Community
Long before I had a studio, I was teaching donation-based yoga in my parents’ backyard and gathering people for classes in the park.
What began simply continued to grow. Eventually, it became United Yoga—a physical studio and community home where we practiced together, led teacher trainings, gathered for workshops, and traveled on retreats. One of my most treasured offerings was Maia Mamas, a Baby & Me community that began in the park and continued to flourish inside the studio. It was never only about yoga. It was about giving mothers somewhere to go where they could be witnessed, supported, and reminded that they did not have to move through that season alone.
Over the years, this work has taken many forms. The studio eventually closed, but the community—and the purpose beneath it—did not disappear. United Yoga continued evolving beyond the walls of a physical space and eventually became United Collective, the nonprofit through which I continue creating accessible opportunities for connection, healing, and belonging. We danced at silent discos, stepped away from our routines for “day-treats,” and found just about any excuse to gather around a shared purpose.
I have come to understand that the form may change, but the heart of the work remains the same.
Community has saved me over and over again.
It has held me through motherhood, loss, change, uncertainty, reinvention, and grief. It has reminded me who I am when I have forgotten. It has shown me that healing is not always something we do privately or independently. So much of our healing happens collectively—when we are witnessed, when we borrow one another’s hope, and when our bodies experience the safety of being with others.
For me, that is what church feels like.
Church is not necessarily a building, institution, or shared set of beliefs. It is the reciprocal witnessing of grief, joy, and everything in between.
It is a place to unburden ourselves of our worries, fears, and resentments—and to share our curiosities, inspirations, and visions. It is somewhere we can co-regulate, reconnect with our bodies, use our voices, and practice belonging without having to mask, perform, or become someone else first.
This page is where you will find the many ways I continue to create those opportunities—whether through one of my personal offerings or through the work of United Collective.
The offerings may continue to change shape, just as they always have. But the invitation remains:
Come as you are. Gather with intention. Be witnessed and witness others. Remember that none of us is meant to do this alone.
