From 19995–2007, I taught public yoga classes in Durham and Chapel Hill, as well as at the American Dance Festival and at regional modern dance festivals. After many years of a dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practice, I embraced Anusara Yoga™ due to its therapeutic benefits, its spiritual energy, and the kindness of John Friend, founder of the method, who was so generous in welcoming me into the kula, in supporting my growth as a teacher, and in seeing more potential in me than I did. This grace of spirit is Anusara Yoga.
I was authorized to teach Anusara Yoga by Willow Street Yoga Center, having completed their year-long, 400-hour teacher training program. With John Friend himself, I have completed two 30-hour teacher trainings (levels 1 and 2), a 30-hour yoga therapy training, a 30-hour Master Immersion, a 30-hour retreat, and many weekend workshops. I held Affiliation status until December 2006 and Anusara-inspired status until December 2007.
Before beginning my studies with John Friend, I benefited from more than a hundred hours of teacher training with Senior Iyengar teacher and author of Yoga Journal’s “Asana” column Aadil Palkhivala, for whom I have also provided editorial services. In addition, I have studied, albeit less extensively, with master teachers Richard Freeman, Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, and Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. In the Anusara method, my influential teachers include Jenny Otto, Moses Brown, Suzie Hurley, Jenny Otto, Joe Miller, Desiree Rumbaugh, and Betsey Downing.
Above all, I honor as my teachers three women with whom I shared a weekly Ashtanga practice group for almost seven years: Suzanne Faulkner, Kathy Hallen, Nancy Kimberly. Our practice and the spiritual community we built together were my original and enduring sources of challenge, support, love, and inspiration, and my gratitude is theirs always.
