Purpose and Mission

I have always been raised with what is considered one of the first eight limbs of yoga, Yama. One of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path, Yama, deals with one’s ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This “Golden Rule” became a core value of mine as I grew. However, it wouldn’t be until my college path that everything would begin to unravel my life’s purpose.
 

My journey into the other paths of Patanjali and mind-body-spirit wellness began at Kent State University. I was introduced to yoga (Vinyasa) and Tai Chi while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in classical studies. Amidst my busy schedule in academics, I experienced firsthand how they fostered not only physical strength and flexibility but also emotional balance and mental focus. It would be many years later that I would fully grasp the transformative properties of these practices. The yoga philosophy, with its emphasis on self-awareness and acceptance, came to me when I needed it most. It was a turning point that helped me manage stress and changed my perspective on life, leading me to explore holistic wellness practices more deeply.
 

During my undergraduate program, I discovered a deep-seated passion for helping others reach their highest potential. This realization led me to the field of education. While pursuing my Master’s degree in Secondary Education and School Counseling, I continued my yoga practice for physical strength and flexibility. Tai Chi evolved into Tae Kwan Do, enhancing my focus on strength. My joy and fulfillment in helping others achieve their goals fueled my journey.
 

After college, life took me in a different direction as I got married, started a family, and focused on advancing my educational career. During that time, my once cherished practices of yoga and karate began to fade into the background. Balancing the demands of family life and professional development left little room for personal wellness, and I didn’t even realize what I lost until many years later. In fact, my first experience with Reiki came at that period of my life. My mind and body were closed off to that practice, almost as if my chakras and meridians, bodily energetic pathways, were closed to uplifting energy. It was a challenging time, and I struggled to find a balance.

Then, my path was self-corrected and in a destructive way. I can hypothesize that I had ingrained myself so much in the external world that all that destruction was necessary. Or perhaps that is my wishful thinking. Although physically, I had achieved a goal I had been working on for years; my external world started to fall apart. My teaching position was cut due to budget concerns, and I was going through a divorce. Then, the pandemic hit, and everything closed down. It was in this whirlwind of uncertainty that yoga returned to me. I enrolled in a virtual 200-hour yoga teaching program, and once places opened back up, I began guiding Gentle Yoga at LifeCenter Plus.
 

Even though I would obtain a part-time Latin teaching position in a neighboring private school in the following years and be welcomed back to Kent State University as an adjunct instructor, I delved deeper into the Yoga path. It was by accident that Shine Education and Retreat Center found me. I enrolled in a 500-hour yoga-teaching program to renew my license at the yoga studio I was practicing with. They were partnered with Shine. The yoga studio focused on the physical practice, and Shine, with its spiritual focus, was exactly what I needed. Shine reignited my eightfold path, and it was everything I needed. I regained the sense of strength, balance, and clarity these practices brought me. I realized how much I had lost touch with a part of myself that yoga had once nurtured so profoundly. These practices were grounding and transformative, providing me with a sense of inner calm and clarity. Exploring both movements and philosophies sparked a lifelong passion for helping, educating, healing, and overall holistic wellness, allowing me to dive deeper into other modalities such as meditation, Reiki, and energy healing.