Yoga Teacher ❖ Writer ❖ Artist
Hi there! I’m Victoria — or Vic for short!
I'm a queer yoga teacher (E-RYT 200-hr, Functional Ashtanga-500 hr, Rocket 100-hr), iPEC certified professional coach (CPC), and writer with a background in environmental and biological research, and psychology.
I provide inclusive wellness services and private yoga sessions which incorporate modern scientific research alongside ancient indigenous mindfulness practices and philosophies.
Yoga changed my life by helping me to develop a loving, reciprocal relationship with my body and I’m passionate about helping others to discover the benefits of this powerful practice. I am honored to support others in the Ashtanga Mysore room, led classes, and private sessions.
Every body and mind is unique, so the yogic journey looks different for everyone. My teaching style is based in the structure of the traditional ashtanga yoga system as it’s taught in Mysore India, but remains adaptable to accommodate diverse needs and lifestyles. I am passionate about making ashtanga yoga accessible and helping every student to develop a practice that is nourishing for them.
My approach is human first, trauma-informed, anti-colonial, and considers the nuances of diverse lived experiences. I’m here to support you in finding a supportive practice that works for you!
Interested in private yoga instruction? Click the button below to schedule a chat with me!
Read more about me below:
Vic’s passion for diverse movement styles began as a child. Despite being an excessively clumsy kid and breaking her arm three times before learning how to properly fall, she excelled in mixed martial arts and horseback riding at an early age. These activities provided her with an emotional escape and a somatic outlet to process the difficulties of growing up in a home severely impacted by addiction and mental illness. In college, Vic worked as an outdoor program instructor and led various adventure trips in the Blue Ridge Mountains including backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, and caving. While completing dual bachelor's degrees in biology and psychology at Sweet Briar College, she discovered that yoga helped her find relief from chronic anxiety and complex-PTSD symptoms due to childhood trauma and neurodiverse characteristics (sensory processing sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, etc.)
Consistently practicing asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathwork) calmed her hyperactive mind, significantly improved her ability to regulate her emotions, and taught her distress tolerance and nervous system regulation skills. Driven by a strong sense of justice, Victoria worked as an HIV Research Coordinator at an LGBTQ+ non-profit after college. Meanwhile, she earned her 200-hour Power Vinyasa certification from master teacher Mimi Rieger and began teaching yoga in Washington, D.C. in 2018.
In 2020 Victoria earned her CPC (certified professional coach) from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching to enhance her ability to work with private clients on a deeper level. By integrating coaching principles into her 1:1 yoga sessions, she helps students clarify their goals, develop self-awareness, and overcome obstacles that extend beyond the mat. Her coaching background allows her to tailor sessions with greater precision and support sustainable habit formation which makes her private instruction partnerships truly transformative experiences. That same year, she left her job in research to devote herself to teaching yoga full-time.
Vic completed her 500-hour Functional Ashtanga Yoga Training with her yoga mentor, level 2 authorized Ashtanga teacher Michael Joel Hall in 2021. FAY applies the scientific principles of functional range conditioning alongside the traditional Ashtanga yoga system. In 2022 she completed her Rocket Vinyasa level 1 (100-hr) with David Kyle, and later that year she traveled to Sharath Yoga Center in Mysore, India to study asana, philosophy, and Sanskrit with world-renowned teacher Sharath Jois.
As a dedicated practitioner, former medical researcher, and multi-passionate movement enthusiast Vic appreciates the benefits of both a scientifically-informed, systematic approach to movement, as well as exploratory movement that facilitates proprioceptive learning and a creative flow state. She helps people cultivate physical strength, functional mobility, self-compassion, and a nourishing relationship with their bodies.
In 2022 Victoria took a two year-long sabbatical from her life in Washington D.C. to travel and practice with various yoga teachers abroad. During that time, she also began working remotely as a freelance writer and content creator. Vic's extensive travels in India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Puerto Rico immersed her in a variety of cultures and led her to confront the stark parallels of injustice around the world. She become acutely aware of the interconnected nature of liberation and the critical need for a shift towards community values and mutual aid in the West. As a result, Vic strives to combat unjust systems by speaking out against inequality and the far-reaching effects of over-consumption, raising money for grassroots organizations, and encouraging others to take radical compassion-centered action. Victoria believes that the purpose of yoga is freedom from suffering and that our liberation is interconnected—no one is truly free until we all are. As we heal and grow, it becomes our responsibility to uplift and support others. As Toni Morrison said "The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
Vic considers herself a lifelong student of yoga and remains devoted to studying and sharing the practice that has so deeply impacted her life with anyone who seeks to learn in perpetuity.
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