In 2005, a friend brought me to my first yoga class. It wasn’t just any yoga class, it was one of the sweatiest, hottest, most intense styles of yoga you will find – Bikram yoga. I spent 95% of the class lying on my mat trying not to pass out.

But while I laid there, I listened – and was intrigued. Could doing these exercises really help me deal with my anxiety issues, bulk up my awkwardly bony legs, make my skin glow, help me run better, sleep better, get sick less, fix my posture, and feel more fulfilled? Wasn’t yoga just glorified stretching?

I was hooked and kept going back. Eventually I could complete the entire 90 minute class without taking a break. Living in larger cities like Calgary and Ottawa, I was able to sample the metaphorical yoga buffet – trying out many different styles of yoga, and training at different studios.  I began to gather tools that, quite simply, helped me be better at life.

Breathing exercises, visualizations, poses, nuggets of wisdom, I was gathering an arsenal that I could pull from if I started to feel stiff, overwhelmed, or sad.

Fast forward to 2013. Living in Peterborough, Ontario and pregnant with my first baby, I began to do some soul searching. Having spent 13 years studying and working in geology, mapping, and government policy, I was ready to try my hand at something different. I wanted a lifestyle where I could use my creativity, my quirks and the tools I had gathered to help others.

I wanted to become a more present, healthy, and loving wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend.

During my maternity leave I started a work exchange at a yoga studio, and began a yoga and chi gong teacher training program when my son was 5 months old. I poured through anatomy books and rented all the yoga-related videos from the library. I wanted my classes to be inspiring and healing while still being accurate physiologically. It was a transformative experience and as I began my journey down the path that I was meant to take, life started opening up for me.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a ballerina, or a teacher like my mom. A yoga teacher comes pretty close to cutting it on both fronts.