My Yoga HiSTORY

The Beginning- Boulder, Colorado

My first yoga class was my freshman year of college. A friend picked me up in the dark, 5 am, and took me to an hour and a half long hot yoga class. At the end of the class as I lay in Savasana, I felt a natural high, the likes of which I had never felt before. I walked home as the sun was coming up and my sweat began to dry on my skin. I felt alive and I was in love. This was the beginning.

China

My experience with yoga rooted deeper coinciding with my life in China. My Chinese name Taozi 桃子 is where Taozi Tree Yoga comes from. After moving to Tianjin in the fall of 2007, I found solace in an upstairs room of a local gym where a simple yoga class was taught a few times a week.

The impact of getting quiet and taking the time out for myself during a difficult time in my life, began watering the seeds of yoga that had already been planted in Boulder, Colorado a couple of years before. It was in Beijing that I discovered yoga as community.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4d6dc75a01012nk8.html

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4d6dc75a01012lgy.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cityguide/2009-11/12/content_8957542.htm

UTON YOGA

Teacher: Uton Laoshi and Wang Ming Laoshi

http://blog.sina.com.cn/utonyoga

At this yoga school I attended a yoga teacher training over a period of 3 years. I would frequently attend classes after work and put numerous hours into translating what I’d been taught during yoga class with my Chinese teacher.  Uton Laoshi, taught me the essence of yoga postures with a Chinese flare. Harnessing energy within each posture, feeling the flow of energy in one side, out the other… coming from the inside out and outside in… she was able to look at my standing posture with her eyes closed and sense where there were energy blocks, perhaps a bit heeby jeeby but I’ll tell you, I’ve never seen anyone practice like her.

Humble beyond measure, light-hearted, and a physical practice like none I’ve ever seen. I’m honored to have practiced under her.

Denver, Colorado

Core Power Yoga

Teachers: Jess Kos Birnry

50 hr YTT

Colorado, USA

http://www.corepower.com

In the summer of 2009 I attended a weeklong intensive level 1 training with Core Power Yoga in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. This was a wonderful introduction to western yoga teaching styles. The training leader, Jessica, was wonderful. She taught me to be lighthearted and to smile. She taught us not to be afraid to ask the students to push themselves. Core Power has a consistent sequence and is really well-organized. The classes are always challenging and fun… there are different levels of difficulty that all follow a certain format. I find the core sequence in the middle of class incredible, the teacher will generally pair it with some upbeat music to encourage the students to push it. Every time I am back in Colorado I love going back to Core Power and I am so happy I got to do one of my first trainings with Jess and Core Power.

 

Bali, Indonesia

Santosha Yoga

Teachers: Peter Clifford and Sunny Richards-Glasser

250 hr YTT

Santosha Yoga Teacher Training

In the October of 2011 I attended a training that totally changed my life. During this transformative month we got up early every day, catching many sun rises on the beach, in order to make each day as full as possible. We ate the most yummy Ayurvedic food thanks to the wonderful staff at Villa Serenity. We sat together and listened to Peter teach us about hip circles, monkey mind, and BREATH. HE taught us to think happy thoughts before bedtime and to make our cells happy at an intrinsic level… we are what we think… We took private lessons with him as he critiqued our posture and the way we walked. He taught me to walk like a princess and he told me he wished I saw myself as others did.

India

HATHA YOGA MYSORE

Teachers: Mahesh and Ellie

225 hr YTT

Varkala Beach, India

Hatha Yoga Mysore

Ashtanga and Pre Natal/Post Natal Yoga teacher trainings were done here with Mahesh and Ellie. Their teaching style and total wealth of knowledge and books was inspiring beyond belief.

Mahesh and his magic assists….

Beautiful teachers Ellie and Mahesh.

RISHIKESH YOG PEETH

Teachers: Natwar, Bhaskar, Roshan.

300 hr YTT

Rishikesh, India

Rishikesh Yog Peeth

Rishikesh. Land of cows and yoga. We spent 6 weeks here in Northern India. What an amazing and life changing experience. Long days. Full days. Ultimate lesson learned…. never stop learning 😉

300 hr YTT Rishikesh Yog Peeth December 2012

The World

Since leaving Beijing in the winter of 2011, I have had the opportunity and pleasure to take my practice all over the planet. Visiting nearly two dozen countries on five continents… the world has opened up in the most beautiful way. I believe with my core that “The seeds we water are the seeds that grow”. ANYTHING is possible with action, love, and patience.

Namaste.