Since childhood, I have been a mover. I began swimming at five years old and continued through college. I was never the best swimmer in the pool, but I valued being on a team. After college, I discovered yoga. My mother had started East Meets West Yoga, but I was living in Albany, so I was taking classes from local teachers.
In 2003, I returned to Buffalo and began my yoga practice in earnest. I started practicing regularly with my mother and the other teachers at East Meets West. I completed my 200-hour Teacher Training in 2010 through the Himalayan Institute and Rolf Sovik. For the next few years, I taught and practiced Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga.
In 2013, after ten years of practice, I began to experience the effects of the repetitive movements associated with the style of yoga I was practicing. I dealt with daily wrist and shoulder pain, low back discomfort, and hip pain. At the time, I didn’t associate what I was experiencing with yoga. I was taught that yoga was healing, so it didn’t occur to me that the yoga I was doing wasn’t helping.
In 2015, I met Kathryn Bruni-Young, who changed my yoga life. Kathryn founded Mindful Strength to teach yogis and other movers how to get stronger and move better in their bodies. Kathryn introduced me to a whole new world. Through Kathryn, I met Cecily Milne of Yoga Detour™. In 2018, I completed my second 200-hour Teacher Training through Yoga Detour™ and became a Yoga Detour™ Registered Instructor. These practices made me aware of the shortcomings of Vinyasa Yoga and introduced me to the importance of variety in movement. I began weight training at Prescribed Motion, and my understanding of the value of progressive loading to heal injuries was reinforced by my Physical Therapist and Trainer, Amanda Bevilacqua. I continue to train with Brian Harper of Front Park Fitness.
I completed my 300-hour teacher training with Jules Mitchell in 2023. Through Jules’ training, I learned how to reintegrate yoga into my teaching in a way that felt authentic. Through this training, I was also introduced to Todd Hargrove, the author of Better Movement, and Feldenkrais, a method of somatic movement. His teachings have had a major impact on how I structure my classes.
My teaching has been influenced by Anita Greber (East Meets West Yoga), Cecily Milne (Yoga Detour™), Kathryn Bruni-Young (Mindful Strength), Jules Mitchell (Author of Yoga Biomechanics), Alexandra Crow (Yoga Physics), and Toff Hargrove (Better Movement).
I live in Buffalo, NY with my partner, two dogs (Pema and Agnes), and two cats (Fiona and Calamity Jane).
about me
Body Neutrality is the belief that you can accept your body as it is, without overemphasizing positive or negative feelings about it. It is the idea that you, and your body, are worthy of respect, just by existing, and you don’t need to make any changes to experience love and acceptance.
Body Neutrality allows us to develop an awareness of the incredible things our bodies may do, even on days when we may not love our bodies.
Body Neutrality can be practiced alongside Body Positivity and is sometimes a precursor to an individual developing a positive relationship with their body.
what is body neutrality?
Inclusivity Statement
The Principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are taken seriously at New Moon Mindful Movement. My aim is to create a culture where everyone who participates will feel valued, supported, and inspired to achieve their personal goals. This includes providing access and opportunity for all people across differences of race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, migratory status, disability/abilities, veteran status, and socioeconomic background.
To that end, EVERYONE is welcome, and no one will be priced out. All students are welcome to access classes on a sliding scale. Please contact me for more information.
Student Testimonials