What do you remember the first time you took a yoga class?

The first yoga class I took was at San Diego State University. As a lifelong surfer I’ve always chased that feeling of fluid single-pointed focus and the sense of freedom that follows. In that class I realized Yoga is a slower version of surfing and that I could recreate and refine the sensations of surfing through Yoga. Over the years I’ve started to understand that these two activities can elicit the same spiritual response.

Did you have a favorite Yoga instructor when you were a practicing yoga student? How did that instructor help you in your yoga practice?

The Tao says that when the student is ready, the Master appears. Bradlee Frierott saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and helped me transition from boyhood to manhood. The first time I took his class I was blown away at his ability to articulate the how and why of the practice and the accountability that he held me to. After that first class he said “You know kid, you’re pretty flexible but you’re also pretty weak, you want to dance in the fire don’t you? Why don’t you come back tomorrow and we can work on some things.” He taught me how to engage the totality of my being and use the Bandhas to cultivate strength, dexterity, and openness. I studied intensely with him for 4 years and still keep in touch. I’m honored to be his student and the godfather of his children. Nowadays my favorite Yoga teachers are my wife and son who inspire me to love with complete abandon and teach me how to be the very best version of myself.

What led you to pursue yoga teacher training?

Teaching has been a natural part of my life and I’ve always had a passion to share my interests with others. I’ve had the fortune to study with many great teachers both formal and informal and I continue to evolve my understanding and application of Yoga. My first formal training was December 2011 in Nepal. I saw an advertisement for a yoga retreat while studying abroad in Singapore of a man standing on a tiger skin in tree pose. I thought it was the coolest picture and traveled through India and Nepal where I studied with him for a month. When I came back to San Diego, I graduated college and feeling a little bit lost, I went to Mosaic Yoga and enrolled in their 200hr teacher training under Ryan Glidden, Ryan Krupa, and Melissa Love. I also graduated level II Reiki at Mosaic Yoga and helped them open a sister studio in Charlottesville, Virginia. I studied with Michael Flynn, Jano Galindo, and Ashley Disharoon at the Chula Vista Yoga Center and finally spent years with Bradlee Frierott at Jade Dragon Yoga Shala. I was part of Bradlee’s only teacher training and went on to run his studio while he was moving to Washington. Bradlee introduced me to Brian Lacer and I spent 3 years learning Chinese Medical Massage and meditation from him. During this formative period in my learning I took multiple trips to Bali, Peru, and Tibet to further my understanding and appreciation of the Ancient Arts. These days I’m inspired by Shandor Remete of Shadow Yoga and Andre Lappa of Universal Yoga.

Define Yoga in your terms?

Yoga is the action of effortless effort. Fluid, open, spontaneous attention to all there is. Yoga transforms the extra-ordinary into extraordinary so that something as mundane as breathing becomes joyful and exhilarating.

If a person is brand new to yoga, what advice would you give that person?

Why Yoga? There’s a chance for you to refine your senses and wipe away the accumulated crust of life to live with more clarity, honesty, and integrity. Truth turns to genuine and lasting kindness for yourself and others. How do you know that you know? Let’s find out!

We all have superpowers when we are doing what we love…what is your yoga superpower?

Courage and Curiosity are hard to come by these days. I think I’ve done a pretty good job about practicing both these things. Courage helps us love unconditionally and curiosity keeps us open to all the wonders of life.

At Coastal Pilates and Yoga we are incorporating the healing modalities of heat, sound and colored light (chromotherapy) into our practice of chromoyoga. Tell me about your first experience in the room, what surprised you or stuck with you after that first session?

I love how white the space is and the white light at the beginning of practice. As soon as you walk in it feels like your body is being scrubbed clean by the light.

Chromotherapy (color light therapy) is a healing modality that can improve the health of the body and mind. Explain how you weave color therapy into your yoga sessions.

I use the chakra colors and a guide for chromotherapy. Chromotherapy can help demystify the chakra system and make them more tangible.

Often the color we are most attracted to is the color we need. Do you have a color that you just seem to release into when doing chromo yoga?

I really love the yellow light. It’s bright, refreshing, and energizing.

Do you have a favorite pose while in that color?

Tadasana. Mountain Pose. Where we learn to stand up for ourselves and others. Once tadasana is mastered, all other poses open.

What can a student expect when they join you for a yoga class here at Coastal Pilates and Yoga?

Yoga that is clear, natural, and engaged.

Tell me what you do when you are not teaching yoga?

I teach science at the Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center. When I’m not at work I spend my time at the beach or on the boat with my family. We try to make every day a little adventure and I love watching my son explore the world. I try to challenge myself physically everyday and surf as much as possible. I make it a point to jump in the ocean at least 3 times a week no matter the month or weather.