About
Colleen, ERYT-500, and Blue
Buddha Yoga
I found yoga when my knees were
broken.
I was a collegiate
athlete and was told I could
no longer compete with my knees
the way they were. At the same
time all this was going on,
I was taking a Hinduism class
in 1993 and decided to do a
report on yoga. Being the budding
journalist and to make my report
more real, I decided to have
an "experience" of
yoga to write about.
My first epiphany
about yoga? "I can move
my body without pain! Whoo hoo!"
I started exploring Kripalu
yoga shortly after.
However, it
wasn't until I met Ana Forrest
that I began to appreciate a
deeper relationship and emotional
healing within my yoga practice.
I left a career in journalism
and, through my initial Forrest
Yoga Teacher Training Course
in 2000, discovered that teaching
yoga was my heart path. Forrest
Yoga has been the cornerstone
of healing my depression
and disordered eating. Through
this yoga, various somatic-inspired
therapies, and other healing
modalities, I have met my Spirit
and continue to mine the rich
fields of my emotional experience.
Six months after the initial
training, I became a
certified Forrest Yoga teacher.
I launched Blue Buddha Yoga
while in Chicago to reflect
my interest in bringing yoga
to those who live with depression.
I created a 7-week Yoga for
Depression class series with
companion workbook that I have
presented in Dallas and the
East Bay of San Francisco. Through
this work, I hope to inspire
students to unlock the mysteries
of their depression and view
it as one of their life's greatest
teachers.
I continue to support Forrest
Yoga's Hoop of Healing. I've
completed Forrest Yoga's 10-day
advanced teacher training and
also assist Ana Forrest at her
national and international workshops.
In 2007, I was honored to co-author
the Forrest Yoga Mentorship
Program (FYMP) with fellow senior
teachers. I co-managed that
program and Forrest Yoga Assistant's
Program for three years. I continue
to offer support to the Hoop
of the People as a Forrest Yoga
Guardian - providing continuing
education programs and personal
support to teachers who want
to deepen their own healing
journeys and teaching excellence.
I also teach prenatal, postnatal
and kids yoga. Through independent
research and personal experience
(I have two children) I helped
craft pre- and postnatal teaching
guidelines that I presented
to Chicago's Moksha™ Yoga
center. In 2006, I earned my
Mamaste Yoga™ prenatal
teaching certification and Let's
Play™ Yoga certification,
as well as completing supplemental
study in postnatal yoga through
Samatva Yoga.
Finally, I am developing another
career as a licensed therapist
- I am midway through my master's
program in somatic psychology.
For more details
about my yoga training and experience,
click
here to download my resume.
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