What brought you to your yoga practice?
I was looking for a new way to incorporate some movement and de-stress from my work, and after doing some searching I found 5KY on meetup and decided to give it a try.

What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? 
After my first session I noticed how relaxed my muscles felt, especially in my back and shoulders, and how much tension I had been holding there for who knows how long. It brought a lot of relief especially during a stressful work week.
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What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? 
I would tell my pre-yoga self that it’s important that your mind and body be in tune with one another, and many times the key to feeling better mentally is to take care of yourself physically. Even on days when you’re not feeling up to it, sometimes movement is enough to make you feel a lot better both physically and mentally. 

Knowing others is wisdom.  Knowing yourself is enlightenment. 
- Lao Tzu

​Now Patanjali reaches the final and eighth limb of Raja Yoga, which is Samadhi or the state of enlightenment.  As difficult as meditation is to describe in words, enlightenment is even harder.  Patanjali tries to explain it here so practitioners will have an idea of what it is like to experience enlightenment and understand when they have reached that goal.

What brought you to your yoga practice?
I was looking for physical activity that would also support my emotional life.

What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently?
My mind is quieter and I have the ability to focus on one part of my body at a time while I am practicing. I feel stronger and I can access breath work and yoga poses in my daily life not just in the studio.

What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga?
The routine of practicing three days a week at Five Keys has had a profound impact on my well being. It’s a welcoming supportive community that I am happy to be a part of.

​If we followed just this one sutra, we would learn to meditate and eventually reach enlightenment.  How often I hear some variation of “I can’t meditate, my mind is too busy!”  But this is exactly what the practice is designed to do: reduce the busyness of the mind.

Join us to usher in the wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity that may come from the Year of the Snake! Lay back and relax as you are enveloped in the sounds and frequencies created by crystal singing bowls, gong, chimes, and other instruments. 

Sound baths may help reduce pain, anxiety, muscle tension, blood pressure and heart rate, among other benefits.  It is the perfect wellness complement to your yoga practice, and a wonderful opportunity to bring your intentions for 2025 back into focus after the hectic first weeks of January.

No previous experience is required to attend.  But space at this popular event often sells out.  So make sure to reserve your spot early.  Once purchased, your ticket is non-refundable.

5KY all-access members (including intro offer passes) get $15 off!​

This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series.  
​Want to start at the beginning?
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Yoga Sutra 2.55
ततः परमा वश्यतेन्द्रियाणाम्
tataḥ paramā vaśyatendriyāṇām
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Then one achieves perfect mastery over the senses.

​One of the main reasons people start practicing yoga is to learn how to become calmer.  With all that is going on outside ourselves, it can be really difficult to learn how to be calm.

​That is why yoga’s process is one of involution, or one of leading the practitioner within and un-layering the conditioning that leads a person to feel stress, overwhelm and fear.

What brought you to yoga?
My quest for healing and self-discovery shaped my journey to yoga. After enduring years of chronic anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and physical pain from conditions like spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, and a pinched ulnar nerve, I found myself stuck and dissatisfied with my life. Although I practiced yoga, it wasn’t until I was overwhelmed by persistent negative thoughts that I fully embraced it as a means of mental focus and healing. Yoga became my sanctuary, helping me calm my mind, alleviate anxiety, and relieve physical pain. Through this practice, I developed self-love, built strength, and shifted my nervous system from stress to relaxation.

What is your approach to teaching?
As a yoga and wellness practitioner, my approach is grounded in mindfulness. My goal is to help students learn how to connect with and honor their bodies for where it is at now, not where they think they need to be. I encourage students to tap in and listen more closely to their intuition and learn how to trust their heart-mind and grow in their yoga practice without judgment or self-criticism so that the experience of yoga feels safe and approachable.

Why did you choose to teach at 5KY?
I chose 5 keys because their philosophy and values align very closely with my own. Plus, I like the cozy intimate setting, which is helpful for those who prefer a smaller class size.

What makes your soul sing?
I am an amateur singer. In a literal way, singing makes my soul sing. Haha! Singing and performing have always been a part of my life. It makes me so happy to belt out the big soaring notes and just let my heart feel free.