Settle in. I love stories and this one is kinda long.

I was lucky enough to grow up on a small farm in Maryland with a best friend a phone call away and all the magic of lightning bugs, queen anne's lace, and endless summer days outside creating stories, characters, and mud pies. When I had to decide my major in college, my love of nature and a large dose of practicality landed me in environmental science. Miraculously, my right brian made it through four years of a science degree only to emerge into the working world where all the interesting jobs required a master's degree. 

After a lot of research inspired by the massage therapist that helped heal the chronic neck pain I experienced from a car accident, I decided to go to massage therapy school. The decision was founded on the idea that I could practice massage while in graduate school to help lessen the financial burden, but it ended up opening the door to a whole new world. I moved to Boulder for a year, trading Maryland's green pastures for Colorado's parched, sunny landscape; I rediscovered nature's magic in the dizzying freedom of the open sky contrasted by the protective presence of the Rocky Mountains.  

I wish that everyone could go to massage therapy school for a year, even if they never actually become a massage therapist. A transformation occurs that's hard to put into words, but suddenly you start to truly live in your body, instead of residing only in your thoughts and head. For the first time I could identify in great detail the muscles in my body and how they worked with the rest of my body to create movement; as a result I started to feel that movement in a whole new way. 

Boulder also opened my eyes to what has become another love of mine, Ayurveda. Driven to the doctor by chronic skin problems and general exhaustion, there was something about Ayurveda that intrigued me, so I booked an appointment with an Ayurvedic doctor. I had been following a strict gluten, soy, and dairy free diet trying to flush out food intolerances and running  a few miles daily, in the dry heat. I had also moved myself half way across the country to apply myself to studying a new field. If you know anything about Ayurveda, I was a Vata-Pitta disaster with a whole lot of American type-A ambition. When I stepped into Dr. Nita Desai's office, it was like walking into a warm, comforting blanket. It was a revelation that in order to feel better the solution wasn't to try harder and add more stipulations and demands, but to calm my vata by walking instead of running, staying hydrated, and eating regular meals at regular times. It was so simple, but it took Ayurveda and Dr. Desai for me to give myself permission to establish nourishing routines; I felt nurtured by my healing regimen instead of bullied by it.

I did more Yoga too. I observed and listened on walks around my North Boulder neighborhood. I felt better, and my skin cleared up.  After I completed my massage therapy certification, I moved back to Maryland where my love of Ayurveda and Yoga drew me to Yama Studio's Integrative Yoga Therapy teacher training program. I have been teaching ever since and making trips to New Mexico and The Ayurvedic Institute for continuing education courses with Dr. Vasant Lad whenever I can. 

At one of my best friend's weddings, she lovingly described me as her "matron of curiosity" in the program. After nearly ten years of teaching Yoga and working as an environmental consultant for the state of Maryland, I had to satisfy a growing curiosity, and I finally went back to graduate school. I graduated with a master's in teaching secondary school and taught humanities in Baltimore City Public Schools before moving to Frederick to teach middle school science. I have had to lean on my Yoga background more than once to help me cope with the stress of teaching adolescents, but I have to say there are few accomplishments in my life that I am more proud of. As a school teacher, I am constantly relearning that self care, just like finding balance, is an ongoing, evolving process. Something else magical happened: stories have crept back into my world. Maybe this summer will be the summer I finally finish my book. It is amazing how life has a way of bringing us back to our roots.    

I wasn't expecting to end up here and I am so grateful for all of the opportunities I've had in life to venture onto the path less traveled. My sincere desire is to share what I have learned along the way with you, and using a little bit of science, bring the magic back into everyday life. Essentially, I want you to find your roots, so you can reach for the wide open possibility of the sky without faltering, and in between feel nurtured and present for every moment of your incredible life.