My "Why"

A Personal Journey of Evolution in Yoga & Movement

Sharing a New Way of Moving, Thinking, and Being

My mission is to share a new way of thinking, moving, and inhabiting our bodies by pursuing an evolution in yoga, meditation, and self-informed, mindful movement. I LOVE teaching. Not instructing...but teaching something that you can make your own. I want you to take what we do on the mat together and go live it! Nutritious movement, functional actions to age well, in-the-moment skills to steady your nervous system, and a tool box full of methods (posture, strength/agility moves, relaxation, breathing and mindset) that become a part of who you are.

What Shifted My Approach to Yoga?

In every aspect of my life, I've always believed that once I knew better, I would do better. Over the years, I read articles, books, and interviews with teachers who raised valid concerns about traditionally taught yoga poses. I was open to new information and research because of my deep desire to care for my students through safe, supportive practices.

But what truly prompted a shift in my methodology was personal. After nearly a decade of yoga, I still experienced regular pain in my body. While I expected this when playing sports, it puzzled me in my yoga practice. I had been obsessively studying alignment but wasn’t seeing the "promised results."

For years, I thought if I just tried harder—became more diligent, skilled, flexible, or strong—then I would finally find healing and comfort. But I started to wonder if I wasn’t the only one chronically sore and aching from practice.

When Relief Isn't Enough

Sure, there were moments of relief in the middle of a pose or just after practice. But the pain in my sacroiliac joint, hips, or overstretched hamstrings would return later that day. As much as I respected the techniques I had learned, I knew it was time to explore new perspectives.

Where It Led Me

I began gravitating toward gentler practices and there were some poses that I stopped altogether. And when I was ready, new teachers and new wisdom began to appear. They offered updated insights in anatomy and physiology and an approach that resonated with both my heart and mind.

I began learning how to apply functional movement within yoga poses to better support joint health. I had a student introduce me to Kathleen Porter's work on Natural Alignment which led me to Esther Gokhale's methods of Primal Posture and movement. I became fascinated by the teachings of Dr. Thomas Hanna and his teaching of clinical somatics. This changed my understanding of stretching and taught me about our natural call to pandiculate. And I am constantly amazed to learn about the ongoing, expanding knowledge on fascia (this intelligent connective tissue that wraps and embraces each and every part of our bodies).

How Does This Fit Into Yoga?

I have deep gratitude and respect for the Yoga lineages that I continue to study. Yoga is way of life, and a foundation of my philosophy and understanding of the world. I love so many of the yoga poses and breath practices and I don't know where I would be without the gifts of meditation and Yoga Nidra that I access daily. Yet, I've never thought of tradition as an excuse to blindly follow. 

I believe there is a beautiful way to yoke innovation and new science with tradition. This is what our deepest inner wisdom calls us toward - an evolution inspired by logic, experience, science, intuition, and the strengthening of the wise witness. I'm most interested in finding the integrity of what works, what brings peace and longevity, what lessens emotional and physical pain and what tunes us in to our own best and highest knowing.  

Embracing Change and Sharing It With You

I have been teaching this evolving version of 'Heidi's Yoga' for most of my teaching career. Some of my students have been with me for over 20 years. They have shared this journey with me and I'm ever grateful to have them in my life. I offer you a space to join us as the journey continues. The teaching is not perfect (and I know it never will be), but I'm confident that you will find yourself engaged with a sense of curiosity, empowered self-agency and a resilience that is required for the times we are living.

Embracing change and listening to what I'm called to teach, have made a radical difference in how I feel and in the well-being of my students. My greatest hope is that you will feel this difference too. Everything I continue to learn informs what I offer in my teaching.

One of the most enduring lessons I received was during my teacher training in 1999. Mary Beth Markus said to all of us nervous, new teachers: "If you can't remember a pose, if you get a little lost, just remember to love your students. Just love them."

And I do. What a gift it was to learn that from the very beginning.