Dr. Bret Peterson, MD
Allison is a scholar, practitioner, teacher, and advisor with over two decades of experience in Vedic and embodied wisdoms. Drawing from a rich background in the performing arts with a BFA in Musical Theater, she brings a unique flair as a storyteller and counselor, coupled with a down to earth warmth that defines her overall approach.
Her transformative journey into yoga and Vedic practices was sparked by a debilitating back injury from her time as a performer in the NYC Off-Broadway show De La Guarda. Immobile and seeking solace in her mid 20’s, Allison turned to the yoga philosophy in Patāñjali’s Yoga Sutras, embarking on a path of recovery. That laid the foundation for her life to be infused with the wisdom of India’s ancient traditions.
After graduating from The Body Therapy Institute, Allison undertook extensive formal yoga training in lineaged programs associated with Swami Sivananda and Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Subsequently she established Heart of Yoga School in Carrboro, NC.
She curated an 800 hour Yoga Teacher Training program, overseeing the development and facilitation of 19 distinct teacher training cohorts before gracefully retiring her programs and closing her physical school in 2019. Heart of Yoga School stood out for its ability to foster a sense of community, where people engaged in collective journeys of self exploration while embracing the practice of unconditional positive regard towards one another.
In her 10 years running a yoga school she led weekly kirtan, organized a week long Classical Indian Music Festival, and organized events for luminaries such as K. Sridhar, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Gannon, Edwin Bryant, Prem Sadasivananda, and other revered figures.
Allison chose a mostly nomadic lifestyle in 2016, embarking on journeys both domestically and abroad. She's led cultural tours and retreats in India and Bali, and in recent years she has presented with the Telluride Yoga Festival, Grand Valley Yoga Fest, the Stroud Sacred Music Festival in the UK, and Vaidyagrama Ayurvedic Village in South India. Most recently Allison has served as the Vedic Counselor at Sohum Mountain Healing Resort in Asheville, NC.
Allison believes that all beings need a connection to their spiritual compass in order to feel the belonging and comfort they seek. That connection can come about in a myriad of ways from meditation to dancing to gardening to singing. Allison's main aim as a counselor and teacher is to help people find creative ways to feel their feelings and allow their manas, emotional mind, to align around the safety and solace that lives in the heart and breath. We are self illuminating, but unfortunately often clouded by doubt, confusion, and unhealed trauma. The discipline of having a daily practice that is specific to your unique manas can work wonders for mental and emotional health allowing your light to shine despite external circumstances.