My Yoga Journey

My biggest desire is to help teachers deepen their practice beyond the physical and to connect yogis to their Center, to realize that they already ARE all that they need to be.

I was introduced to yoga while studying at the American Conservatory Theatre, (ACT) in San Francisco, intent on becoming a respected actress. It was 1985. After a few major turns in life, from acting to getting an M.A. degree to working in the arts management world, I quit everything and took a yoga teacher training. It was 1996, and my plan was to teach once a week while working for Time Warner.

Life had other plans. In a few months, I was teaching yoga full time and studying with all of the wonderful senior teachers who lived in or visited Los Angeles.

I met Yogarupa Rod Stryker in 1999 and began a dedicated 20 years studying under him, becoming a Certified ParaYoga Level II instructor and one of his senior teachers. During this time, I was invited to join the YogaWorks Teacher Training faculty where I taught their 200 and 300-hour trainings for ten years. A growing desire to put all of the information that I learned into one system finally came to fruition. In 2014 Tantra Flow Yoga^® was born with its 200 and 300-hour teacher training programs to meet the yoga needs of soul-seeking yogis around the globe.

My theatrical training and experience helps me maintain students’ attention, especially in seemingly boring content. Imagine a mix of Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore talking yoga talk. Don’t be fooled by the theatrics; I bring a reverence and deep study to each topic underneath the playful outer layer. My dance background supports the intention to sequence so that things flow from one pose to the other, finding creativity while honoring integrity.

Working with scoliosis and arthritis has created a need for a dedicated asana practice to manage my ongoing pain. For my personal practice, there is no goal in working towards a pose; every day is about reclaiming center. As the pain increased it became clear to me that the athletic asana teacher could not be my path. So, I decided to put more energy towards learning about the steps beyond asana – Pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, and how to live as a yogi off the mat. The deeper I studied in these modalities, the happier and calmer I became. It is my mission to share this wisdom with you.

I believe…

yoga is for everyone.

it is our duty to move our body to keep it healthy and agile.

moving the body helps improve our respiratory system.

when we breathe more expansively, our mind and body change towards positivity and healing.

you can practice a strong flow AND weave in the subtle elements of yoga at the same time. They do not have to be separated.

silence is a gift, it is a hug that wraps around us outside and inside.

practicing yoga without distractions is a path to fill the heart.

the depths of our yoga practice take us to our deepest Truth. Then, everything becomes clear.

My Teachers

I have had the honor to study closely with many master teachers. I am grateful and bow to the feet of each wonderful force, for they have contributed to who I am as a yogi, educator, and human.

Suddha Wexler and Richard Freeman kept me safe through the Ashtanga practices when my youth wanted to move faster than was appropriate;
Erich Schiffmann guided me to soften when I was fresh out of training and tried to make students look “Iyengar-perfect” before they were ready;
Gary Kraftsow taught me the value of Vini Yoga as a tool for therapeutics, and also as a means to advance a practice by working from the inside-out;
Karin O’Bannon, Tias Little, Kofi Busia, Elise Browning Miller, and now Lisa Walford brought a poetry, passion, and enthusiasm for the Iyengar yoga system, infusing my care for good alignment;

Desiree Rumbaugh and John Friend taught me the possibilities of poses for all people, including myself as I worked through a severe injury, with Anusara Yoga’s approach;
Shiva Rea and Annie Carpenter taught the wisdom of flow yoga through intelligent, creative sequencing;
Yogarupa Rod Stryker introduced me to the world of Tantra where I learned to weave nuances into asana and develop a dedicated Pranayama and Meditation practice;
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Sally Kempton, Indu Aurora, and Dr. Katy Jane opened the door to deeper realms of Tantra and its gifts. I have traveled to India to study extensively with Panditji and continue to be his student.

Degrees & Certifications

Registered as an E-500 Hour Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance
Tantra Flow Yoga’s 300-Hour Teacher Training is a registered school with Yoga Alliance
Tantra Flow Yoga’s 200-Hour Teacher Training is a registered school with Yoga Alliance
Tantra Flow Yoga’s Master Training in Subtle Body is a continuing education program with Yoga Alliance

Certified Continuing Educational Provider (CEP) with Yoga Alliance
Certified as a Level II ParaYoga Teacher for over 8 years
MA in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management from Columbia College, Chicago
Post Graduate Certificate in Classical Theatre from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, (LAMDA.)