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, and offered an introduction to the language of Sanskrit, harmonium instruction, chanting, and the development of a daily prescriptive sadhana.
She closed the physical space of Heart of Yoga School in 2018 to pursue travel and to teach to a wider audience, and 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.
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 at the Telluride Yoga Festival and the Stroud Sacred Music Festival in UK.
Always a student, her study is ongoing under the mentorship of Steven Highburger, Dr. Robert Svoboda, and K. Sridhar. She's currently available for Donation Based Jyotish, Jyotish Tutoring, and Mantra & Harmonium lessons which you can book here. Check out her three kirtan albums here on Spotify, and her original music here.