“This is only the beginning. We are just getting started!” -Elka Haeckel
I came to yoga because I love to move my body. I grew up dancing, doing gymnastics, swimming, participating in musical theater, doing arts and crafts, and playing dress up and playing in the dirt. I first tried yoga in high school during dance class. I thought it was boring :) Some modern dance teachers incorporated sun salutations into choreography during college and it was delightful to move synchronously with others. After college I was searching for a way to keep moving but dance classes were pretty expensive. I tried a vinyasa flow class at a local yoga studio down the street in the little San Diego beach town where I was living and I was intrigued: fun music, dance-y flow, someone telling me what to do, plus I felt relaxed and alive afterwards! I honor the South Asian roots of the practices that have influenced me so much. My practice has evolved over the years and nowadays you can find me rolling out my mat and doing my own thing, making shapes outside, and practicing various styles with the guidance of my beloved teachers.
I participated in my first yoga teacher training in 2011 with the intention to offer yoga to those who historically have less access to studio classes. Yoga teaching bridges my passions for physical movement and social movement. I have continued to attend trainings, workshops, and immersions ever since. I certainly never imagined I would lead yoga retreats all over the world, teach yoga online, include mindfulness and breathwork in college-level writing classes, lead a yoga + social justice discussion group at a yoga studio, or include mindfulness while teaching college writing courses! I love learning and I’m always integrating new interests into my teaching. My classes are influenced by hatha, vinyasa, bhakti, ayurveda, nature, mind-body connection, somatic experiencing, self-healing modalities, positive psychology, social justice, visualization, meditation, and whatever I’m currently reading. I offer all-level classes that include freeing, feel-good movement, mindfulness, mantra, breathwork, and an intentional theme woven throughout. My classes are intended to be intuitive, humanity affirming, and welcoming to all.
“Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning the union of the physical self and the universal spirit. In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, yoga encompasses various aspects of existence: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. There are vast texts and ancient lineages representing myriad schools of yogic teachings. About these matters, I am the most fledgling of students. I use the word “yoga” the mean all those physical and verbal and emotional and meditative things I do in loving response to the needs of my body and spirit. Yoga might be breathing slowly to calm yourself, to help you focus on a single issue. Yoga might be doing push-ups with an intention to strengthen your body. Yoga might be seventeen postures from the ancient texts of “asana” and “pranayama.” Yoga might be different ways of lying in bed. Yoga might be humming with a friend. Yoga might be seven variations on a smile. Yoga might be the dance you do while washing dishes.” -Todd Walton (my uncle!)