“Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings.”
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– Thích Nhất Hạnh
spiritual lineage acknowledgement
I feel such a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of beings. I am held by the sweet spirits of those who have come before me, and the knowledge and care of those I am fortunate to share space with today. Love, thankfulness, and gratitude to each of you.
I teach Hatha Yoga in Patanjali’s classical 8-limbed tradition, which conveys the binding characteristic of yoga as a liberating, unifying practice for all. We attribute much of our tradition in the West to Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who shared yoga throughout this portion of the globe through B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and T.K.V. Desikachar. I pay homage to my teachers, their teachers, and their teachers’ teachers, back to the Indus Valley Civilization in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent, from where this practice meets us today.
my first teachers, through now
My first teachers were the cattle, dirt, creeks, and pastures on Massawomek, Shawandasee Tula, Shawanwaki, and Shawnee land (colonized as Romney, West Virginia), and the waters fed by the Siskëwahane (Susquehanna) River in Lake Heritage, Pennsylvania. I am grateful for the original caretakers of these lands. May we work to acknowledge and honor, return and repair.
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I owe a bucketful of gratitude to my parents and grandparents, sister, cousins I played in the grass and woods with, my partner, and children. I owe another bucketful to those who feel like family, near and far, including those who have tended sweet friendship-space in the online realm.
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My teachers and mentors - folks I have learned from/with, shared heart/headspace with, am challenged and supported by: Susanna Barkataki (of the Shankaracharya tradition), Anjali Rao, Jacoby Ballard, Bonnie Berk, Kelley Nicole Palmer, Jess Holt, Tristan Katz, Julie Aha, Avery Kalapa, Harpinder Mann, Rabia Meghani, Tejal Patel, Lindora Roby, and others.
To everyone who has taken a class with me – I am honored, as I consider myself a student first, and credit all I have learned to the earth, the waters that call to me, the four seasons, the sacred sound of ohm, too many poets and musicians to name, and each one mentioned above.