12/06/2024
🌟 Exciting News! 🌟
It took me over 15 years, but I finally did it! I am thrilled to announce that I have achieved the Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) 500-hour designation – the highest credential from Yoga Alliance! 🎉
My yoga journey started as a means to reduce stress. I fell in love with restorative yoga practices and decided to dive deeper by enrolling in the 200-hour teacher training at YogaWorks in NYC back in 2007. Under the guidance of amazing teachers like Jenny Aurthur and Jeanmarie Paolillo, I discovered my passion for teaching.
My journey didn't stop there. I immersed myself in the ISHTA Yoga lineage, training with modern-day yogi and meditation master Alan Finger and Sarah Platt-Finger Special thanks to my mentor Jean Koerner for her love and guidance during my 300-hour training at ISHTA.
I also had the honor of doing a restorative yoga teacher training with Judith Hanson Lasater, which further deepened my understanding and practice of restorative yoga.
One memorable story from my book, *The Future of Sacred Yoga Therapy*, is about how I "failed" my yoga teacher training practical midpoint exam due to anxiety (but I quickly rebounded and got a Community class). Despite setbacks, I had the honor of teaching at Mind, Body, and Soul Yoga in NYC - gratitude to studio owner Alyssa Snow for offering me my first yoga studio job, where I taught classes in both English and Spanish. I also taught at Boom Fitness and held a prime-time Monday night slot at the prestigious 92NY May Center for Health, Fitness & Sport.
My studies then expanded into yoga therapy through the Urban Zen Integrative Therapy Program and Yoga Tune Up with my incredible teacher and mentor Jill Miller. With my RD license combined with these yoga therapy training programs, I became a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I’ve since completed over 600 additional hours of private yoga therapy sessions with my nutrition clients and RD exam students.
Funny enough, even with this highest designation, I often hesitate to call myself a "yoga teacher" because, in yoga, we are always students first. For me, yoga is a humbling practice that’s about finding inner peace and balance, not just achieving advanced postures.
A heartfelt thank you to special teachers and mentors Chrissy Carter and Julie Mellk for their guidance, support, and inspiration to move forward with my idea to mentor others in yoga.
I’m also excited to share that I am currently pursuing my Ayurvedic Health Counselor certification with Kerala Ayurveda Academy. My future Yoga Teacher Training School (RYS 200) for dietitians and nutritionists will include several hours of Ayurveda as elective hours, where we'll explore the doshas, learn how to get back into balance, make delicious recipes like kitchari, and even have an Ayurvedic cooking class!
Thank you to all my teachers, family, friends, and colleagues for your unwavering support. Titles may not matter, but what we do with them does. With this new designation, I am excited to fulfill my long-time dream.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 🙏