This is the story of how my yoga journey began…
/
I vividly remember when I made the decision to do my first yoga teacher training…
It was 2013, and I had been practicing at Wanderlust for about a year when I mentioned to Ashley — the owner and wearer of many hats at the studio — that I thought I wanted to become a teacher. But wasn’t sure where. Wanderlust didn’t have any trainings back then, as it was early on into their opening. I remember she excitedly pulled me aside and semi-whispered, “We’re actually going to do a training soon! It hasn’t been announced yet, but you should wait for it! It’s going to be amazing!” By that point, Wanderlust had already become my second home. I loved the classes, the atmosphere, and the amazing teachers. I wanted to dive in deep with THIS family, and within the four walls of a place that felt deeply nurturing.
And so I waited.
In no time, the program was announced — their very first 200hr teacher training, headed by the incredible Gioconda Parker and Kula Yoga teacher Erin Dudley. I registered immediately. I had the privilege to pause work for a month and dove ALL THE WAY IN. A month-long immersion, with 8+ hour days and only Sunday’s off. We lived, breathed, talked, and embodied yoga. The “big studio” at Wanderlust became another home, my all-woman class a second family. Our teachers became mother figures, and beacons of light as we sailed into the depths of everything that yoga is. I collected some injuries — of both the body and the heart. I was humbled many, many times.
One of my clearest memories is sitting cross-legged on the studio floor crying. One of my teachers pulled me in, knee-to-knee, to hold me as I broke down in exhaustion and frustration on a particularly hard day of training.
2014 : My training sisters and I goofing off at Krause Springs
For a girl who was a little bit of a know-it-all, yoga brought me to my knees over and over again. I quickly realized that there was an ocean of knowledge out there… and I was holding about a tea cup’s worth.
I learned how to move my body with integrity, strength, and love. I learned the history and mythology that was foundational to this lineage. I learned the ancient language of Sanskrit, how to create intelligent sequences, and how to hold space for my students compassionately and safely. I learned how to speak to a room with purpose and clarity. I learned how to walk in front of a class, and peel back the protective layers of posturing to reveal who I actually was.
My religious skepticism and jaded view of the spiritual world was replaced with awe, wonder, and a heartfelt connection to the divine. It took yoga to show me that I wasn’t actually a skeptic to a higher power — my heart had just not been introduced to its own definition of God.
And I know that all sounds very magical and blissful. But here’s the truth: the process of being trained in this lineage is no walk in the park. It tests every part of you — physical, emotional, and mental. It challenges you and rips you wide open. It turns you towards what you’ve been looking away from. It shows you just how much your edges can grow, but you need to be willing to let go and shed off the old definitions of who you are. Yoga reminds you daily that the walking-on-coals feeling you get after a rigorous day is always met with deep satisfaction. You learn at breakneck speeds. You form relationships deeper than you’d imagine.
And, oh my God, do you GROW.
2014 : My first teaching gig — 0 - 10 people in a rented room above some downtown shops
This training changed my life. It set me on a course towards living out one of my deepest passions. Towards a life of constant self-study. Towards a relationship with spirituality that this skeptical, ex-Catholic could have never fathomed. It sparked a curiosity so insatiable that it sent me to Bali, India, and across the US to feed my hunger for more yoga. And it also showed me how to hustle my butt off. I learned how to make the right moves within the yoga industry in order to build strong upward momentum in my career path.
I went from a completely new teacher to one who leads workshops, trainings, and crowds of hundreds of people in less than five years.
Ego-boosting aspects aside, yoga also healed my body, my anxiety, and most importantly, my relationship with myself. It made true self-love possible for me.
2019 : my largest class to date — leading over 600 yogis on the lawn of Republic Square park for Wanderlust Yoga — I’m the teeny blip in yellow leggings all the way to the left side
If you’re reading this and something within you is stirring — a little voice saying “yes, I want this, too” — all I’ll say is LISTEN TO IT. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. And now, over a decade after I first stepped on a yoga mat, I still stand by that. And here I am, coming full-circle as I take on facilitating the next teacher training at the very studio where I embarked on my own yoga journey.
Ready to dive in with me?
The newest YTX 200hr Vinyasa Teacher Training begins in March 2023!
A weekends-only training, led by a diverse group of Austin’s most experienced teachers — all within the walls of one of the country’s most recognized yoga studios.
