Since childhood, I have always been active. I began swimming at the age of five and continued through college. Though I was never the fastest swimmer, I cherished being part of a team. After college, I discovered yoga. My mother had started East Meets West Yoga, but while living in Albany, I took classes from local teachers.
In 2003, I returned to Buffalo and began practicing yoga in earnest. I regularly practiced with my mother and other teachers at East Meets West. In 2010, I completed my 200-hour Teacher Training through the Himalayan Institute and Rolf Sovik. For the next few years, I taught and practiced Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga.
After a decade of practice, in 2013, I began to experience the effects of repetitive movements associated with my style of yoga. I dealt with daily wrist and shoulder pain, low back discomfort, and hip pain. At the time, I didn’t connect these issues with my yoga practice. I had always believed yoga was inherently healing.
In 2015, I met Kathryn Bruni-Young, who transformed my approach to yoga. Kathryn founded Mindful Strength to teach yogis and other movers how to get stronger and move better. Through Kathryn, I was introduced to Cecily Milne of Yoga Detour™. In 2018, I completed my second 200-hour Teacher Training with Yoga Detour™ and became a Yoga Detour™ Registered Instructor. These practices revealed the limitations of Vinyasa Yoga and highlighted the importance of movement variety. I began weight training at Prescribed Motion, where my Physical Therapist and Trainer, Amanda Bevilacqua, reinforced the value of progressive loading for healing injuries. I continue to train with April Earsing of AE Fit 716.
In 2023, I completed my 300-hour teacher training with Jules Mitchell. Jules’ training helped me reintegrate yoga into my teaching in an authentic way. I was also introduced to Todd Hargrove, author of Better Movement, and the Feldenkrais method of somatic movement. His teachings have significantly influenced how I structure my classes.
In 2024, I earned my Personal Training Certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
My teaching is inspired by Anita Greber (East Meets West Yoga), Cecily Milne (Yoga Detour™), Kathryn Bruni-Young (Mindful Strength), Jules Mitchell (author of Yoga Biomechanics), Alexandra Crow (Yoga Physics), and Todd Hargrove (Better Movement).
I live in Buffalo, NY, with my partner, two dogs (Pema and Agnes), and two cats (Fiona and Calamity Jane).
about me
Body Neutrality is the belief that you can accept your body as it is, without overemphasizing positive or negative feelings about it. It is the idea that you, and your body, are worthy of respect, just by existing, and you don’t need to make any changes to experience love and acceptance.
Body Neutrality allows us to develop an awareness of the incredible things our bodies may do, even on days when we may not love our bodies.
Body Neutrality can be practiced alongside Body Positivity and is sometimes a precursor to an individual developing a positive relationship with their body.
what is body neutrality?
Inclusivity Statement
The Principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are taken seriously at New Moon Mindful Movement. My aim is to create a culture where everyone who participates will feel valued, supported, and inspired to achieve their personal goals. This includes providing access and opportunity for all people across differences of race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, migratory status, disability/abilities, veteran status, and socioeconomic background.
To that end, EVERYONE is welcome, and no one will be priced out. All students are welcome to access classes on a sliding scale. Please contact me for more information.
Student Testimonials