My Evolving Path: From Yoga Teacher to Conscious Creator

From the moment I first stepped onto a mat, yoga wasn’t just a physical workout; it was an inner pilgrimage. This profound journey into my body and mind led me to become a yoga teacher in 2009. But the practice I knew back then has grown and changed so much, shaped by the world around me and the new tools I’ve discovered. It’s no longer confined to a studio—it’s now a living, breathing part of my daily life.

The Wisdom of the Wild

For me, stepping outside to practice yoga—especially near the ocean—is a completely transformative experience. The sound of waves sets the rhythm for my breathing, the vast sky expands my awareness, and the feeling of sand under my feet offers a connection to the Earth that a mat just can’t duplicate. Nature has taught me that true yoga is about connection to everything around us, not just to our own bodies.

The ocean has become my greatest teacher. Its endless, rhythmic waves mirror the natural cycles of my body and mind. And the constantly shifting sands of the beach remind me that nothing is permanent—every pose, every thought, every emotion is temporary and fluid. Practicing under the open sky feels like a personal conversation with the universe. I’m pulled into the present moment, shedding distractions and allowing my practice to become truly profound.

Unlocking a New Kind of Awareness

In 2013, I was introduced to something that completely changed my view of my body and my yoga practice: Access Consciousness. Initially, I was curious but a little skeptical. But as I explored its tools and questions, I began to see some incredible shifts.

Yoga had given me a strong framework, but Access Consciousness taught me how to release that structure when it wasn’t serving me. It offered me questions instead of rigid answers and helped me become more aware without any strict rules. Suddenly, my practice wasn’t about hitting the right poses or following traditions; it became about listening to what my body truly wanted in the moment. This felt like adding a burst of color to a black-and-white drawing, making everything more vibrant and full of possibility. I began asking my body, “What movement would feel good today? What nourishment would serve me? What if I chose ease and joy over discipline?” These questions have transformed my approach to both yoga and life.

Integrating New Tools with the Access.me App

The Access.me app has been a fantastic recent addition to my journey. It offers resources and classes focused on the body and consciousness, and I began listening to them before and after my yoga sessions. I noticed my body feeling lighter and more spacious, as if it had been given permission to just be.

What I love about the app is its ability to bridge the gap between mindful practice and everyday life. The classes on our relationship with our bodies reinforced the core tenets of yoga: being present with what I eat, how I breathe, and how I move. It was as if yoga provided the foundation, and Access Consciousness, through the app, offered me the blueprints to redesign my life in a way that felt truly comfortable and authentic. Instead of seeing my practice as separate from my daily routine, I began to see it all as one continuous, mindful journey.

Embracing My Body as a Partner

As I adopted these new tools, my relationship with my body fundamentally changed. For years, Itreated my body like a project to be improved or trained. But I’ve since realized that my body is so much more than that. What if it’s not a project, but a partner with its own wisdom to share? I now start my practice by simply checking in and asking my body, “What do you want to do today?” Some days it’s a powerful flow, other days it’s gentle stretching, and sometimes it just wants to lie on the grass and rest. This shift from imposing my will to collaborating with my body
has filled my practice with more ease, joy, and presence.

The Tapestry of Awareness

It’s amazing how naturally yoga, nature, and consciousness have woven together. Practicing outside grounds me in my connection to the Earth. Yoga deepens my awareness of my breath and my surroundings. Access Consciousness gives me the tools to release judgment and explore new possibilities.

Together, they create a practice that is about being, not just doing. It’s about being fully present in every moment, whether I’m on my mat, preparing a meal, or simply sitting in quiet contemplation. I’ve learned that consciousness isn’t something separate from life—it’s the very essence of it.

This journey has transformed my yoga into a living conversation with life itself. The waves teach me. The trees offer their wisdom. My body shares its secrets. And every single tool, from ancient teachings to modern apps, becomes part of this beautiful, ongoing dance of discovery.

Being Present with the Journey and Engaging with Others

This incredible journey has also changed how I interact with others. I’ve started sharing my experiences, not as a teacher with all the answers, but as a fellow traveler on this path. My yoga classes have shifted. They’re less about a perfect sequence and more about inviting students to listen to their own bodies and ask themselves, “What else is possible here?” I encourage them to find their own rhythm, just like the waves on the shore, and to release the pressure to perform. This approach has opened up a beautiful dialogue in the classroom, where we can all explore and learn from each other.

I’ve found that my connection to nature has also deepened my ability to engage with people. When I teach outside, there’s an unspoken sense of community. We’re all breathing the same air and feeling the same sun, and it reminds us that we’re all part of the same collective consciousness. These moments of shared presence are so powerful. My practice has gone from being a solitary pursuit to a way of building bridges—between myself and others, and between all of us and the world around us. It’s a truly humbling experience. This expansion of my practice has been the biggest gift of all.