about Heather
Born and raised in Northern California, Heather spent her childhood immersed in a unique community, where nature, creativity, art, and personal sovereignty were emphasized. Moving to NYC, she completed a bachelors at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University in 2004, where she also discovered yoga and meditation. Heather began teaching yoga in 2003 at Jivamukti Yoga School, while still at NYU.
After 15 years living and teaching in NYC, and 8 years in LA,
Heather now resides back in her hometown, Bolinas, California.
In 2019, Heather began her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
She completed coursework in 2022, and is currently working towards licensure as a doctoral candidate and psychological associate (PSB 94027314) at Thrive SLO under the supervision of Dr. Hannah Roberts (PSY27352).
She can be contacted HERE for telehealth therapy sessions.
She is currently accepting new patients who are looking for a relational approach to long term talk therapy (minimum once a week sessions), founded in psychodynamic psychoanalytic principles.
This approach underscores the importance of a dialogue between therapist and patient, rather than simply coming to therapy and talking without any feedback.
It is through the therapeutic relationship that relational blindspots are revealed, giving opportunity for new insights and relational patterns to develop. If our suffering comes from our relationships to others and ourselves, then it is only through relationship that it can be healed.
During this interactive process, Heather will support you through grief, shame, anxiety, insecurity, fear, sadness and even the difficulties that come with joy. Heather may also weave in her extensive knowledge of meditation and spiritual philosophy to the therapeutic experience, depending on each individual’s needs.
Heather has been teaching yoga since 2003 and has a thorough background studying a variety of methods, meditation techniques and spiritual philosophy.
She began teaching yoga after completing the Jivamukti Teacher Training with Sharon Gannon and David Life while finishing her bachelors at Tisch School of the Arts, at New York University. In 2008, she completed the 800-hour Advanced Certification with Jivamukti.
In 2009, she has added a more Iyengar based approach to yoga based on her studies with Colleen Saidman and Rodney Yee at the Yoga Shanti 300-hour teacher training in 2010, which she later assisted as a mentor, and taught as a lead teacher.
In 2012, she co-founded Yoga For Bad People with Katelin Sisson, a company focused on leading retreats worldwide.
She was recognized by Yoga Journal as one of the 50 innovators changing the game of the wellness industry, and held their cover for the January/February 2017 issue.
Heather has trained numerous teachers at Pure Yoga, The Shala, Yoga Vida, Love Yoga and Yoga Shanti as a mentor, and has been a contributing member of their respective teacher training programs. From 2012-2015, she revised the 200 hour Yoga Vida Teacher Training and Mentorship Curriculum, as well as developed the 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training Program for Yoga Vida while acting as Yoga Director. She continues to advise and contribute to curriculum in various studios.
She is registered with Yoga Alliance as a 500 hour E-RYT.
CLASS APPROACH
Her classes integrate alignment based vinyasa sequences with meditation, chanting, good music and spiritual philosophy. She is known for her sincerity, sweetness, humor, enthusiasm and ability to have fun.
She is also a senior teacher of The Class developed by Taryn Toomey and occasionally incorporates aspects of The Class into her yoga classes.