When emotions filled me as a young girl, I descended into our basement where I lived outside Buffalo, NY. There, I danced out my feelings for hours and hours. This practice led dancing to become a major part of my life – whether that was in the theatre, at University, or at the clubs. This was when I felt most alive. At age 16, I began teaching dance to girls aged 7-18. I fell in love with inspiring others to liberate themselves through movement. Shortly after, I became a Reebok fitness instructor. Again, I loved motivating others through the medium of movement. When I moved to Los Angeles at age 24 I stumbled upon yoga. I popped into a 4pm class called First Series, taught by a woman named Maty. I somehow managed to get through this intense class by watching those around me. After class Maty told me, “You’re very good, but you must come every day.”
With practice, I soon became conscious that I was on this eight-limbed path called Yoga all the while, I just didn’t know it as such before. Yoga brought more clarity and truth to the path as well as to my consciousness. Soon I began to teach. My physical abilities helped my physical practice, and I quickly became a successful yoga instructor. I was in love with yoga. I was in love with life. I was whole. But it wasn’t until I lost my practice that I understood the full meaning of Yoga.
I was a victim of domestic violence, and I was left with a broken wrist. For an Ashtanga practitioner, this was devastating. But my eyes were opened wider than my handstands used to see. I think of the quote by Kahil Gibran to describe this period of my life: “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” I learned that domestic violence was not uncommon, and that it could happen to anyone. I do not believe that anyone has the right to hurt another being (Ahimsa), and the only way to process my loss was to do everything in my power to not let this happen to anyone else. My charity of choice is VIP, Violence Intervention Program in downtown Los Angeles – helping battered women and children get a fresh start in life.
I launched my clothing line, AZIAM, over a year ago. It started as a signature line intended for Sri K. Patabhi Jois. When Guruji became ill, the project was set to the side, and AZIAM Active Wear took its own course. I am grateful that my clothing line was inspired by and for Guruji, whom I am honored to have practiced with while he was alive, both in Mysore, India, and in Kali-fornia. My connection with The Y Catalog has been a continuance of Yoga in every way; the owners are real, present and they live Yoga. My experience with them has helped forge my passion for seva and also, let’s be honest, to expand my wardrobe! My role as teacher and ambassador of Yoga is to continue to inspire the personal Self-realization of everyone I meet, whether that is live, through print, clothing, web, grid, cosmos, or universal consciousness. My message is simple: Be You.
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