My first ever MODO class was in October of 2010 – which I believe was actually the very first day MODO Yoga Sherwood Park (MYSP) opened their doors! I had tried a few yoga classes before that, but coming from a very athletic background, I never found any of them challenging enough. Enter: hot yoga. Funnily enough, I actually really struggled through my first class. It wasn’t that the sequence was impossible, it was just a new way of moving my body that was unfamiliar initially. I found the heat to be overwhelming and I was distracted by my sweat and the cues that I didn’t yet understand – making it challenging to connect movement with breath… but that was the exact challenge that my body and mind had been craving. I showed up with intention again. And again. And again. And in January of 2016 I was off on a plane to beautiful San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua to complete my MODO Teacher Training. It has been almost 10 years since that first class, and I can tell you that it has without a doubt been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
My style of teaching is rooted in both my athletic history and educational background. After completing my Bachelor of Science degree in 2015 I moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2017 where I lived for 3 years to complete my Doctor of Physiotherapy degree. Not only did the MODO sequence provide me with a physical release after sitting at a desk and studying all day, but it also provided me with a mental outlet. I could feel life’s stress melt away in the hot room; and when the hot room wasn’t available in Melbourne, I made sure to get the teachers from MYSP to send me recordings of their classes (and you best believe I cranked the heat in my apartment and turned off every light to mimic the infamous MYSP “Cave”).
MYSP has provided me with more than just a way to get strong and ease both physical and mental stress. I thrive off of the community at the heart of MYSP. The instructors that have become family. The practitioners that have become friends. The hot room that has become home. I can’t wait for you to become a part of it all with me.