tinyKirsty
About Me
I began my fitness journey at a young age with gymnastics, followed by a few years of competitive cheerleading up to age 15/16. Towards the end of high school, I felt a shift and fell out of love with fitness in general. I no longer craved workouts or team sports like I used to, and instead turned inwards. I began working at a gym by my home in North Carolina and developed a passion for fitness but in a different way.
It wasn't until about two years later, in 2016, that I discovered my passion for yoga through, funny enough, Instagram. I started with the yoga challenge "#yogaeverydamnday," and I stuck to it. Over a year of consistent home practice later, in April 2017, I took an intensive 200-hour teacher training with the Yandara Yoga Institute in Hawaii. Following my training, I co-created the HIIT to INVERT eBook, an inversion-based HIIT training guide (no longer for sale).
I have taught classes and workshops in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, and Oregon and was lucky enough to host a week-long yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia, in 2019. In 2021 I completed a Mindfulness certification and now incorporate that into classes. With a longing for more education, in 2022, after the birth of my child, I completed a Prenatal Yoga Certification. Currently, I have devoted my time to teaching clients 1:1 online. My passion and well-rounded knowledge of movement inspire my alignment-based teaching style.
My top priority is my commitment to making everyone feel comfortable and safe on their mat. In classes, workshops, and retreats, you can expect challenging, alignment-based movements to help expand and broaden your knowledge of physical postures and connect and tune in to your best self.
Wellness Journey
Personal
I grew up in upstate New York with my loving parents and two sisters; most of my youth, I genuinely don't remember. I was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD and have been told 'stories' of myself as an angry child.. but fast forward a few years at the age of 9, my dad's job relocation sent us to south Charlotte, NC. When I was younger, you could find me behind my house at the creek with my friends collecting tadpoles and lizards and visiting the horse farms. Animals have always been a massive part of my life. Fast forward a couple more years, after graduating high school, doing some college classes, and discovering more of who I am, I split with my long-term boyfriend. Finding yoga helped me through my breakup, which led me to find my soulmate. I fell in love with and married one of my high school friends, Morgan, in April 2018. After four moves with the Military and after my husband's separation, we now reside in North Carolina. We have two fur babies, Smokey and Benny, who I love to pieces, and we welcomed our first baby boy into the world in February 2022.
In late 2021, after I learned I was newly expecting, I had sudden onsets of migraines, sickness, temperature fluctuations, basically everything. After attempts were made at home, I ended up going to the hospital and receiving IV fluids and was sent home shortly after. Not even two days later, I was back at the hospital, this time ultimately crashing. I told my mom and husband in the hospital that night, " I don't want to die tonight. I need a head scan. Something is wrong." Finally, after days of not eating, throwing up around the clock, getting so dizzy, and going in and out of consciousness, I was rushed to another hospital after an MRI, which revealed I had a brain tumor in the "balance center" in the right backside of my brain. Three days later, I "woke up" and was told I had emergency brain surgery, and after a quick ultrasound, the baby boy inside me was okay. After a few follow-up appointments, it was confirmed that the tumor was taken out and was non-cancerous. Crazy, I know. Fast forward to February 2022, I have since delivered my healthy baby boy, my benign tumor is all gone, and it's *almost* as if it never happened.
On a happier note, I am a homebody, which naturally gives me a secondary passion for plants. (or maybe I'm just obsessed). We currently house over 25+ indoor plants and a big outdoor garden plot that we tend each summer. We love to cook, or I love when my husband cooks for me, lol, and we especially love it when we get to incorporate our home-grown food.
I have a lot of goals in life, but my goal for this website, my Instagram, etc., is to inspire others to be happy and confident exactly where they are in life and their yoga practice. Thanks for reading!
Frequently Asked Questions
When did you start your yoga practice?
I started yoga in January 2016 as a New Years resolution and never stopped! I fell in love with the physical and mental aspects that yoga brought into my life.
What is your favorite pose and why?
My favorite Asana is Handstand because I love the physical challenge of being upside down and the many opportunities to grow and progress. Mentally, it helps me clear my head and stay in the moment.
"I'm not flexible, can I do yoga?"
YEEEESSSS! That's what yoga is for. Second thing; Consistent practice is everything when it comes to flexibility.
"I am new to yoga, where do I start?"
Start by checking out your local classes in a studio or try looking at online platforms. I offer personalized 1:1 yoga privates for clients worldwide and am currently accepting new clients. Please check my tab under "yoga privates and courses" for more information or to contact me.
How do I grow my Instagram?
There is no trick. just be yourself, post what comes from your heart and do not have the intention of "growing" just BE YOU! However, there are little things you can do like posting often, engaging with people who spark your interest and creating quality content -- i.e. photos or videos with good lighting.