Your movement practice should spark joy and a deeper connection to yourself.

I understand how hard it can be to navigate uncertainty and lack self-confidence when nothing in your body feels like it once did. It’s too easy to fall into a pattern of seeking quick fixes rather than committing to the long game to get stronger and move better.

I’m an enthusiastic yoga teacher turned movement educator. Nothing excites me more than helping women over 40 discover an empowering functional approach to strengthening and a pain-free movement practice that sparks joy. 

After years of teaching yoga, I almost gave it up altogether. My body felt overstretched and understrengthened, and I had persistent aches and pains. My movement practice then consisted of long-distance running, hours of yoga, and tending to my family's needs.

There was little time to fit in the exercise diversity my body was craving. As a result, I tore the muscles in my hamstrings running and was unable to run or do yoga for months. Walking was uncomfortable and painful. I continued teaching but wondered how many of my students might eventually experience the same fate, and the last thing I wanted was for their yoga practice to cause them harm.

During the following months, I dove into rehab. As I considered the future of my yoga practice, I researched anatomy and biomechanics to understand better how to strengthen the muscles and joints of the body. I also studied somatic practices to understand better the nervous system’s role in pain and injury and how to relearn movement patterns.

It became crystal clear to me that the yoga world needed a bridge between yoga practice and what our bodies need for our long-term fitness.

At the same time, I was moving through the perimenopause/menopause journey. Motivating messages or helpful science-backed advice about navigating my body's hormonal changes during this season of my life were few and far between. Everything considered “normal” made it sound like an active, movement-oriented life was doomed.

Misleading messages about how women should view their bodies at midlife drowned out the positive ones.

I decided to rebel against the idea that a changing body in midlife meant our only option was to quit doing what we love.

As part of that rebellion, I practiced many other movement modalities, including strength training, pilates, and somatics, and I continued to weave these modalities into my teaching. As I grew stronger, my pain started to decrease, and I felt more empowered, resilient, and strong than I had in years.

As your teacher, I will use all of this knowledge and experience to be an ally on your strength journey. We’ll creatively explore power and resilience through your lens rather than through a rigid reflection of strict alignment cues. 

I’ll offer you the tools that will bring home to your body. I’ll push you to be curious, ask questions, and find your voice again.

We’ll find an approach to moving and feeling better that works with YOUR  lifestyle. 

Here’s how I can help you find a movement practice that fits you and your lifestyle

Kind Words

  • Having the opportunity to have Suzanne guide me through a fantastic yoga workout twice a week has been one of the silver linings of these trying times! I live in Northern California, yet somehow managed to avoid becoming "a yoga person" for years. Suzanne has transformed me into someone who now plans her day around making it to my mat. For my devotion, I've gained flexibility and strength at a time when I need them most. Suzanne shares her wealth of knowledge about the body and how to open tt up to the movement, in a fun and supportive way, while challenging us along the way. Added bonus, I found my core again! Thank you, Suzanne!

  • She has an authentic yogic sensibility, bringing an aura of peace and wellbeing to all of her classes. Suzanne emphasizes finding ways to master new skills while preventing injury. I have studied with Suzanne for years and am impressed how her own practice continues to both evolve and deepen; and I appreciate how she brings these new ideas to her students. If you seek a flow yoga practice that is both physically challenging and spiritually rewarding, Suzanne will be your favorite teacher.

  • As a 50-something, fairly serious runner and swimmer, I began to recognize that my normal exercise routine was not as easy as it used to be. I've now worked with Suzanne for several years, and she's helped restore my flexibility, range of motion, and general physical fitness, thereby adding enjoyment (and years) to my running and swimming. I highly recommend Suzanne for private sessions.

  • She is a mentor, a friend, and an outstanding teacher who showed me the challenge, the humility, the strength, and the spirituality that is essential to a well-rounded practice. My students can thank her for reigning me in, enlightening me, and gently guiding my whirling mind to understand what yoga is truly all about and how the journey never ends.