Yoga is my home. Thats what I’ve learned.
Age 17: I began my yoga journey in 2003 with my beloved Aunt Cammie, so much gratitude for you; for bringing me to my very first class lead by Bruno Teyssandier, a legendary human, teacher and lover of life. Bruno, in his fierce French accent taught me a whole new world, a new lens of perception. I would continue to practice this hot form of yoga for the duration of my high school experience.
Age 19: I then moved off to NYC to college, where my beloved friend, Hanna Weiskopf Moorehead would then introduce me to Hot Power Vinyasa, at a studio called Some Like It Hot Yoga. Here I was engulfed in this practice more. I was given permission. Permission to move in ways I wanted, that felt good to me, which was o so different than what I had been taught as a ballet dancer and through the regimented nature of Bikram yoga. Now I could have freedom, power, change and challenge all in one place. This is where I also met yoga and choreography together. This vinyasa way seemed to be such a dance, and I fell deeply in love.
Age 22: I then moved home to New Orleans and was grandfathered in to one of the most spectacular spaces I have ever seen. A second story warehouse of a building my father used to own, that I had been teaching “bootleg yoga” to some friends and also using the space for a cabaret rehearsal space. This studio was so dust and dirty and old that your feet were black from just a couple steps on the bare floor. A buyer came along to the building, Louis Faust, and he was so enchanted by the “bootleg yoga” and most likely the cabaret costumes, that he invited me to be a tenant in the building as well as call the shots for the renovation.
Age 25: Together with Luke Hooper, of Factor 10, we co-created a Reyn Studios, a studio space and concept that was wildly successful for 8 years. Luke and my partnership ended after year 1, but the studio had created name and reputation for itself as one of the finest yoga spots in town and I owe a lot of its creation to Luke, thank you. Reyn Studios became a wonderful haven for locals and travelers alike. With some of the most talented and engaging teachers in the New Orleans area, we had 52 classes a week, 7 days, morning noon and night and while it was wonderful, it was also imbalanced, as was I.
As well all know and love the city of New Orleans, it is a city of temptation with a dark side. By day I was a young, healthy, humorous and engaging person, by night, I was deeply depressed, attached to alcohol & drugs and was deeply lost. This dichotomy, dual life I was living was devastating to me and all those around me. I was unreliable, unaccountable, unpredictable and lost. The team that was Reyn Studios, both in studio and behind the scenes are the reason the blood kept pumping, the towels kept coming and the yoga was always there. I personally was not. I travelled to Hawaii often, seeking a different life, more connected to nature, the ocean, and a true sense of belonging. I deepened my studies of yoga while there and even taught at Open Space Yoga, just so that I could see and feel if I was a good teacher, without this larger than life studio to stand on. The feedback from the students and teachers at Open Space was grounding and honest. Turns out I was a good teacher, and they did like my classes, and I had p l e n t y to learn still, but I was delivering a good, well versed, dynamic and profound class. I needed to hear this from humans who didn’t know I was the owner of a studio.
Age 30: We were blessed with the conception of our son Wolf. This was the catalyst to make the changes my partner and I had always so deeply desired, to travel and find ourselves. With this pregnancy we knew we wanted something different from our lives and now was the time to do it. I was giving a very enthusiastic blessing from Dr. Rebecca Perret, to have a happy and healthily home birth, wherever we landed. We gave away 90% of our belongings, packed up our truck and drove west. An epic road trip with many highs and lows as we left our families, friends, occupations, our whole lives behind. From Arkansas waterfall, Colorado Petroglyphs, Utah used our bare hands to uncover dinosaur bones and our first Midwife Katia, to Hawaii live Volcanoes and our second Midwife, Catherine Lightfoot, to Bend, Oregon, where we would nest and settle to have our sweet baby, Wolfie at home, along side Midwives, Kelsey Spanbauer, Tiffany Seldes and Julia York.
Age 34: The change in the world with COVID has us embracing so many things; technology for connection, the realities of time and space as our human bodies understand them, and the life choices that lie ahead. Yoga is Union of bodymind to spirit. My body mind knows the importance of yoga practice; meaning on the mat, focused skillful movement and attention to breath. My spirit benefits from this, as do the people in my life around me. My partner, my son, the online community, those whom I get the pleasure of working with in person, we all mutually benefit from a mindfulness practice.
So when I say yoga is my home, I mean that, throughout this journey that has been my life thus far, yoga has played an integral roll in keeping my spirit and sanity. Yoga isn’t everything, but it sure is a foundational element to my story and to my sanity and to my spirit. Practicing skillful action on and off the mat, has kept me healthy, strong and able. Practicing mindfulness, calmness, caring with my partner, my son, pregnant mamas and families I serve, extended family and friends, all rooted in my understanding given to me by the practice of yoga and these teachings that yoga comes from.
I urge you and anyone you know to have some sort of yoga practice. It will help ground you, quiet your inner voices down so that you can hear the truth within you that wants to be seen and heard.