I have studied different styles of yoga and its spirituality for thirteen years and became a yoga teacher in March of 2017. I first discovered yoga in 2009 when my local library announced they were offering a six-week beginner series. I signed up and loved it immediately. Being involved with other activities plus work, I didn’t seriously start practicing yoga for a few more years, until a friend recommended a teacher who taught at an old schoolhouse. After one class there I was hooked. My sister and I also started our tradition of going to New York City every summer to participate in the Summer Solstice event in Times Square. We kept this tradition up until the pandemic put it on pause. The experience of so many people practicing yoga together was a profound experience.
I began delving more deeply into the practice and philosophy of yoga at age 28, discovering that there were more styles than the Vinyasa style I had been practicing. A friend and I joined the Long Island Yoga Association, attending monthly Master classes in different styles. One master teacher that would affect my practice was Rudy Pierce who taught out of Kripalu. I went on to do two more trainings with him. I also discovered Jivamukti, the philosophy of this style had a big influence on my practice.
I did my teacher training with Desiree Sparrow of LI Kula Yoga and Wellness Center, an Alignment-Based Hatha Yoga with Tantric Philosophy school. I was introduced to classes with themes that had yoga and Tantric philosophy and psychology woven throughout. I was also introduced to the use of props to help a student find better alignment in a pose. This is taken from the Iyengar school of yoga and is not normally taught in the average Vinyasa class. I took classes at LI Kula for several months before signing up for teacher training. The 200-hour yoga
teacher training was taught over the course of six months. Trainees were required to attend two to three classes a week along with one full weekend a month, to observe not only teachers who taught at LI Kula but those at other studios as well, and to practice teaching family and friends. The last extracurricular activity required of us was self-care in the form of massage, acupuncture, Reiki, or similar activity, to show we were taking care of ourselves and our energies during the training. I became a registered teacher with the Yoga Alliance after graduating from training. Shortly after, I began teaching six classes a week at LA Fitness. Two months later, I was also hired at Breathe, a local yoga studio, where I taught two adult classes, two children’s yoga classes, and led a monthly Reiki circle.
I no longer had the time to travel to the studio where I received my training, so switched my personal practice to a closer studio that specialized in Astanga. It was here that I met my next teacher, Jackie Incorvia, who I not only took classes with but also privates, for the next few years. I also attended a class at the Jivamukti studio in New York City, a dream I’d had since discovering the style a few years earlier. I attended Yoga Journal Live for the first time, attending a half-day master class with Seane Corn and a sound bath yoga Nidra. I returned to Yoga Journal Live the following year to take a full-day master class with Alan and Sarah Finger on the Chakras and how to embody them through meditation and Asana.
Over the next few years, I also occasionally taught workshops at local libraries, online, and privates. I took two more in-person teacher trainings: with Rudy Pierce in Dynamic Gentle Yoga; and with Desiree Sparrow in Gentle Chandra Flow.
- The Yoga Room at St. Anselm's Church, Shoreham, NY (Opening May 2023)
- Evolution Yoga Studio—Calverton, NY (April 2022–February 2023)
- LA Fitness—Centereach, Port Jefferson, Patchogue, Farmingville, Lake Grove, NY (May 2017–March 2020)
- Six Vinyasa Yoga classes a week
- Port Jefferson Free Library—Port Jefferson, NY (November 2017–Present)
- Reiki Circles, Chakra Workshops, and New Moon/astrology workshops
- Breathe Yoga Studio—Port Jefferson, NY (June 7, 2017–November 8, 2017)
- Vinyasa Yoga classes, children’s yoga, Reiki circles
- LI Kula Yoga and Wellness—Brookhaven, NY (February 2017–January 2018)
- subbed Hatha flow classes, led Reiki circles
- Mindful Turtle - East Setauket, NY (September–October 2017)
- subbed Vinyasa classes
- South Country Public Library—Brookhaven, NY (September–October 2018)
- Children’s Yoga Workshops
- Privates (January 2017–Present)
- Yoga classes, Yoga Nidras, Reiki circles and trainings, Chakras and New Moon/astrology workshops
- Jennifer Brillent
Me & Seane Corn - Seane Corn
- Alan Finger
- Dana Trixie Flynn
- David Keil
- Rudy Pierce
- Sarah Platt-Finger
- Dougless Stewart
- Cyndi Lee
- Doug Keller
- Sally Kempton
- Jack Kornfield
- Chelsey Korus
- Nikki Myers
- Sianna Sherman
- Rod Stryker
- Josh Summers
- Summer Solstice in Time Square, NYC - 2012-2019
- Long Island Yoga Association Master Classes - 2015-2016
- Jivamukti Studio NYC - 2017
- Yoga Journal Live NYC - 2017 and 2018
- ZenFest, Calverton, NY - 2018
- Alignment-based Hatha
- Astanga
- Jivamukti
- Kripalu
- Restorative
- Tantra
- Vinyasa
- Yin
- Chakra System Basic Course – April 26, 2012
- 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Alignment Based Hatha Yoga with Tantric Philosophy with Desiree Sparrow at LI Kula Yoga and Wellness Center – 6 months training ending on March 12, 2017
- The Art of Yoga Transitions – May 20, 2017
- The Science of Yoga and Yoga Therapy: Understanding the Research – September 9, 2017
- The Truth about Food Intolerance – September 28, 2017
- Refresh and Refine Your Flow: Embodying Sarasvati – October 26, 2017
- Essentials of Yoga Therapy – January 5, 2018
- Mind Over Mat – February 15, 2018
- Stay Vigilant, Mindful, and “Woke”: A Panel Discussion – March 23, 2018
- 20-Hour (Gentle) Chandra Flow Yoga Teacher Training – July 7-8, 2018
- ParaYoga Nidra: A 10-Hour Immersion in Enlightened Sleep – October 28, 2018
- Yoga for Strength and Endurance – March 10, 2019
- Mindful Meditation Training – March 14, 2019
- 15-hour Dynamic Gentle Yoga Teacher Training – March 29-30, 2019
- What’s Your Soul’s Unique Purpose: An Exploration of Key Yogic Teachings – August 5th, 2019
- Yoga and Meditation for Brain Injury – November 8, 2019
- The Ayurvedic Clock – January 20, 2020
- Basics of Applied Anatomy – February 6, 2020
- Your True Nature: A Month of Practices for Body, Mind, & Spirit – February 9, 2020
- The Practice of Self-Caring – March 9, 2020
- Trauma Awareness: A Yogic Framework – March 25, 2020
- Rasa Yoga Chakra Radiance: From Root to Crown – April 18, 2020
- Self Inquiry for Self Clarity – April 21, 2020
- Shakti Mandala Series – November 14, 2020
- Challenge Your Flow: Peak Pose Series – December 9, 2020
- Rocket Yoga 101 – December 27, 2020
- Ashtanga Express: Short, Powerful Practices – December 27, 2020
- The 9 Rasas of Yoga: Embodied Practices of Life's Essential Experiences – March 3, 2021
- Nurture Your Divine Feminine – April 9, 2021
- Anatomy of the Meditative Brain – April 9, 2021
- Yin Yoga for the Koshas – August 1, 2021
- History & Philosophy of Yoga — November 11, 2021–January 3, 2022
- Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training — December 29, 2021–January 4, 2022
- Y12step recovery — January 1–6, 2022
- Women's Holistic Health Teacher Training — March 14–21, 2022
- Meditation Teacher Training — March 28–April 7, 2022
- Tantra 101
- Yin Yoga 101
- Mindfulness Meditation: The Fundamentals – January 2023
- Ayurveda and Women's Health – February 2023
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| With Beth & Desiree Sparrow |
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| Alan & Sarah Platt-Finger and Me! |