha Yoga and then did many other teacher trainings with:  David Life of Jivamukti, Tias Little, Beryl Bender Birch and more.   I studied in India with the late Pattabhi Jois.   I have spent much of the past 8 years studying Pranayama and Ashtanga with my main teacher Paul Dallaghan of Yoga Thailand and Om Prakesh Tiwari from Kaivalydhama Institute.   In addition, I spent 3 years and over 1800 hours of training to become a Certified Ayurvedic Specialist from the California College of Ayurveda.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in developing your teaching career and how did you overcome them?  Staying true to what I know and watching fads come and go but staying true to the path of yoga no matter what goes on around you.

As the director of your schools teacher training programs, what is your overall goal and objective? 

To help teachers in training find their own true voice.  Through the Svadyaya.. self study and all the practices of yoga, one can learn so much about oneself and it is from that place that they can teach others.

What do you feel is unique about your yoga teacher training programs versus other schools? Please tell us about your program. 

Our program offers a balance between philosophy, asana, pranayama, meditation, ayurveda and more.   Not only do students learn the practicalities of how to put together a class but they learn to go deeper into their own practice.  They begin to develop a self practice in asana and pranayama.

What type of students would best fit your programs? 

All types of students fit our program.  We have all ages, all backgrounds and anyone dedicated to going deeper into yoga would benefit.

What qualities do you feel make a good yoga teacher? 

Those that teach from the heart.  What they know to be true and where their personality shines.  Those that have a self practice know themselves and can teach from that voice.  That voice is usually then clear, warm, compassionate, yet strong.

Is there any advice you would offer to aspiring yoga teachers?

Be clear about the reasons that you want to teach yoga and stick with those reasons no matter what.

To learn more about her school please visit North Shore Yoga.