‘I can be at peace with myself and be comfortable in my skin.’

Greenlawn

“I was a chubby kid and gained weight after my daughter was born. It was never a problem for me until a year after my son was born. I’d gained so much weight that a pizza delivery guy asked me when I was going to have the baby.

“I had a gastric bypass on April 7, 2004. That day I had trouble fitting into a women’s size 28. It was a defining moment; I broke down crying. Within 18 months I dropped 245 pounds to 120 and wore a size zero. It was too much to lose for my 5-foot, 4-inches. I eventually settled between 135-140 and a size four. But I had all this loose skin, so I decided to take a yoga class at Inner Spirit Yoga Center with the attitude that I didn’t die, so I guess I’ll go back. I started squeezing it in on weekends. Then I just really started to like it. I rearranged my schedule so I could take a class daily. It made me feel in a good place and everything was toning up.

In 2007, the economy was changing so I was laying people off and telling them why they couldn’t get raises. I stopped feeling like I was helping them. That’s very difficult when you’re on a spiritual, holistic journey with yoga.

“At the time I was also a corporate human resources director. In 2007, the economy was changing so I was laying people off and telling them why they couldn’t get raises. I stopped feeling like I was helping them. That’s very difficult when you’re on a spiritual, holistic journey with yoga. It just kept eating away at me. I decided to get a yoga certification, then started teaching. Soon I was teaching 22 classes, seven days a week and I’ve been doing that for 10 years. In 2010 I left the corporate world and immersed myself in the world of yoga.

“To teach during the pandemic I took a 300-hour yoga teacher training online with My Vinyasa Practice. I had to record 20 videos of me teaching. The day after I got my certification, they called to say they had watched my videos and wanted me to mentor their students. What started as just a few hours a week evolved into a rapidly growing platform where I was honored with the roles of lead teacher trainer manager to people all over the world—and HR director.

“What’s different about this merger of HR and yoga is that I get to blend both worlds, helping people and watching them grow. It’s a beautiful feeling that’s not just physical for me; it’s also calming and cleansing. I can be at peace with myself and be comfortable in my skin.