I started hatha yoga in utero. My hippy parents recall the pivotal cat/cow poses right before my birth. After a two decade hiatus, I walked into a yoga class at my gym in San Francisco. The junction of yoga and Western exercise initialed a ongoing personal, professional and academic investigation that included practicing in the Costa Rican jungles, teaching at a women’s prision and training clients of all stripes. As the In-House Yogi at Clif Bar & Company, I primarily teach in the boisterous clubhouse we call the employee gym.
My philosophy all boils down to a simple practice: Stay calm as you regularly reach for your limits. Continually push the boundaries and question restrictions without freaking out. That’s it! Okay, admittedly that’s a little easier said than done. Despite obstacles we need to keep moving.
As the chubby girl last picked for the dodgeball team, I never excelled as a skilled athlete or graceful dancer. When I rediscovered yoga something started to shift and I felt more at home in my skin. As I explored fitness and fueled myself with health food, my body and attitude changed. I’ve sustained an approximate 40 lb. weight loss for several years. I never counted a single calorie or achieved a bikini body. Occasionally I weigh myself but find the scale a limited tool of self-reflection. I’ve significantly shapeshifted my body. More importantly, I reshaped my perspective.
To understand our actions we need to examine our stories. I’m fascinated by pop culture’s ubiquitous weigh loss narratives and ready to share mine. I firmly believe:
- Sustainable health and compelling beauty can never be build on a foundation of self-loathing.
- Joyful expression of your unique human genome is a birthright.
- Movement provides potent medicine.
- Hot pink is my power color. (I may actually lift heavier weights when I’m wearing fuchsia.)
If I’m not convincing barefoot students to twist into weird shapes, then I’m often writing from a hipster coffee shop in Oakland. I teach two public classes a week and am available for workshops or speaking gigs. (Folks at TED, did you hear that?) My blog and forthcoming book offer up a new take on fitness and health.
I aim to incite (a) movement.
My resume o’ important pieces of paper.
