I used to hate the word “exercise.” Growing up, I was the kid who was scared of failing PE because I hated running and getting hit by balls (all of them). I also didn’t like yoga, because I thought it was boring and I felt like I was too weak to even do these “easy stretches” that felt like they lasted forever. It wasn’t until I finally took my first barre class in 2012 that I finally found a form of movement that I enjoyed — small, repeated movements that felt both challenging and manageable, all to the beat of fun music. That’s when I realized that I could redefine my relationship with exercise and fitness by focusing more on movement and health and wellness.

The magic of movement is about moving to the beat of your own body; it’s about cultivating the mind-body-spirit connection that makes you feel alive on this physical plane. Every time I’ve felt disconnected from life and purpose, I’ve been able to come home to myself by first coming home to my body. It took me teaching over 1000 barre classes to cultivate the strength and grounding to start exploring other types of movement, like yoga and qi gong.

For some, movement is a form of exercise. For others, it’s way to find calmness in the midst of chaos. Movement can be all of those things, and it can also be fun and playful (and on the flip side, dark and scary). Movement is both an internal and external adventure with your mind, body, and spirit, which means it can go in all different directions. As your movement guide and life coach, I can help hold space for all parts of your journey as you get to know yourself better.

After getting my 200-hr yoga certification in the Amazon jungle of Peru, my community started asking me when I would teach yoga classes. My community has been such a big source of support and inspiration, so it only made sense for me to give back to my community. I started teaching community yoga classes through the city of San Francisco, collaborating with small businesses like Ballast Coffee and Kim + Ono. Eventually, word spread around and I started teaching yoga regularly at Pilates Story and the Irish Center.

As much as I respect and value yoga, I realized that what mattered more to me was movement. That’s why I call myself a movement guide — we can access meditation, flow, strength, and depth through all types of movement, not just yoga. I started blending in my background in barre and my interest in qi gong, an ancient Chinese practice, to add more flow and variety into the movements.

I may be your movement guide, but I continue to thrive because of your support and the community. <3 I look forward to seeing you at an event soon!