In early 1997, I began practicing Hatha yoga following a back injury. Though at the time, I didn’t know it, years later that injury seemed to be a blessing, as it led me to yoga. In 1987, I received an elementary education degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. I wanted to join my passion for yoga with my teaching background and get certified to teach yoga, so I could share the benefits of this wonderful practice with others.

I pursued this goal by completing two certification programs. First, I am certified to teach in the Himalayan tradition through Sarla Walter of the Lotus Yoga Centre, which was founded under direction of the Sri. Swami Rama. Additionally, I am certified to teach through the Yoga Institute of Houston, one of the oldest yoga studios in the country. I am additionally certified with the Yoga Alliance, a prestigious association of yoga instructors with intensive, comprehensive training. I am also a member of the Lotus Yoga Teachers Association(merged in 2005 with Meditation International) and the Midwest Yoga Teachers Association.

In 2001, I founded Mind and Body Yoga, LLC, where I teach private lessons, group classes, and work with corporations or other organizations to provide yoga and stress management skills to their employees/members. I also began volunteering at Highland Park Hospital and the Kellogg Cancer Center as a relaxation coach working with patients undergoing surgery and treatments for cancer. In addition, I teach high school students the benefits of yoga in an after school club I co-created called the 'Just Say Om' Yoga Club.

Continually educating myself in the vast word of yoga in addition to my training, I have been fortunate to have studied yoga with some of the most esteemed and accomplished yogis from all over the world. I have completed workshops and seminars with many of these teachers and I would like to thank and acknowledge them for having a profound effect on my practice and teachings of yoga. These individuals are: Erich Schiffman, John Friend, Paul Grilley, Seane Corne, Rod Stryker, Dharma Mittra, and Swami Veda.

My quest for knowledge and growth is continual, as I firmly believe that the best teacher is also a student. My goal is to teach my students the wonders of yoga and how to incorporate their practice into their everyday lives to attain a balance of mind, body, and spirit.