About My Journey

My yoga journey began in 1994 at Frog's Gym in Solana Beach, California. At that time most of the teachers in the area were students of Tim Miller. Frog's was fortunate to have classes taught by two of his best instructors, Alison Lewis and Dominique Coringliano.

My attendance at first was spotty, being a mom with two sons at home. Luckily, Alison offered some evening classes at a small shala in Leucadia. It was here that i met another student of Alison's, Rich McGowan, who would go on to become one of my best friends and influential teachers. We had always heard of the larger than life stories about Tim Miller, so being braver than myself, Rich took the leap over to practice at Ashtanga Yoga Center before I did.

It wasn't until a few months later when Alison was leaving for Mysore to practice with Guruji, that I got up the courage to follow Rich over to the AYC to practice. I was so nervous in those first classes because up until then I had never done a full series, and was terrified what the famed Tim Miller would think of my inability to do even the basic things like touching my toes, pushing up into backbends, and balancing in a headstand. Thankfully, Rich was there with me in those first classes to calm me down and tell me what to expect. Even though I am not a naturally flexible person and struggled with every pose, after those first few classes with Tim I was hooked.

I soon started attending Mysore classes on most mornings my boys were away at school. I remember having not only one of those mats with the poses printed around its edges, but a cheat sheet stashed under its edges. Even so, I was still a nervous wreck whenever Tim came my way. Over time, my nerves abated, and I relaxed into my practice. I found Tim to be always lighthearted and fun, full of sarcasm, and completely accepting of not only my total inflexibility but also my cheat sheet! From the very beginning, I loved it at the Yoga Center with all its quirks.

Tim had brought together a wonderful group of people and from the outset for me, Rich was always there too. In 2000 Tim had his first Teacher Training (TT). Rich attended and would one day become one of the AYC's core teachers and assistants. When 2001 rolled around, Alison and Rich persuaded me to that year’s TT to help improve my practice.

Then it happened again, Alison was off to India! This time she convinced the powers that be at Frog's that I would be the perfect person to take over her classes in her absence. Now, I’m not the best at public speaking of any sort, and I wasn’t confident in my ability to teach, but with my husband Bill's encouragement, and with tons of anxiety, I decided to give it a go. I am sure during that first class my students could sense that I was a nervous wreck, but I found out something that would change my life forever, I loved teaching and sharing the practice!

So that is my story. I have been teaching Ashtanga since 2002, first at Frog's, then apprenticing at AYC with Rich and Tim, then teaching led classes and Mysore. I have assisted Tim in many Primary, Intermediate, and Advanced A teacher training's at AYC, as well as led many workshops. In 2019, I assisted at the Ashtanga Yoga Confluence in San Diego, and I humbly helped carry on AYC’s Teacher Immersion in Tim's absence. I am so blessed for these past 25 years plus, to have Tim Miller as not only my teacher but also my friend. From the start I was drawn to Tim's strict, yet fun way to share the practice. He was always willing to give us that extra bit of help when needed, and Tim and Rich together were like Hanuman and Lakshman, an amazing team. Rich had a great lighthearted loving way about him, and Tim was always steady and strong.

Like Tim, and Guruji before him, my method uses both hands-on adjustments as well as verbal cues. I am always open to questions, thoughts, and suggestions about the practice, and I believe working together with the students is the best way for both the student and I to learn. My hope and goal going forward is to share Tim and Rich's lighthearted openness to the practice, so there is Sthira (steadiness, strength) and Sukha (happiness, joy, ease). I believe the practice brings flexibility, not only physically, but also mentally to prepare us for changes in the body and life.

“Practice, and all is coming”.