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I started practicing yoga when I was in my late 20s. At that time I was really active in lots of other fitness classes, teaching kickboxing and Boot Camp classes.

A good friend literally dragged me to my first power yoga class and I fell in love. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and my body literally craved it.

Over the next several years, this practice literally changed my life for the better. I made better decisions, I cleaned up my relationships and found true joy in my personal life.

At that time I was also practicing as a physician assistant in hospital medicine and realized that treating people with medications after they were already ill was not actually my calling. My calling was to bring them awareness to their bodies and lifestyles before they become sick.

I attended my first restorative yoga class in 2011 at my alma mater’s fitness center during finals week.  I would sporadically go as a form of stress relief, but preferred other forms of movement, where I felt like I was getting a “workout” in.  Yoga for me started as an occasional practice to move slowly, get out of my head, and relax. 

Flash forward to 2016, I realized yoga can be so many things, in addition to restoration, after attending my first Power Yoga Buffalo yoga class with a friend.  I remember laying in Savasana thinking this was the hardest thing that I have ever done.  My heart was beating out of my chest, sweat dripping on every square inch of my body, but I had this incredible glowing feeling and positive energy of people around me.  I had so many emotions and feelings, but simply put – I felt so much happier, lighter, and sweatier after showing up on my mat.  Yoga quickly became my favorite form of physical exercise.  This practice and space always keep me coming back and wanting more, because each yoga teacher and classroom of yogis brings different challenges and feelings of power, strength, and also is a space for me to restore my mind and body.

I attended my first Baptiste Yoga Training in July 2017, which taught me so much about my life, in addition to yoga, and led me to redirect so many parts of my life, especially my career path switching from finance to education.  Through working in the education field, I love practicing yoga and teaching, but will always be a lifelong learner of yoga.  I love how much Baptiste Yoga challenges me physically, and also how much transformation, learning, inquiry, and friendship has come from this space at Power Yoga Buffalo.  I am so excited and grateful to share the love that I have for this practice with this community!

In 2012, I came to my first Power Yoga class with a friend. I was at a curious place in my life and wanted to have some new experiences. My first class was quite the experience – I had never sweat so much in my entire life, I had never done anything so challenging, and I had never observed such a large concentration of happy people once it was all over. I was not part of that concentration but i could tell that they were up to something. It was then that I decided that I was all in.

My love for this practice of yoga led me to the decision to share it with others. From my mat, my practice moved to assisting classes, to teaching at a church for free, to being welcomed into the Power Yoga Buffalo teacher family, to leading workshops. I want to inspire and be a part of that same growth in others, whether it’s sharing the Baptiste Methodology with a student, giving feedback to a fellow teacher, or treating a patient as a Physical Therapist Assistant.

I  found Baptiste Yoga here at PYB a little over seven years ago. Never having set foot in a yoga studio before, never being a dancer or a gymnast, nor ever being able to touch my toes for that matter,  I was terrified of what was to come! Surprisingly, I found I was smiling through the confusion, sweat, and tears and never stepped foot off my mat after that. I found a love for my yoga community here and it has led me to attend over six 40 Days programs and complete Baptiste Level One in 2019, Art of Assisting, and Art of True North Alignment.

I moved away to Colorado for three years and helped to run a Baptiste studio where I taught, assisted and led trainings to the yoga team.  Now that I’m back home where I belong (Buffalonian for life!) I can be found experimenting in the kitchen and running my small business that helps others to renovate their old homes here in Buffalo.

I came to Power Yoga Buffalo because the website said it was “hard.” I had a running injury and wanted to supplement my workouts with yoga but I did not want to “waste my time” with something soft or gentle.

The more I practiced, the more I realized that the physical benefits of yoga were immediate and tremendous. I also started to realize that the benefits of this practice far exceed the physical. In this practice I have found community, peace and a sense of unity with my body. I have never felt more energetic or vital.

I came for “hard” but I have been left with a profound sense of ease. As a teacher I want to share the joy and love that yoga has brought to my life.

I love the practice of Baptiste Power Yoga! Seven years ago I was resistant to any style of yoga & it is
this practice of breath linked with movement that has completely transformed that possibility for me.
The creation of power, love, trust, lightness & gratitude are just some of the gifts I receive through my
practice. As I began to infuse these gifts of limitless growth into my life as a wife, mom & friend, I
realized the physical portion of this practice is the “cherry on top of the sundae of life practice” & that
makes me smile! 🙂

Which leads me to my love for teaching yoga. Sharing this practice is so much fun & it fills my soul
with joy. I am truly grateful to lead & witness students in their fullest expression in each breath. Being
of service & creating space with students is something I am in awe of over & over. Every day is a gift
& I invite YOU to hop on your mat & move your body around with your breath, sweat a little (or a lot!),
smile (a lot),shine (from the inside out), turn your day upside down & create something super cool for
yourself!

Power Yoga Buffalo came into my life at the perfect time. In July of 2014 I had recently watched the movie “Yes Man” with Jim Carey and decided to try that philosophy on in my own life. I was committed to saying yes to everything that created opportunity to be up to something bigger. So when a friend asked me to go to a power yoga class I said YES! Right away I discovered that I was capable of far more than I had ever let myself think possible. Here my journey began and my life opened up to endless possibility….

The combination of focus, grounding, and intention that we practiced on our mat started to show up off my mat. I learned to clear my mind by focusing on my body and breath, embracing intention and purpose in the smallest of movements, and the smallest of tasks. Most of all I started to enjoy getting out of my comfort zone. To me, being out of my comfort zone means embracing the constant state of change that we are all in. Not resisting, rather opening to the possibility.

I LOVE this practice, and nothing makes me happier than share it with you and our wonderful community!

A permanent tension headache and ever-growing sense of failure landed me on a yoga mat. I wanted to “get Zen” and manage my Excedrin intake. My first Baptiste yoga class was a sweaty, cranky mess. I was not Zen and my head was the least of my pains. I barely made it through. But I came back. Again and again. Yoga did not save me from the big, hard world. But it did carve out a space that allowed me to be with the sweaty, cranky mess in and around me. Learning to be – and letting it be. That was a choice.

I believe you can shift your world from this practice because I have experienced it. I feel it every time I hear a room of students exhale together. It’s why I teach. PYB offers a place and space. The rest is your choice.

I was a dancer, gymnast, and cheerleader. This practice is a dance for me. A dance between learning and unlearning, knowing and being completely unsure, figuring it out and getting lost, struggling and surrendering. I could say that yoga saved my life but what is truer is that yoga (and my parents), have taught me that I already have exactly what I need to save my own life, right now. As a recovering ‘over-thinker,’ my practice reminds me, it’s not about what I THINK (and overthink). It is about feeling and flowing rather than forcing, it’s about connecting to what is real and right here, so I can live and give from my heart, the part of me that’s really me.

I get on my mat to remember all of this. I teach to hold space for others to experience their own dance and discovery. Few things truly excite me the way someone finding something new on or off the mat excites me! The love I have for this practice and for the Power Yoga Buffalo and Baptiste Communities is beyond what I can put into words. I am thankful and beyond excited to share this work with as many people as I can!

When I was a young mom, my daughters introduced me to yoga, buying me my first mat and a pair of bell-bottom yoga pants.   My mat instantly felt like home.  I happily practiced beginner level yoga everywhere I could.  It gave me balance in a busy life that included teaching elementary school, and doing more intense work outs to help me get strong enough to hike in the Adirondacks.  At school some of my most rewarding times were sharing yoga and mindfulness with my students.

        My husband and I completed our goal of summiting the 46 Adirondack High Peaks.  We kept hiking other places, but I would sometimes would miss that feeling of meeting your physical edge that hiking a High Peak gives you.  I  also missed the sense of community you get from doing something tough and exhilarating with others.   I wanted to find a new physical challenge .

      Then a friend recommended Power Yoga Buffalo, and I was instantly hooked!  Here was a way to meet your edge, keep learning new things, and grow community right here in Buffalo.  It was like getting to hike mountains every week!   My love of yoga grew so big and strong, I knew I had to share it.   As soon as I retired from my school teaching career, I began yoga teacher training with Yogis In Service.  In  2019, I  became a 200-hour, trauma-informed Registered Yoga Teacher.  I have completed several additional workshops since, including “Kidding Around Yoga”.  I LOVE  sharing yoga with people of all ages, especially children, and I  plan to keep learning, practicing, and teaching yoga  the rest of my life.   Thank you again Caitlin and Chrissy Corrigan for buying me my first yoga mat, and that pair of groovy yoga pants!

In 2014, My friend invited me to Power Yoga Buffalo (she said I really needed it, lol). I felt like Goldilocks! I found the perfect place for my mind, body and soul. I was instantly drawn to the physical aspect as well as the focus on breath and stillness-which was missing in my life. I discovered that my yoga mat was my safe place to land (sweat and tears included). The gift of Baptiste Power Yoga has truly made me a better mother, wife, and friend. 

Since then I have completed Baptiste Level 1 training in 2015, 200-hour Trauma Informed Yogis in Service, Kids Baptiste Yoga, Mind Body Flow Yoga 200-hour and many other workshops. As a retired Elementary School Teacher, I want to continue sharing my love of this amazing practice to all ages. You might even find me on a basketball court or softball field teaching yoga to young athletes. 

Have I told you how Yogis make the best friends? Well, it’s true! The PYB community is the best!  Meet me on your mat for a whole lot of fun, flow, and power. You’ll wonder why you didn’t start yoga sooner. 

Go Bills ! ❤️💙

I began my yoga journey in the Fall of 2011. After my first class I felt so complete. I left feeling completely lit up, inspired, and like I could do anything. I felt an instant connection with the practice and I simply desired to learn more. My practice has been an incredible act of self-care, which allows me to move my body in a way that is powerful, grounding, nourishing, and mentally and physically challenging. My yoga practice is a catalyst for personal growth, which continues to propel me further along my physical and spiritual journey.

I recognize that we are all more alike than we are different, and Baptiste yoga truly creates a space for people to get out of their own way so they can re-discover their inner light. I teach Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga proudly because of all of the gifts I have received from this beautiful practice, and I wish to serve others by sharing the practice that I love.

I began my yoga journey 10 years ago when I walked into Power yoga Buffalo. I immediately felt something new and unique and I was intrigued by the physicality and emotional energy that consumed me. Showing up on my mat after that first day was not an option. With the desire to spread this love of yoga to everyone, I started HEAL Bflo with my best friend. Creating unique yoga events all over Western NY. 4 years later I completed my 200 hr YTT. Continuing with my training, I completed Baptiste Level 1 Training, Art of Assisting and various other yoga training. Teaching yoga is the most incredible experience. The people, the community, the love and friendships has created a life that fills me up everyday. I currently teach at Power Yoga Buffalo, Buffalo State College, M&T Bank, Evergreen Health Services and private/group classes. 

I teach a powerful vinyasa flow designed to challenge you both physically and emotionally. I want you to come out of your head and into your body every time you show up on your mat, reminding yourself that you get to create the life you love.

You know how you remember your first yoga class so distinctly? The room, the atmosphere in the class, the teacher? Twelve years ago (!) I took my first Baptiste class at the YMCA in Charlotte, North Carolina and I have never looked back. That was a game changing moment in my life without question. It was a killer combination of sweat, physical challenge and words that resonated for me on a level I hadn’t experienced in any of the other fitness classes I’d tried.

What I’ve learned most from my practice over the years is to keep asking more from myself while at the same time accepting where I am right now as OK. Classic yoga teacher talk, right? There was nothing to ‘fix’ about myself when I first started (even though I had zero yoga game, by the way) but there was a huge amount of growth possible on and off the mat which has enriched my life so much! I feel better about who I am as a mom, wife, friend and human being through taking on this practice.

In September 2016, I went to Charleston for a month. My sister had moved there with my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, for a year. I went down for the beginning of the journey to help get my mom acclimated to a new environment. My mom’s day typically started around 11 am but I would drive my sister to work at 8 am so that I could have her car for the day. Eventually, I started to look for something to do besides sit at the pool (poor me). I drove by Charleston Power Yoga.

My sister was always telling me to go to yoga back in Buffalo but I always had an excuse as to why yoga was not for me. Suddenly, in Charleston, I had all this free time and fewer excuses. I decided that the least I could do was give it a try.  I walked into my first class not knowing what to expect. Would everyone know that I had no idea what I was doing?  Would I break in half? Could I really put myself in a yoga mindset? I could go on here but that first day, listening to my teacher talk about how she had just gone through the most difficult experience of her life, which was losing her brother, and being able to stand up in front of a room speaking to the fact that she could breathe through anything I knew I was coming back to her class the next day.

I took on her philosophy of being able to breathe through anything and have watched myself grow through this practice.  I came back to Buffalo after a month of practicing there and knew there was no way I wasn’t going to make time for this at home. At that time I didn’t know what I was truly capable of but I knew I could push myself with every breath.  Each day I would see people that have been practicing yoga for years thinking that will never be me. Shortly after those thoughts, I found myself holding poses I didn’t think I could ever get into and feeling pride. I went to level one in November 2017 and graduated from Expand Your Power in November 2018. My favorite part about yoga is seeing what I am capable of and then going beyond that. I like knowing that how no matter how hard the struggle is in life, or a pose, just continuing to show up opens up possibilities for anything.

As a child my grandmother did “animal yoga” with me — mimicking the breath and movements of a lion, a giraffe, a sloth. I remember even then, understanding that when I put my body in these shapes, breathing intentionally, I felt good.

When I was 20 I spent a summer on the Bread and Puppet farm in Glover Vermont. One of the other puppeteers had a daily Ashtanga yoga practice, which I mirrored in the attic of the barn. It felt good.

In the following years I developed a daily yoga practice which bounced around between Ashtanga, Bikram, Yin and Jivamukti schools. My practice brought me into a conscious relationship to feeling.

In 2012  after completing an Ashtanga yoga teacher training in Mysore, India, I began teaching Yoga in Berlin, Germany where I lived throughout my 20s. In this time, I was studying dance, and many other forms of therapeutic somatic learning including the Feldenkrais method, the Grinberg method, Body Mind Centering, Klein Technique and Thai massage.

The practice at PYB has been my rock since my return to Buffalo in 2016, and I’m grateful and excited to continue learning and teaching in this community. 

In addition to my lifelong dedication to somatics, I’m also an artist. My work as an artist and somatic researcher both are focused on the facilitation of connection, through discomfort and inconvenience. I’ve learned through a lifetime of chasing satisfaction, that being present with and connected to my body, my community and nature are central to my wellness. Yoga is a place I find this connectedness.  

I am a recovering hider. I share my story because I never want to forget my why – living life fully, courageously, and unabashedly. My why is what keeps me growing every single day, and I discovered it at PYB. I took my very first yoga class on April 4, 2015. I thought I was in the best shape of my life upon entering this class. I was a distance runner for years and did everything from boot camps to crazy workouts. By the end of this class though, I sat in a puddle of my own sweat thinking that was the hardest thing I have ever done. This was the start to my yoga journey and the journey inward to myself. One class at a time, I was discovering who the real Anastasia was and possibility began to unfold. To share my journey in a bio does not do this process justice. I now consider myself to be in the best shape of my life – physically, mentally, and emotionally. I am amazed every day by the gifts I receive with this practice. Yet, it is continuous work – the journey is never done. This practice is a dance between holding on and letting go and testing my perceived limits. It has taught me to be bold, authentic, honest, and to live life full on, no matter the obstacle. You can unleash this same magic if you are up for the challenge. I began teaching in 2017 and am proud to call myself a Tier 2 Certified Baptiste Yoga Leader. When I am not practicing or dreaming of yoga, I enjoy traveling, hiking, running, and working with Africa Yoga Project. I have traveled through 28 countries on four continents and have hiked various mountain ranges including Kilimanjaro, the Andes and Cotopaxi, and the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. What’s next? Ask me.

In 2011, I was lucky enough to stumble upon yoga and started to practice at home. A few months later I went to a studio and I will never forget my first class. It was the first hour in a long time that I can remember not worrying about anything. Not if I sent that work email, not what errands I had to run- I was fully present in both my body and my breath.

That stillness in both my mind and body had immediate effects. I was transformed and as much as I knew I would continue to practice, I knew I would teach. It was challenging, sure, and continues to be, but that is what keeps bringing me back and that is what allows me to see what is possible. I hope to do that for as many people as I can and am honored to share this practice.

A competitive athlete from a young age, Marie spent her childhood swimming and rowing, and grew those skills to become a nationally competitive elite level snowboarder. Through her athletic experiences, she found herself drawn to a major in Health Care Studies with a focus on strength, conditioning and wellness. This path pulled her to start exploring the more subtle movement of yoga, and she eventually got trained to teach Baptiste Yoga, followed by an advanced 300-hour training at Green Monkey Yoga in Vinyasa yoga (E-RYT500 hr). In addition to her vast asana knowledge, Marie’s no stranger to movement and self care – she’s a NASM certified personal trainer and certified in Reiki Healing Levels I & II, and a certified Stand Up Paddle Yoga Teacher. Movement is her touchstone, and this practice brings her back to herself over and over again in her wanderings of the world.

In 2014, she started SUP Yoga Buffalo, bringing her passion for yoga and boards together. She splits her time teaching yoga and SUP yoga here in the Buff, and leading retreats and classes at her home-away-from-home, the RipJack Inn in Playa Grande, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. She uses yoga and SUP yoga as her outlets to get connected and give back to the world with an annual fundraiser called SUP for Pups.

Power Yoga is like the first time you watched your favorite movie, played your favorite sport, and travelled to your favorite place in the world. Once it happens you wonder how you lived without it, but you’re stoked to have it now. The rest is history – get to class. I was born and raised in Buffalo. I’m a Baptiste Certified teacher and Baptiste upper leadership training program F.I.T. November Project co-leader, and a recipient of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership young professional award 2018. Division one Athlete, Boston marathon and World Triathlon Championships qualifier, competed in World’s Toughest Mudder and Spartan Race World Championships. Yogis in Service board member and Albright Knox Art Gallery Convergence Council board member. Lululemon Ambassador.

Letting go of my old stories and being vulnerable enough to really be seen are some of my most powerful experiences practicing at Power Yoga Buffalo. Prior to completing Baptiste programs Level 1 and 2, I spent a lot of time comparing myself to the physical breakthroughs of others and was literally standing in my own way of happiness and progress. When I began to focus on the person on my mat, practice and life became more joyful and breakthroughs come at the most unexpected times. I love creating fun and playful kids classes with activities, music, and stories while leaving space for them to lead the practice. I teach adults as though they are moving from their inner child with curiosity, joy and playfulness!

I was bribed with a pair of yoga pants to my first class by my mom. I had recently finished undergrad, and my career as a college athlete ended. I loved an intense trip to the gym that was full of sweat, reps, music, and feeling sore. It was clear I knew nothing about PYB!

Yoga has enhanced my life in so many ways. Most importantly I have become fearlessly present in my practice, teaching, and life. I take the lessons I’ve learned to the grocery store, driving down Main Street, and to my little students at school. I have found the courage to do things that make me uncomfortable, truly see and purely listen, and to always be up to something bigger than myself.

Now is the perfect time to put on your favorite pair of yoga pants and join us on this incredible journey that will change your life. If not now…when?

Like many, I found yoga because of injuries.  When I started, I was a frustrated 20-something who was used to doing, and who loved doing, high intensity endurance workouts.  However, my body knew I needed something a little different.  A new challenge that did not just test my physical limits but would show me how the greatest challenge you will ever endure is your mind.   

Baptiste Yoga taught me so much about myself that I wanted to teach it in hopes that other self-professed “hard” workout lovers would learn these concepts too.  Yoga is the practice of tolerating the consequences of being yourself.  It shows you who you really are. Your strengths, your fears, your defaults, and everything in between.  

The transition from student to teacher has taught me about the importance of community.  And what it has really taught me is that we are never not students.  We are never done learning.  We may not learn the same thing, the same way, or even at the same time but are all there in one room, side by side, learning together.  

I graduated from Buffalo State College with a degree in English with a pre-med track. While in college I fell in love with yoga and became 200 RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) certified. This led to my 95 RCYT(Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher), 200 PYT (Psychotherapeutic yoga teacher) as well as another 200 RYT while in pursuit of holistic healing in multiple ways. Just recently I completed a Multi-Style 200Hr YTT through Suan Sati. Having a leading role as a Yoga instructor has taught me that being a student first allows me to lead with love and humility, not only for the practice but primarily for the people he shares it with. This practice has inspired me; not to be better than others or achieve the greatest postures, but to show others that they are capable of everything that I do and more. We call it yoga practice, not yoga perfect. To strive for better shows that we can always aim higher and inspire others to do the same.

This movement practice is a metaphor for life and it reinforced my “why” to show that our health and healing starts with us.

Our thoughts, actions, health and everything in between begin with a choice. My goal is to guide people back to their power of choice and empower them to choose better health through lifestyle, movement and self-compassion. We are our own greatest critic and as we give ourselves a break, we can get up and begin again. People deserve to be healthy and my goal is to support them on their journey to better living.

Fitness has been a cornerstone in my life and knowing that my health is my wealth, these have created discipline in my and become part of my lifestyle. As a Yoga teacher and practitioner, I am able to find unity in a room full of strangers. To move and to breathe as one and to know that no matter what we do differently, we will all come together on our mats to let go and be present with one another. Creating a safe space for every student that I encounter is my main priority so that we can all have a place to truly be ourselves and drop what we don’t need. Yoga has become a part who I am and I’ll always be a student to this practice.

I walked in to my first class at Power Yoga Buffalo on January 11, 2011. It was the middle of winter, so when a co-worker suggested I join her for a yoga class in a 90-degree room, I was game. It was the perfect blend of sweat, stretch and soul and I was immediately hooked. I wasn’t sure what would surface from this, I just knew to “Do my practice and all is coming” (–Sri K. Pattabhi Jois). Over the next few months, the transformations started to appear – subtle, but noticeable in my mind and body. Through the mysterious blend of breath and asana, my mind was gaining clarity, and my soul had never been more grateful for all the blessings in my life.

In January 2012, I attended a Foundations in Action program with Baron Baptiste. There were over 300 yogis converged in a hotel ballroom. This is when I realized that it wasn’t just me! This practice truly is transformational. That weekend I knew I had to share this secret with others. After countless hours in the studio learning everything I could, I attended Level One and Level Two training with Baron Baptiste and Paige Elenson. Since then, I’m blessed and honored to have the opportunity to share this practice with you.

“Before you’ve practiced, the theory is useless. After you’ve practiced, the theory is obvious.” – David
Williams

Yoga has been a part of my life for over 10 years, and my practice has helped me grow stronger, more flexible and fearless, both on and off my mat. And, as a busy entrepreneur, having balance in my life is really important to me, and yoga has been at the forefront of this.

I also find joy and ease in teaching, a natural extension to share the connection within a real community of like-minded people of all types. I have been teaching at Power Yoga Buffalo for over three years. As a Baptiste certified teacher, I continue to expand my knowledge through Baptiste training and being an active part of the Baptiste community.

You may find my classes have a slower than usual pace with a soulful flow and messages that hope to help you find your own power and clarity. I hope to see you on your mat!

I came to the practice of yoga looking for something I could not define. For many years, my mind and body were disconnected from each other and I spent a lot of time unconsciously trying to figure out how to get away from myself. However, months into the practice, I began to realize that the years I spent feeling down about how my body looked or worked were wasted time, because my body was actually strong and flexible and powerful. I learned that it was possible to be in my body and not run away or feel badly about it. In short, I started to trust. I learned that it is possible in each moment to be both perfect where I am, but also to strive hard for what is next.

The practice that started as mostly a physical challenge to myself continues to show me I am capable of way more than I believe. As time went on, I gained strength, balance and flexibility, but more importantly, I gained patience with myself, with others, and found a beautiful community. A whole world has opened up.

My journey in the practice has been the greatest gift because it works to cultivate steadiness, ease and unconditional love. It has given me so much that I have no choice but to share it.

When I began practicing yoga at Power Yoga Buffalo several years ago, it did not take me long to realize that part of the magic was the experience of being truly seen. Something about this practice clicked for me as a psychologist but also appealed to me as a historical non-athlete. I love the message of this practice, which is that it is ok to be the lovely mess that you are – but at the very same time – that you can get lit up to be your most amazing self. Not from a place of less than, but from a place of abundance.

The physical practice of yoga is what allows me to strip so much away, allowing me to find split seconds of a quiet mind I have never experienced before. The hours of sweating onto my mat became a peeling away of emotional and physical things that do not need to be there. I learned that I do not need discomfort to leave in order to be happy. It holds up a mirror, to let me know what my work is. It reminds me to be brave, accepting, and to have compassion. If I can be with the discomfort, rather than focusing my energy on getting rid of it, I can get someplace new.

Sharing this practice, especially with young people, is an honor and a joy. Helping guide people to find something inside themselves they never knew was there is an amazing privilege for which I am very grateful.

I took many yoga classes and tired other styles of yoga before my first Baptiste class. Initially my perception of yoga was focused on the physical aspects. My intention was to try yoga as a compliment to my other exercise routines. Being an athlete for most of my life I would worry about my performance. I would worry about what I looked like and wonder if I was doing the pose correctly.

Coming to Power Yoga Buffalo has shifted my perception. Now, yoga for me is much more than the physical.  Yoga has taught me to view the body and mind as one inseparable whole being. I have been able to see beyond physical to discover a deeper connection from within. To be able to access the this has lead me on a beautiful unfolding journey of self growth, expansion, and possibility.

Because of my eagerness to learn and grow, I chose to complete the Kids Baptiste Certification and the and the 200-hour Trauma Informed Yoga Certification from Yogis in Service. I absolutely love teaching kids yoga and it brings me joy to share with my community!

I am a runner. I live to run. When I can’t run I live to run again. When I can run, I live to run again. Post second child, before I was cleared to run again, I went to yoga class. I went because someone suggested I give it a try. I hoped that my second post-partum journey would feel better than my first. I was captivated as I learned quickly that yoga is so much more than a workout. It is a lifestyle. I learned that you can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself. I found a new peace.

I am also a teacher of small children. I found myself going to work with a new sense of presence and patience with my students. I learned how to listen and realized that for so many years I had been doing it so wrong…always rushing around caught up in getting the material covered and worrying about getting to the next lesson on time. I learned to slow down to go fast and appreciated my students in a new way.

I quickly realized that if this is good for me, it will be good for my students too. We began doing yoga in my classroom along with mindfulness activities. I was amazed at how my students responded and at how they found new calmness in themselves. I was also amazed at how much they loved knowing the yoga language as I heard stories from parents of their children bringing yoga into their homes. I feel so lucky to be able to share my love of yoga with the children of  Power Yoga Buffalo. I am a yogi.