As a yoga instructor, I bring a true love for teaching and practicing yoga while striving to bring my students the same immense benefits that yoga has brought to my own life. Although I am a yoga instructor by title, I feel that my intention in this role is to act as a mentor, guiding my students in applying yogic principles to everyday life. I try to instill in each of my students a sense that allows them to feel free to follow their own intuition within their practice to feeling better in both mind and body. 

I believe in doing yoga that feels good in the body and not necessarily aesthetically perfect. We each have different bodies and some poses are just not accessible to us all. However, owning our practice and doing yoga for ourselves is accessible. The idea of owning your own practice is simple and can be broken down to three main focuses:

1. Being safe in every pose you do.

(Modify poses and use props when needed and available)

2. Breath

Be aware of the quality of your breath and it's location. Is the pace fast or slow,and is it high in the chest (clavicular breathing), or deep into the pit of your abdomen? Cultivating this awareness of the breath will allow you to gage if you are pushing yourself to hard, or realize that a pose has become painful. Remember nothing is static. YOU CAN come out of a pose at any time. Childs pose is always appropriate and always available. 

3.Be Present

Feel the entire process of the pose, for each pose has a beginning,middle and end.Start your practice with awareness of how you have arrived,next allow for some type of softening (whether that be physically or mentally), then commit to your time on the mat!Recognize that this time is for you and you alone.