A love for movement from the moment I was born has grown into a life and career that's better than I could have imagined. Now, as a Yoga Alliance certified E-RYT 500-Hour Yoga Instructor, I get to guide others into a deeper relationship with themselves through many styles of yoga. With over a decade of practice and continuing education in Vinyasa, Power, Yin and Restorative, Nidra, and Therapeutics, I have truly found my calling.  Through my own journey, I have been met with obstacles (as we all have), that taught me the importance of self-care and self-love. These experiences have kept me a student and kept me researching and exploring new avenues to health. I am constantly inspired by the way the body wants to heal and I share all I find with my community because we are in this together. If we can feel better in our own bodies, hearts, and minds, then we are better able to take care of others. When we move freely and fluidly and our mind is calm and at ease, we can focus on what's important: love.

I was first introduced to yoga in 2005. My first venture was into power yoga classes. I was pleasantly surprised by the whole body benefits of that practice. From there I became curious of additional styles like yin, vinyasa Flow, and hot yoga. I still enjoy the physical challenge that yoga provides and have learned how proper breathing and focus enhances my practice. I was fortunate enough to find time to take teacher training in late 2021 and became CYT 200 certified in February of 2022. From there I have been given the opportunity to teach and continue to develop my practice. Yoga has given me an important component of a diversified health regimen.

I fell in love with yoga at my very first class in 2003 and haven't stopped loving the practice and wanted to understand yoga more completely. I hope to bring the same feelings of joy and clarity to others. I completed my 200-hour teacher training with the Himalayan Institute in 2009 and have been teaching yoga regularly ever since. My training and experience in prenatal yoga, children's yoga, chair yoga, and hatha yoga have informed my eclectic style that draws from many yogic influences. My goal is to make everyone feel comfortable in their body while discovering something new about themselves.

My purpose on this planet is to help others live their BEST life. For over 15 years, I have passionately studied nutrition, psychology, and various metaphysical topics in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the human being. As multi-dimensional creatures, I have found the best approach to increasing our quality of life is also multi-dimensional. By combining my experience in nutrition and health coaching along with trauma release, astrology, and energy work, I offer a full spectrum holistic approach to getting people unstuck and on the road to flourishing. Services Offered Astrology Consultations At the moment of your birth, the specific locations of the planets in our solar system as well as the mathematical aspects between them formed a very special energetic signature that is unique to you. By understanding this signature, you are able to learn more about how your own mind and emotions best flow as well as gain clarity on major life themes such as relationships, finances, health, and overall life satisfaction. In our 60 minutes together, we will take a deep dive into your natal chart so that you are fully prepared to step into the rest of your life with confidence, clarity, and renewed excitement to be YOU. Mental Well-being and Trauma Release When we are young, our minds are designed to absorb any and all information around us. This helps us form a foundation of understanding upon which the rest of our lives are built. Unfortunately, nearly all of us experienced some form of trauma in our early years whether it be verbal, emotional, physical, or psychological. These events and patterns, although they may seem unimportant now, can lodge themselves inside our subconscious and create unhealthy patterns that we may not even realize are holding us back. The key is in the BREATH! By combining intentional language with a specific type of breathwork, we are able to identify and release these patterns so that we can start to run NEW programs in our minds and live life as the person we have always wanted to be. The changes happen quickly! Within the first few sessions, I have seen clients release memories from up to 20+ years ago and watched their circumstances improve immensely over the months following. After the first 60 minute session, you can expect a renewed sense of peace and confidence that will allow you to go for the life you've always known you were meant for. Holistic Health Coaching Your body is a temple. Because every single aspect of our lives depends upon the functioning of this temple, your physical health must be a cornerstone in your daily practice when seeking to live your best life. In our 60 minute health coaching sessions, we will take a close look at your nutrition, movement, and elemental balance while practicing strategies to minimize stress. We will optimize your energy levels, sleep quality, digestive function, mood, and vitality by combining ancestral wisdom with modern day science to help you truly THRIVE!

I began my yoga journey in 2000 after years of neck and shoulder issues. Yoga helped me to find better movement and overall health. I encountered further health and family challenges in the following years and I turned more to yoga’s healing benefits in not only physical health, but mental and spiritual health as well. As my 35-year career as a pediatric speech-language pathologist was coming to a close, I was led to learning more about yoga so that I could share its many benefits with more people through teaching. I completed my 200-hour teacher training through Be Moved Yoga in 2022. I am humbled to be able to continue to learn and share the yoga philosophy and its healing benefits with my students so they can integrate it into their daily lives.

My yoga journey began several years ago when Ann offered yoga classes after school at the CORE Center of the Crystal Lake School District 47, where I was an occupational therapist working with special education students. I was feeling a lot of stress and was looking for stress relief, so I thought I would try yoga. I went to the classes that were offered and I was hooked. When the classes ended at the school district, I followed Ann to Yoga Seva studio. I quite quickly wanted to pursue being a yoga teacher but unfortunately, it did not seem to fit into my life at the time. I continued my weekly classes eager to learn more, challenge myself, and feel energized yet calm. I made attending my weekly classes a priority in my life as I felt so much better after my yoga class. In the last few years, working in schools became very challenging. After 35 years as a school occupational therapist, I was finally able and very willing to pursue being a yoga teacher. I completed my 200-hour training this past summer with Kelley Edwards RYT-500 as my instructor. I learned so much and developed more confidence, peace, contentment, and calmness. I love how I feel energized while also calm and peaceful after yoga class, and I want to share that with my students. I look forward to learning more about yoga and teaching yoga to a variety of students at various ages/levels. Since my retirement, I have put my health first and enjoy a variety of activities including walking outside, strength/weight training, and Pilates. My husband and I enjoy camping in our camper and snowmobiling in northern Wisconsin.

Yoga became a part of my life at a time when I was running a lot; a time I was doing 5k’s and 10k’s and competing in multiple triathlons. Of all of the training I was doing, yoga was the last thing I added to my training regime. It also came to me at a time in my life when I was existing deeply in survival mode and needed restoration and peace in every ounce of my existence, but didn’t fully know it at the time. I actually did not love my first yoga class, it was so different from anything I had been doing at the time, or ever and I actually pulled the arch of my foot in that initial class! Three weeks later, I tried my second class and I fell. in. love. with yoga. So much so that I almost immediately knew I wanted to teach this to others. I felt amazing after that class, physically and mentally, and wanted others to feel this good, too. My journey towards being a teacher was exactly that: a journey. Within weeks of signing up for my training, a development in my health set my training back an entire year. When I first began to immerse myself into the studies to become a yoga teacher I had envisioned myself being very different from the teacher I am today. Slowly over time, with my certification as a Hatha Teacher; combined with my love of movement, fitness and athletics, my teaching has evolved into what it is today. I am over a decade into my yoga teacher career and my passion and dedication to keep people moving is as strong as ever. I enjoy guiding my students towards healthier lifestyles. Being among communities aligned with such values continues to deeply integrate into my existence and my desire to share grows.

Yoga has been a part of my life for the past decade. Asana, Breath work, and Meditation have helped guide me to a healthy, relaxed, and balanced lifestyle.. Keeping me grounded in my thoughts, yoga continues to guide me in a positive relationship with myself and those around me. In my classes. I create a friendly space where I encourage students to move mindfully, with an emphasis on breath and alignment. I sprinkle in yoga philosophy to get you to think about life on and off the mat. When we take yoga off the mat and apply its benefits to our daily life, then our yoga journey has really started. I am also a certified sound practitioner, working with meditation and sound healing, using crystal bowls and gongs to help reset the neurological system, allowing the physical and subtle body to replenish and rejuvenate with ease. Aside from teaching, I love to be at home on my farm! Hanging out with my goats and chickens, and tending to our garden. I love taking my dog on walks and playing competitive volleyball. Seeing and living the amazing benefits of Yoga, I knew it was my calling to show others the magic yoga has to offer.

I remember how good I felt after my first yoga class was in 1995. I was working as a Medical Technologist for a group of exercise physiologists in Dallas at the time. Being naturally fast moving, (for many years my nickname was, Grace, considering how many times I would trip over various things) and fast talking, I loved the calmness and new awareness I found on the yoga mat. After a job change, two children, and a move to the Crystal Lake area, I was searching for an outlet to reconnect me to my body mind and spirit and also make a few friends. My husband suggested I find a yoga class since he had remembered how much I enjoyed it. My once a week class led me to find a local studio and then teacher training in 2003. I have enjoyed the opportunity to teach students of all ages throughout the years. In addition to the physical practice of asana, I like to include elements of breathing and learning in my classes which help bring yoga into the daily lives of my students. When students leave my class they feel happy, relaxed and feel successful in their practice.

I tried my first yoga class in 2003 when a co-worker suggested we take the class together. I was instantly hooked by the physical practice! Several classes, teachers and styles later, I developed a personal practice at home infusing what I had been taught in with some of my favorite DVDs. I began to understand the impact of a consistent practice. The biggest breakthrough came when I learned to connect with my breath.