I went to my first yoga class in the year 2000 at UC Santa Cruz.
I was 18 years old when I took my first yoga class at UC Santa Cruz and my first yoga instructor was Julie Kimball. Julie’s style was heavily influenced by Iyengar yoga. She had an adaptable style and a good sense of humor. When I moved on from college, I was surprised when practicing with other yoga teachers - they were were so serious compared to Julie. Don’t be surprised if I throw in a joke or two in class to lighten the mood.
It was the physical challenges of a rigorous and highly technical yoga practice initially appealed to me. Taking yoga beyond the poses, Julie introduced me to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It was yoga’s philosophical concepts (ethics, how to live as a yogi, and how to live in harmony and integrity) and their application to one’s life that were and remain my driving interest beyond the physical technique of asana.
The study of Asian art, Buddhism, Hinduism and Indic languages interested me, so I decided I wanted to earn my BA in History of Art and Religion and took Hindi & Urdu to fulfill my language requirements for my major.
After graduation, I moved to Japan for a couple years and my yoga practice tapered off. That was until moving back to the states in 2008 when I began actively practicing yoga again.
The next step in my journey brought me to meet Holly Robison. Holly teaches her own elegant style of hatha yoga. I discovered an entirely new way to practice yoga when I began to study with Holly. Her style is fluid, but still making you pay attention to the most minute of details.
Soon, after finding Holly, I decided I needed to get my teaching certification. I had been practicing yoga for years without formal yoga training, but I felt it was an important step to take in deepening my yoga practice. Though I had been practicing for a time, I learned a tremendous amount about all types of yoga, anatomy, Ayurveda, and meditation. Once I completed my certification, I decided I wanted to share my love for yoga as a teacher. To continue my yoga education, I completed a 50-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Bernie Clark and Diana Batts, and continue to read and learn about yoga every day.
As a yoga teacher, my goal is to make yoga accessible to all people. I strive to create a safe, healthy atmosphere to explore asana, meditation, and yogic philosophy making the practice approachable for everyone, of every level and of every walk of life. I share this knowledge with my students, so they can practice and wisely, safely and mindfully. My workshops and classes give students the opportunity to learn about yoga philosophy and history, the physical mechanics of the body and how to apply that knowledge to asana.
I live in Long Beach, CA with my wife Amanda, and our dog Kibeth. When not teaching yoga, I am an administrator at a small non-profit in Long Beach.
[IR]RELEVANT TRIVIA ABOUT Me
Rides motorcycles & interested in British and Japanese classic motorcycles
Took 18 years of piano lessons
Enjoys building and operating 1/8 scale trains
Certified SCUBA diver in 1998
QUestions? Contact me.
services
Private and group yoga sessions
Yoga Sutras workshop
Yoga for motorcyclists
Yoga retreats
Sanskrit for yoga teachers
