Our Teachers

I love learning and I love teaching! I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this practice! My classes are strong and steady with an emphasis on breath and body awareness. I draw from my own experiences and the great teachers I’ve had the honor of studying with including Stacy and Dave Dockins, Live Love Teach, Baron Baptiste and Deborah Adele. I see each class as a practice, as teacher and student, to stay connected to what is needed moment by moment and respond accordingly.

My husband Nick and I are the proud founders of Root Down Yoga Studio. This studio and practice are central to our lives. We feel so fortunate to be surrounded by this incredible teaching team and our community of students. When I’m not at the studio, you’ll probably find me on my horse, in my garden or hanging out at home with Nick and our two cats.

Yoga practice has touched and shaped every facet of my life. My relationships, my mental state, my body, the way I do business, everything! I think it comes back to “how yoga works”. The practice works because it gives you a venue to see what’s possible for you. As you are physically and mentally challenged, you learn the tools to help you grow and flourish in the midst of that challenge. Soon, what you previously viewed as a road block is now just a tiny speed bump. What would have previously taken you out is now just another chance to learn and grow. The practice creates so much more space for joy in life.

My yoga practice has led me to my life purpose: To live an inspired life and inspire others to what’s possible for them! I teach yoga because of my most sincere hope to share this life changing practice with you. I invite you to come practice with me and all the teachers at Root Down Yoga! Don’t worry, the practice will meet you right where you are today, no judgement, no expectations. Let the practice work its magic and reveal what’s possible for you!

The practice of yoga has taught me to be the very best human I can be in every moment throughout all of those obligations, by remembering that everything is one breath at a time. Not the next breath, or the one that just ended, but the precise breath I am committed to right NOW. This is the bit of the journey that so often I miss, because it seems so small. In truth, it’s the only way to fully experience life’s journey in total presence, and that is monumental.

By continuing to practice yoga and commit to each breath, I know that in those times of extreme busy-ness or stress, I possess the power to STOP at any time and simply take One. Conscious. Breath. Just one. If even for what feels like a nanosecond I’ve broken the hamster wheel of life, and come back to presence, I’ve succeeded! I just have to keep on practicing.

My professional background is in physical education teacher preparation with particular interests in teaching students with special needs. I taught in higher education for twenty years at UW – La Crosse and am now in my fifth year at Winona State University. I currently provide yoga activities to K-4 grade students at the WSU Children’s Center. One of my desires is to help future teachers attain the knowledge and skills to incorporate yoga and other mindfulness activities in their future classrooms and gymnasiums. This is important especially given social-emotional learning and development have extremely strong influences upon academic readiness and academic achievement. Through Yoga Sprouts, children can greatly enhance their personal (self-control, self-awareness, impulse control), emotional (willingness to try and try repetitively, sustained effort), and physical (body management and awareness, fitness) development. I’m fortunate to be part of Yoga Sprouts and RDY!

As a student, yoga has created a space within me to see life differently – to see the possibilities.  I’m the typical Type A, driven, overachieving perfectionist.  I push myself, push some more, and then wonder why I become overwhelmed, frustrated, resentful, or injured along the way.   Yoga has taught me to slow down, to accept, forgive, and to be gentle with myself and others.  It’s helped me quiet the voice of my inner critic, get out of the way of my self-imposed limitations, and begin to love and accept myself for who and what I am.

I teach yoga because I love and believe in the power of this practice.  I’ve been blessed to be part of this growing community and I want to offer that same opportunity to you.  Throw out any preconceived notions you may have in your mind about “yoga” and give it a try.  I hope to see you on your mat!

In 2014 I took an Assisting Workshop at Root Down, and was amazed at how much joy it gave me to help other students in their practice. I knew then that I wanted to teach, but hadn’t a clue how to fit it in with my 60+ hour a week job and already over full life. A year later the job went, and, after a suitable time of grieving, I booked my Teacher Training.

Over the years practicing yoga I have grown in strength and awareness of my body and mind. I haven’t had any more instances of major back pain, and thrive in the knowledge that I have been able to make a difference to myself that will see me though the rest of my live as a healthier person both physically, mindfully and spiritually.

Yoga has given me another chance and I want to share it with others. I want to make a difference in other people’s lives, and see this as the perfect avenue. As in the story The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley… “It made a difference to that one.”

I was seeking a way of recharging after a busy year when I found Root Down. It would be an understatement to say I fell in love with the community, the space, and the yoga. I loved the added challenge of the heat. I learned how to bust through “I don’t think I can” thoughts. Many practices ended in, “WOW! I just did that (?!?!)” – feeling strong, empowered and content. Always leaving with a smile! When I began considering going through yoga teacher training, a dear friend encouraged me to ask “Why not?”

Those two words, “Why not?” have become a reoccurring theme in my life. The next time you are teetering a decision, I nudge you to ask “Why not?”. It has brought many mind-blowing experiences to my life. I’ve added teaching yoga to my list of loves! I feel so lucky to be a part of this warm, loving community here at Root Down.

I will always be a student of this practice and I am grateful for the opportunity to share it with you. I believe that yoga, just like life, is filled with moments of curiosity, change, inspiration, problem solving, and self-acceptance. Join me for a class. Be curious, have fun, and discover the grace and power of yoga!

Yoga has allowed me to create more space and balance in my life. Through regular practice, I feel stronger and more flexible, more centered and more peaceful. What a gift we can give ourselves – and our children! I love that we are able to plant seeds of all of the benefits of yoga with the little sprouts that join us on Saturday mornings!

When I’m not at the studio I enjoy time with my family, walking my dogs, kayaking the beautiful waters of the coulee region, and working at an area elementary school.

Some days go better than others on the mat……just like anything else, some practices go more smoothly than others and, that’s OK.  However we show up, whatever our body shape, size, whatever our fitness level, no matter how strong, flexible, coordinated we are or are not…it doesn’t matter.  Yoga is an “equal opportunity” opportunity.  I have been teaching Yoga for several years and have as much to share with you as I have to learn from you. We can explore and experience the awesome, invigorating, humbling and grounding avenues of Yoga together.

My life’s work as a mother of 4 grown children and as a hospital-based Lactation Consultant provides me with endless opportunities to use the flexibility, strength, and balance of both mind and body that I have available to me because of my teaching experiences and personal Yoga practice.  This is gonna be amazing!  I promise….you will be changed by this practice!  See you in class!

This lead me to a deeper study of anatomy through massage school. It was also in massage school that I was introduced to Yamuna Body Rolling. It is a practice of deep body awareness that uses balls to create space and optimal function throughout the body. Gravity draws us down every day. YBR is a way to counteract the effects of that pull by releasing tight, constricted tissues opening space for joints to move more freely again. I love to work one-on-one or in small groups so you receive lots of individual attention.
I am humbled to be a part of the amazing community that is Root Down Yoga, both as a student and a teacher. I am always learning from everyone I meet here and am loving it all.

Yoga began, for me, as a way to balance my workout; to build strength and flexibility. I quickly noticed that I was experiencing other benefits; calmness, awareness of myself, my breath, and my body. It made me feel good. My yoga teacher training added to my appreciation and understanding of yoga. It gave me a meditative practice and an appreciation for small things done with great intention. Slower, sweeter, softer is my current intention in my yoga practice, on and off the mat. Yoga gives me the opportunity to inhabit my body with curiosity, gratitude, and love. As life gets increasingly hectic, yoga allows space and time to connect with myself and others. I cherish every opportunity to share that space and time with others, as a teacher and a student.

I was first drawn to yoga as a teen for the physical practice and physical benefits, but what kept me coming back the was feeling of being grounded, clear, and able to breathe in any situation after I left.   My practice and my teaching have been ever-evolving since I first started on this journey. After moving back to the La Crosse area after spending 10 years living in different parts of the country I was delighted to find Root Down!

I am a mother and have a background as a Montessori teacher.  I am passionate about families, children, mothering, and the sacred journey a woman embarks on to become a mother.  I teach Vinyasa, Yoga Sprouts (kids yoga), and prenatal yoga classes at Root Down.  I am a 200 hr RYT, certified to teach both adults and children and have trained with Stacy Dockins and Deborah Williamson.  I am a certified prenatal yoga teacher, and did my training at Blooma in Minneapolis.