Path: I earned my master’s degree in literature in 2004 and work full-time teaching writing, literature, and physical education classes at Alamance Community College in Graham. I’ve been a runner for many years, and while training for my first marathon, I discovered Pilates and yoga. Yoga and Pilates make me feel strong and confident in my body in a way that nothing else ever has.

Since core strength, posture, flexibility, and alignment are crucially needed not just by runners but by everyone, I took my love of Pilates and yoga to a new level and sought certification. I received my Pilates Mat Certification from NC Pilates in Durham in 2010. After beginning to teach Pilates at Carrboro Yoga Company, and adding more hours to my yoga practice, I enrolled in a RYT Yoga Teacher Training Program at the 200-hour level with Carson Eiferd at Evolve Movement in Raleigh in the spring of 2011. Carson is an inspiring Prana Flow practitioner, and her style has greatly influence the Flow Yoga classes I teach. To continue my yoga journey, I’m currently studying yoga with CYCo.’s owners and beautiful yogis, Sage Rountree and Lies Sapp, in the Carrboro Yoga Company Teacher Training Program which began in the fall of 2011. I’ve also completed a weekend workshop in Teaching Yoga for Athletes with Sage Rountree.

Classes: Pilates, Mondays, 7:30–8:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 6:00–7:00 p.m. Flow Yoga, Thursdays, 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Favorites for Grounding: Drinking tea, walking my dog by the Haw River in Saxapahaw, running, taking a yoga class, sleeping in, and talking with friends and family.

Practice: My Pilates practice incorporates some classical Pilates elements, but it also incorporates fun sequences you might find in a yoga class or a gym core class! My Pilates classes at CYCo. are always light and fun, with upbeat music, moments to laugh, and the freedom to work at your own pace. Because of Pilates, my yoga practice is always core-focused. I enjoy teaching sweat-inducing flow yoga and finding my breath when the asanas challenge me physically. I want students in my classes to experience this same dynamic: moments of fast movement interspersed with challenging holds that create space for breathing and reconnecting to intention.

Intention: My intention as a yoga and Pilates instructor is to help people find a little more peace in their lives. There have been times in my life where my mat was my only refuge from stress, sorrow, or tragedy. I try to create a playful, challenging, healing space for others who come to their mats seeking energy and renewal.

Inspiration: I’m grateful for and inspired by the instructors that I’ve had: Leigh Brown Johnson, Sage Rountree, Carson Eiferd, Lies Sapp, Jeff Cobb, and Kristin Cooper, to name but a few. Other inspirations include my resilient little dog, Scooter, my loving and supportive community of family and friends, my students -- in all of the arenas that I teach!

Favorites for Kicking It: Reading The New Yorker, reading poetry, running a long, hard run or taking a powerful vinyasa flow class, drinking North Carolina craft beer, singing in my car as loud as I can.

Photos by Elaine Claire Bixby

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