I love yoga.  I love art. And I love to write.  After that my passion for these disciplines is such that I find it hard to put in words.

There are joyous moments in teaching when ‘it’ happens.  A student has a shift in perspective, moves deeper into her body, feels a new flow of energy.  And there are those glorious, rare moments in writing when the characters take over and the words flow.

I live for those moments.

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania I would have never predicted this life. My friends and I guessed, as young girls in the early ’70’s, that there would be husbands, some kids, split level homes and probably a few shaggy dogs.

I watched Kim and Barbara, Becky and Patty move into their dream lives.  I tried to move into mine.  But after college and a very brief marriage I decided I had some things to get out of my system first.  I could settle down later – the type of life my friends had already settled into surely would be waiting for me when I was ready.

Many years and adventures later – including ten years in Donegal, Ireland – I have to admit that the choices I made, the path I carved with the tools I was given, has meant I never did find the life I believed I wanted.  I’m good with that because  in its place is the life I’ve embraced.

Like most lives, it can be a roller coaster.  But at the end of the day I’m blessed.  I do the work I love.  I share my life with an amazing partner.  I continue to learn and to grow.  And the adventure continues.

If you want to be part of the adventure, contact me for a current schedule of classes.

Recent Exhibition History

Resume’

• E-RYT500 – Registered with Yoga Alliance
• C-IATY – Certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists
• TCTSY-F – Certified Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator
• PCC/ACC – A Professional Certified Coach with an Associate Certified Coach designation from the International Coaching Federation

Education:

• 2021: Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator Training with David Emerson
• 2021: International Coaching Academy Certification
• 2020: Guided Autobiography Facilitator Training
• 2018: Soul Collage® Facilitator Training, San Jose, CA.
• 2015: Institute of Transpersonal Psychology/Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA. Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology with a Spiritual Psychology Specialization
• 2014: Niroga Institute, Oakland, CA. 500-Hour Yoga Training and Therapy Certificate
• 2013: Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Compassion Cultivation Training with Kelly McGonigal
• 2012: Avalon Yoga Center, Palo Alto, CA. 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate
• 2011: Integral Anatomy Somanautic Workshop, San Francisco, CA. Cadaver studies with Gil Hedley
• 2010: Soquel, CA. 40-Hour Yin Yoga Training Certificate with Paul and Suzee Grilley
• 2001: International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC/UK), Donegal, Ireland – Diplomas with Distinction in Holistic Massage, Reflexology, Anatomy and Physiology
• 2000: National School of Sports Massage, Dublin, Ireland – Diploma, Sports Massage and Remedial Therapy
• 1980: Doane College, Crete, NE. Bachelor of Arts Degree in Studio Art and Secondary Education

Of Note:

As a writer my work has appeared in Elephant Journal, Yoga Living Magazine and India Currents. In 2011 my essay “Lifting the Veil,” about my experience in a cadaver lab, was included in the literary journal Blood and Thunder. In 2013 the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club awarded me first place for my essay about childhood, “Memories are Made to This.”

Prior to trading my life in California for the rural Irish countryside I taught art. As an artist my work was featured in exhibits throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My work is now a part of private collections in California, the United Kingdom and Germany. Two photographs are in the permanent collection of Doane College, Crete, Nebraska. More recently, my work has been exhibited online through Artist Alliance, at McGuffey Art Center and Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia and Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.

Experience:

• 2021 to Present: The Lodge Senior Living, Crozet, VA. Yoga Instructor
• 2016 to Present:  San Mateo Medical Clinic, San Mateo, CA. Yoga Therapist for the Pain Management and Behavioral Health groups
• 2012 to 2022: Samyama Yoga Center, Palo Alto, CA. Assistant General Manager/Program Director and Instructor; Dharma Path Teacher Training Administrator
• 2010 to 2022: Feinberg Medical Group, Palo Alto, CA. I teach therapeutic yoga to chronic pain clients.
• 2006 to 2014: California Yoga Center, Palo Alto, CA. Yoga Instructor.
• 2006 to 2014: Avenidas Senior Center, Palo Alto, CA. Yoga Instructor.
• 2005 to 2008: Massage Therapy Center, Palo Alto, CA. Massage therapist specializing in therapeutic massage and reflexology.
• 2000 to 2005: The Strabane Chronicle, Strabane, Northern Ireland. Health and Wellness columnist.
• 2000 to 2005: The Stillpoint Clinic, Donegal, Ireland. A self-owned business offering therapeutic massage, reflexology and yoga instruction.
• 1998 to 2002: The Natural Way Health Food Store, Donegal, Ireland. Manager.