My Yoga Journey!

       Hey y’all! I’m Sasha! Southerner, Lover of people, cultures all over the world, a slower way of life, eclectic cuisines, pups, wildlife, and our planet! I'm always outside, always chatting with new people, always singing loudly in the car, snapping photos, always eating as clean as possible + desserts, always petting doggies, always practicing yoga: meditation, pranayama, somatic work, asana practice, and reiki!

 

       I grew up all over, in North Carolina, lived in Germany for 4 years, traveling to adjacent countries like France, Switzerland, and Austria, fueling my adoration of people & various cultures! I landed back in the US in Atlanta for middle school until adulthood. I grew up a dancer since the age of 3, falling in love with ballet, pointe ballet, contemporary dance, even a little Irish dancing when Riverdance had exploded into the US. Through middle and high school, I loved sprint relay races, hurdles, cheerleading, and varsity soccer. I loved being an athlete, but dance was always part of my heart, it was where my body's movement felt the most natural. I even came back to it in college, squeezing contemporary dance into my busy schedule of classes for my Biology & Anthropology degree at UGA.

 

     I’ve always loved the dynamic nature of the human body. Nutrition, movement, mental health, and diversity of people & beliefs have always been rooted in my core. As a life-long student, I love constantly learning! With my Biology & anthropology degree, and a background in psychology, anatomy & cultural studies, yoga became the perfect fit for me! I still had never tried a class, however, until 2012.
     

       My husband and I met just after I earned my degree, through photography, another passion of mine. We got married, and had our first child, our daughter in 2007. Our son, Liam was born 3 years later in 2010. After his tragic death, just after his second birthday, I was lost and suffering. I was plagued with trauma, PTSD, depression, nightmares, panic attacks, a severely dysregulated nervous system, severe anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and the return of an eating disorder. My body & mind had been in survival mode every minute of everyday for over 3 years. I was unrecognizable. And, it has taken time....YEARS, to slowly chip my way out of this dark tunnel, to regulate my nervous system out of this state, in order to see the light.

 

I turned to yoga, and quickly discovered just how incredibly healing yoga can be, not only for the body, but for the mind, while navigating a new life. When tears rolled down my cheeks during my first savasana, I understood the extraordinary impact that yoga held. I added yoga to my life for the next few years. Following our move from Atlanta, I found a yoga home in 2021, and prioritized & deepened my daily practice. I loved the community, fun energy & healing, meditative space! In this fast-paced world, making time to quiet the mind & lighten all that we carry is so important for a heathy happy life. My journey on the mat transformed my life off the mat!

 

 

       I yearned to dive deeper into the roots & philosophy of yoga, and soon earned my 200HR RYT certification! My passion will always be mental wellbeing foremost, and I've intentionally created a teaching style much different than in mainstream yoga. As someone who has experienced trauma, it is not only my passion, but my purpose to help guide others to healing their body & mind after trauma through yoga. My desire is to create a safe, healing space, building community, sharing inspiring words, where you feel loved, known, and free. I draw from my own life to help others heal. You’ll be led through a meditative & fluid vinyasa class, set to a unique & beautiful playlist. You will learn how breath & movement feel in your own body, rather than covet how it looks in your neighbor’s. Yoga is about self-love, connection, peace, and freedom! If you spend your time looking around at what everyone else is doing, you’ll fall…. both on & off your mat. Somatic release and self-healing reiki are ALWAYS incorporated into every single class. I will hold space for peace & healing, and you will release what is no longer serving you, shed the armor & layers, while finding joy in clarity of mind, joy in discovering YOU again. It is an honor & a joy to practice with you! May you leave my class with a more peaceful mind, open & loving heart, and renewed body & soul. May the light continue to pour in! Namaste.🙏🏻

 

 

 

   Have you been looking for a way to calm your overactive mind and de-stress? A way to keep your body healthy that’s more than just a “workout?” A class that challenges you, but also helps heal your mind? A class that is physical AND spiritual? Perhaps yoga is the answer! Maybe you’re looking for a class that has purposeful movement but is also rooted in meditative stillness? A class that nourishes your body & you learn ancient yogic philosophy? A class that lengthens muscles, creates space where tightness causes pain & focuses on mental health & wellbeing? A class that can help release trauma that is tethered to the body? A class that is invigorating & calming that helps you shed the layers and armor we’ve all created to hide who we really are? 

 

 

Yup, that’s me, That’s my yoga class! You will connect to you again! Healing the mind will ALWAYS be my primary focus, and we will do just that through my specialized focuses: somatic experiencing, trauma and/or stress release, nervous system regulation, intentional & extended pranayama, playful asana flows, and reiki healing, all practices we can take off our mat into daily life to continue healing!

       In my class,, it’s so much more than exercise. I don’t even use that word to describe it! All of the body systems (skeletal, muscular, nervous, energetic, cognitive, emotional, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, lymphatic, endocrine,) are connected and are healing together! We will have fun, words will impact you, past pains, current to-do lists, future worries will wash away, We will find freedom in letting go of everything plaguing the mind. Beautiful powerful music will move you! Pranayama (breathwork practices) will ground us to the present moment & facilitate healing. Our somatic practice will regulate the nervous system, interrupting the loop of constantly being in fight, flight, freeze & fawn modes. We often forget our hands are tools for healing, and we will self heal with our hands. We will move fluidly & find strength in our balance. There is no comparison, no standards, no perfection. Simply one hour for yourself, for your release, for your renewal. Feel free to stay in child’s pose for 1 hour with no judgement! You’ll carry techniques with you off the mat into your daily life to help manage & ease anxiety, depression, even trauma. The mind+ body connection will deepen and allow you to come back to who you truly are and thrive!

I’m here to give you both: healing of the mind + the body!
  

 

Currently, I hold certifications in:

• 200HR RYT (registered thru Yoga Alliance)
• IAYT Yoga Therapy for Depression
• IAYT Yoga Therapy for Anxiety
• IAYT Yoga Therapy for Eating Disorder Recovery
• Trauma-Informed Yoga 
• Reiki Energy Healing
• Pranayama Techniques
• Somatic Experiencing: Applied Polyvagal Theory
• Somatic Experiencing: Integrative Somatic Parts Work 

 

 

   

 

Sasha is a mother of three, and off her mat, you’ll find her hiking in the forest with her akita, cycling, horseback riding, kayaking, photographing everything, baking desserts, discovering local eats, and wandering through farmers markets. She loves music, movies, supporting small, local businesses, and is passionate about philanthropy, mental health advocacy, child advocacy, human rights, wildlife conservation, homeopathies, clean living + healthy planet.