Meet Amy
I grew up dancing at age 5 and have been fortunate to make a career out of it. After experiencing life as a dancer in New York City and learning more about determination, hope, struggle, and community than I ever thought I would, the transition to yoga seemed natural to me. Stepping onto my mat and out of the constant, electrifying buzz that is city life, gave me the opportunity to simply slow down. Yoga taught me how to breathe, how to really listen to my body and how to find more compassion for myself and for others.
What opened my eyes to a new form of strength was my certification through The Prenatal Yoga Center. I learned just how strong women are. Our bodies are designed to create life and birth can be positive! I was inspired and determined to share this positivity with my students. Having experienced two home births and one hospital birth, I've witnessed the power of trusting my body. I learned that there is a strength within us that is revealed during pregnancy, then birth, then motherhood.
"Living with an attitude of gratitude."
As a mom of four, life is crazy, but I find gratitude every day. Even through the sleepless nights, the days where everyone is crying, the moments where I feel like I'm treading water, I take a deep breath, check in and find something to feel grateful for. Because as difficult as this mom gig is, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Exercise and movement are a non-negotiable part of my self care practice. I not only feel better physically, but the mental and emotional benefits from exercise keep this mama happy. I have more energy and patience to deal with the circus that is our home when I make the time for even a little bit of exercise each day. Throughout my journey, I've learned to find the utmost gratitude for my body as it changed during pregnancy and continues to change postpartum. This acceptance of change is not always easy, but lessening our grip on expectations trusting in our path allows us to enjoy the journey more.
I am exercising balance, one breath at at time.
YOGA CREDITS:
- Sonic Yoga – Center for Yoga Studies; 200 hour certification
- Prenatal Yoga Center; 60 hour certification
- Both schools are based in NYC, my second home
- Guiding, empowering and inspiring women on their prenatal journey since 2008 and pospartum journey since 2008
DANCE CREDITS:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Dance Performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA: I love this city that loves you right back…
- Radio City Rockette: 3 seasons of holiday kicking, and the honor of being a part of this legacy…
- "42nd St." Broadway Cast: A dream come true. And yes, I can tap dance on stairs…
- "Spamalot" First National Tour: I may have peed my tights laughing so hard while performing this show…
- "Barnum" Regional Production: Where I learned to fly…
MOM/LIFE CREDITS
- Wesley, Clara, George and Rory's mama: where I laugh, love, learn, struggle, smile, cry, doubt myself, find confidence, and see the magic of the world in a new way
- Acceptance: what I'm still working on as my journey unfolds. With the physical changes from pregnancy to postpartum, I continue to work on this mantra of acceptance for this new shape. With my self care practices, I have found renewed strength, peace and acceptance. In this season of my life, I may have less freedom than I did before I had children, but the love shared and received is imcomparable to any other experience. I wouldn't change a single thing.
- Gratitude: finding these moments daily, in the small things. Kids are great at this. You'll quickly remember how fun it is to be grateful for spaghetti, a cozy blanket, or the bright yellow dandelions covering the yard.
- Stepping outside of my comfort zone: If we "stay safe" our whole lives, we'll miss out on discovering how to fall, and then fly. You might fall a few more times in between, but it is not in vain. The path is not a straight line. Open your eyes, heart and arms wide open then take that leap! Sometimes throwing yourself off balance is how you find balance. I never thought I'd run more than 5 minutes straight. Now, I enjoy challenging myself with new races, each year. This video and website project is a huge leap of faith. I'm still scared, but I know the path is leading me in the right direction… Thanks for being here for it!
- Patience: I am very much a work in progress with this one! But, I work on it, I breathe, I try again. The reminders that I give as I teach my classes are also for myself to hear. Teaching yoga brings me back to balance. It helps me to not take life too seriously and find more patience. Who needs to really stress about their child dumping the ingredients on the floor when you're in the midst of baking a healthy snack?! I shift my perspective, because life is messy, right?
