In 1999, at UC Berkeley, I fell in love with Capoeira, a captivating blend of martial arts, dance, music, and acrobatics. From the moment I saw it, the game resonated with me, esoteric yet accessible to all, and inspired a lifelong commitment to self-discovery through movement exploration. In 2005 I founded Capoeira CDO Los Angeles where I taught and trained for five years, building a community of passionate misfits who were encouraged to find their own expression of capoeira that reflected their individuality and their perspective of the complex art.

In 2011, I distanced myself from Capoeira for…reasons… and began exploring jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. A couple years later, I sustained a pelvis injury on the mats that I didn’t have the resources to treat. Eventually, my activity level sunk to levels my body and mind hadn't experienced in life up to that point. Years passed and while I stayed active and fit-adjacent, it wasn’t until the pandemic that I realized how far I had fallen off. I was too broken, physically and mentally, to move as I once did. Recognizing the need for a therapeutic practice that offered the intensity I crave as well as a path back from injury, I discovered a passion for vinyasa yoga.

In my search for online yoga classes that fit my sensibility and interests in the yoga and movement space, I was quickly drawn Carling Harps and Patrick Beach on Alo Moves, later following them to Commune Yoga Online. Their direct language, devoid of mystical promises, resonated with me. They offered technique, inspiration, and challenge without unnecessary embellishments. Recognizing the potential for a more inclusive teaching style, I enrolled in an online yoga teacher training with Awakening Yoga Academy after following Carling and Patrick's healing journey. After completing their online 200-hr course, I continued to explore their teacher trainings and found a particular affinity for mobility and a passion for studying the related anatomy. I was finally starting to see the knowledge in my teaching tool belt to help others who faced similar obstacles as I had along their path. I immediately began teaching private vinyasa classes while also bringing mobility work into capoeira spaces where I would occasionally teach. In Fall 2022, my yoga teaching practice entered the studio space where I started leading group classes, the inevitable next step on an ongoing journey to foster safe access to movement spaces for diverse minds and bodies.