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 before opening Heart of Yoga School in Carrboro, NC in 2010. Allison created an 800 hour YTT program dedicated to the foundational texts of yoga, and offered a deep dive into the language of Sanskrit, harmonium instruction, chanting, and the development of a daily prescriptive sadhana. Allison closed the physical space in 2018 to pursue travel and to teach to a wider audience. 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.
While building her online school, Allison remains eager to connect with communities in person through workshops, residencies, and festivals. In recent years she's presented at the Telluride Yoga Festival and the Stroud Sacred Music Festival in UK. Do reach out if you have an idea of how she might be instrumental in the growth of Vedic wisdom within your community or upcoming event.
Allison has travelled extensively in India the past five years, spending about 3 months a year there deepening her understanding of Indian culture and how it can better inform the way we approach our yogic practices in the modern western world. In non-pandemic times she leads tours and retreats in India and Bali, allowing her students to experience first hand how these ancient philosophies and practices can be infused into our daily life.
Always a student, her study is ongoing under the mentorship of K. Sridhar (Indian music), Steven Highburger (Vedic Astrology), Sabitha Madhav (Indian dance), and Dr. Robert Svoboda (Tantra). She is currently available for private instruction on harmonium as well as Vedic Astrology sessions. Check out her three kirtan albums here on Spotify, and her original music here.