Allison’s yoga journey began after a back injury as a performer in the off-broadway show De La Guarda. Unable to move around at a young age, she took to the philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for comfort and perspective. Recovery took several years, and allowed for her eventual asana practice to be rooted in and emphasized by India’s wisdom systems.
A student since 2001, and a graduate of The Body Therapy Institute, Allison completed well over 1000 hours of formalized yoga teacher trainings (Sivananda, Jivamukti, Krishnamacharya) before opening Heart of Yoga School in Carrboro, NC in 2010. She has a BFA in Musical Theater from East Carolina University.
Allison designed an 800 hour Yoga Teacher Training program dedicated to the foundational texts of yoga. It was affectionately known as the teacher training to do if you "want the philosophy". Allison's trainings offered textual study, introduction to the language of Sanskrit, harmonium instruction, chanting, and the development of a daily prescriptive sadhana.
As an event organizer, she focused on bringing people together at Heart of Yoga School to enjoy her favorite teachers and artists; K. Sridhar, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Gannon, Edwin Bryant, Prem Sadasivananda, and more. There was also a weekly kirtan for many years. Check out her three kirtan albums here on Spotify. Her original music can be found here.
Allison chose a mostly nomadic lifestyle back in 2016, and has travelled nationally and internationally as a solo woman and with groups. She's led tours and retreats in India and Bali, which has allowed her students to experience first hand how these ancient philosophies and practices can be infused into our daily life. In recent years she's presented with the Telluride Yoga Festival, Grand Valley Yoga Fest, and the Stroud Sacred Music Festival in UK.
Allison closed her brick and mortar School in 2018 so that she could travel as a teacher, meet the wider community, and simultaneously focus her attention on being a dedicated student of Jyotish, Tantra, and Indian music. She now offers these Vedic teachings on an online platform which allows for the cultivation of community, healing, and mentorship to a broader student population. You can check out her Vedic online courses here.
From 2020 until the summer of 2022 Allison worked diligently at recording and compiling a variety of Vedic teachings into an online library of courses on subjects like Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Jyotish, Nakshatra Mythology, Sanskrit, Indian Music, Yoga, Bhakti, The Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam, and more. These courses will now be offered as additional support for her upcoming containers, and will live evergreen for the students who attended live.
Now Allison is excited and eager to use her 20+ year experience with Vedic wisdoms to work in dedicated ways with sincere spiritual practitioners. Allison's signature courses Voice of the Heart and An Ocean of Sound are the best way to get the most out of working with Allison both individually and in a group, however she does offer limited number of private sessions, sign up for the newsletter to hear more. Her ongoing astrology update Follow the Moon is a great way to stay connected as well. Visit the Heart of Yoga School course menu here.
