Meet Your Teacher
My Qualifications
Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise (2018)
200 Hr Certified Yoga Teacher: Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga + Ayurvedic Massage, Bend It Like Buddha Yoga School (2020)
20 Hr Continuing Education Course with Alexandria Crow: Yoga Physics Deconstruct to Reconstruct (anatomical studies) (2022)
20 Hr Continuing Education Course with Maha Shanti Yoga: Functional Anatomy and Physiology Applications for Yoga Teaching and Practice (2023)
3,000+ yoga and fitness teaching hours
Practicing yoga for 13+ years
Coached gymnastics for 6 years
Competitive gymnast for 10+ years
Many years of working with people of all ages in a education/learning setting. I love to teach!
I grew up in coastal South Carolina going to the beach, annoying my older brother, and playing outside! While I never got a tan, I got a lot of bug bites and made amazing memories in the wealth of nature and with the community our town provided. I studied Animal Science at Clemson University, later realizing vet school was not for me (ew blood and guts), and realized that I love to teach! I should've known, I had been babysitting, coaching, and working with people my whole life.
I have a long history with the sport of artistic gymnastics. I was a two-time State Champion, four-time Regionalist, and one time US National medalist. I began recreational gymnastics at the age of seven and was competing by age 10. I competed in the state of South Carolina for a total of 10 years under the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic organization. Following a career of 10,000+ hours as an athlete and coach, I needed a new outlet for movement, stress relief, and challenge - enter yoga and group fitness.
At first, I viewed yoga as my new sport. I saw it as a competition with myself (and often others) to improve my physical postures. But as time passed and my practice deepened, I discovered that it is so much more than that. For me, yoga is a way in which I can introspect, process, strengthen my body, mind, and breath, and connect with others. After years of focusing on the physical, my heart and mind discovered the bountiful benefits of yoga, too.
I have been practicing yoga for over a decade and have been teaching for more than five years. Once I discovered how expansive and unique yoga was, I knew that I wanted to teach and share its many benefits with as many humans as possible. I love other styles of exercise and group fitness, too! I believe that variety is the spice of life. I am a certified Personal Trainer and have my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga, along with a variety of continuing education credits and interest in human anatomy and how it relates to yoga, nutrition, and whole-person wellness.
My goal is to help you reduce stress, build physical strength, learn to be present, find a clear headspace, and discover that there is Joy in Movement, especially when we do it together.
Once upon a time Erin did gymnastics...
There was a time back in the early years where I tried other sports... I danced for many years, played t-ball, and tested soccer, but all that ended up in me wanting to flip upside down constantly, dropping into the splits in the middle of the grocery store, and doing cartwheels instead of being a good goalie.
I started with recreational gymnastics and then began competitive gymnastics when I was nine years old -- I never looked back. While of course I didn't have all good days, my parents always encouraged me to keep doing it if I loved it, and most importantly, "To never quit on a bad day." While I dealt with a couple injuries over the years, battled with our good friend Fear, and peeled skin off my hands the size of nickels, I wouldn't change a thing.
I finally hit the breaks when I was 20 years old, but not until after having a ton of fun, building incredible strength, proprioception, and self-discipline that would carry over into everything I do, and winning a few medals along the way! Over the course of my competitive years I progressed to level 9 (out of 10).
Some accomplishments from the Good Ol Days:
- Level 7 State Champion
- Level 9 State Champion
- Regional and National Competitions Participant, 2007-2011
- Bronze Medalist on Uneven Bars at Level 9 US Nationals, 2010
My life built around gymnastics lead to physical and mental strength, tenacity, perseverance, gratitude, courage, and most importantly, the best family and friendships one could ask for. I also coached the sport for five years helping to instill my love of teaching, learning, and sharing.
For a low-quality video of me wiping out, click below!
South Carolina ---> Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
I now live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a picturesque, alpine town in southern Germany. I began working in Garmsich through an early-childhood development internship, then I got a job conducting after-school activities and summer camps for elementary aged children. I now work multiple jobs (per usual) and continue to strive to make yoga, fitness, and gymnastics lessons my top priority. I dream of a day where I may run my own yoga studio (or be a part of one, as GAP doesn't have one), travel the world to teach and host yoga retreats, and share my love of movement to positively impact as many lives as possible.
Handstands Around the World!
Once a gymnast, always a gymnast.
I love to connect with my community!
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