My teaching style is down to earth, open-hearted and creative. I have a master’s degree in science education, professional studies in both Nonviolent Communication and Mindfulness, over 25 years’ experience teaching teens and adults in subjects ranging from biology and chemistry to natural childbirth to sustainable forestry. I am a graduate of the Yoga Conservatory Teacher Training Program, from which I acquired my 200hr yoga teacher training certificate.

When I’m not teaching, I’m reading, painting, knitting, picking bouquets of flowers, swimming, or walking our beloved Wrigley with my husband Jerry. I work hard every single day to practice the skills of self-compassion, conscious stillness, living authentically and creatively, all of which I teach in class and on the mat.

All I need to do each day is to practice coming home to myself. And the most direct path to finding my truth, to finding me, is to pay attention, to practice stillness, to listen. Yoga helps me pay attention. Yoga helps me listen; it brings me inside my body, inside my breath, it brings me home to myself. Yoga has helped me grow my roots and find my strong back which allows me to lead with a soft open heart.

My yoga journey began in 2002; when I stepped onto the mat for the first time, I found calm and peace in the midst of mothering three young children. As my physical practice evolved, I found an increasing ability toward presence and stillness, which provided me comfort, inspiration, and a path to my inner wisdom.

It is my intention to create a space for others to experience the same inner peace and innate wisdom. I believe yoga is for everyone—students of all levels, shapes, sizes, and flexibility are welcome in my classes.

In 2016, I designed and began teaching a 6-week course, The Gifts of Authenticity and in 2020, in response to the global pandemic, I designed and launched Coming Home & Staying Home. Teaching these workshops have provided me an opportunity to slow down, to listen, to pay attention to my life, and to become more of myself—it is my intention that my teachings offer others much of the same.

About Deanna