Hi, I’m Laura– my pronouns are she and her. It’s great to meet you! I was never an athletic or coordinated kid. I loved to read and climb trees, but my attempts to play organized sports (few and sad though they were) left me feeling confused and uncoordinated. What seemed to be natural and effortless for others just didn’t come easy for me at all. I figured movement just wasn’t something that I was made to do.
That seemed okay to me, because my personality has always been introverted, sensitive, and a little bit outside the box. This also meant that I have a predisposition toward codependency, anxiety and depression. By the time I was 18, I’d been hospitalized for suicidal tendencies and was an expert on the pharmacopeia of anti-depressants. For the next 10 years, I tried all kinds of therapy and medication, but mostly, I was resigned to be the kind of person who would just always be unhappy.
It’s not exaggerating at all to tell you that movement changed my life.
When I left my first yoga class, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of well-being and hope. Learning to experience life inside my body after being so completely disconnected from it gave me a new way of feeling and dealing with my mental and emotional experience. Yoga led to meditation, which has given me the tools and capacity to handle the ups and downs of life. Becoming overzealous in my yoga practice led me to find other modalities to balance, strengthen and stabilize the mobility that comes naturally to me (and which made coordination a real challenge as a kid).
Today, I am a very athletic and coordinated adult, and even more importantly, I am a happy human being. I love to leverage my body’s strength and mobility to move in all kinds of ways. I’ve learned to use my innate resources– mental, physical, and emotional– to cope with the challenges that arise in all areas of my life.
I understand now that there was never anything wrong with me, but that I needed the right person to hold space for me so I could learn and grow at my own pace. As a coach, my focus is on creating an equitable relationship with each individual so they can reclaim their own sense of dignity, power, and wellbeing. I am in awe of the human body and psyche, and the ways in which we adapt through challenge. It feels like a tremendous privilege when someone chooses to work with me.
A little bit about my training:
I’m an E-RYT500 and CPT (NASM). I’ve completed the Primary Courses of Postural Restoration as well as Impingement & Instability and Cervical Revolution. I’m also a Functional Range Conditioning mobility specialist (FRCMs) and Assessment Specialist (FRAs); a Curvy Yoga teacher and a member of The Breathe Network. I’m certified as a level 1 kettlebell coach through Kettlebell Kings, and I’m also a level 1 Stick Mobility Coach.
In addition to being both a graduate of and teaching assistant for Jane Clapp’s Movement For Trauma program, I have completed extensive training in trauma-informed movement, and to be able to design practices that are affirming, welcoming and accessible for a greater variety of bodies, minds and nervous systems.
I offer resources to handle life’s challenges, while recognizing that individual practices can only go so far within cultural systems that are inherently harmful for many.
I am indebted to Ilya Parker of Decolonizing Fitness for the work they’re doing to replace toxic fitness culture. As a white, cis-gendered, upper middle-class, able-bodied woman of small size, I continue to examine the ways in which I have benefited from white supremacist culture and to dismantle systems of oppression within myself. Black, Indigenous and People of Color, trans and non-binary folks, queer people, and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by barriers to healthcare and wellness services due to systemic and institutionalized systems. A portion of my income goes to support the work of marginalized voices in the wellness world. I also offer sliding-scale pricing for BIPOC and LGBTQ2S, those living with disabilities, and those with lower income.
I am an avid student of post-Jungian psychology and Jungian Somatics (under the tutelage of my mentor, Jane Clapp). and I practice Tibetan Buddhism under my teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche; both of these form a foundation for all of my work. I love cooking and baking, reading (especially sci-fi and fantasy novels), spending time with my dogs, and getting outdoors as often as I can!
I write online about yoga, movement, meditation and life.
rave reviews
Laura is a wonderful, knowledgeable and experienced teacher. She has worked to address my weaknesses and enhance my strengths in a way that strikes a careful balance between movement and strengthening technique so as not to cause damage or injury. I believe yoga has changed my life.
ron, private client
After every session I feel nourished! I have a lot of trauma in my body. I have high anxiety levels. I’ve got various injuries and health challenges with my body that stop me at times from being able to work, exercise or walk even. Laura helps me find a way through and find strength, hope, ease and peace.
sabira, private client
You always surprise me with your knowledge and attention to the issues I’m working with, all the while making exercise playful and fun …not at all the routine I’m used to. I leave our time together feeling stronger and more grounded than when I arrived. This feeling stays with me for days.
missy, private client