Vulgar Yogi

Somewhere in California 🌾

I sat next to a woman visiting from Vancouver yesterday named Kelly, probably around 70 or so, at this cute little breakfast spot I love to go to in the hills with bar style seating. We started chatting as complete strangers over breakfast.

She shared a few things I genuinely needed to hear—things I already knew, but sometimes we need to hear them again. She told me that nothing is more important than time. She was traveling by herself and said she no longer feels sorry for herself. Instead, she embraces every moment of life.

As I got up to leave, she smiled at me and said, “Talking to you was the highlight of my day.”

It really hit me.

It’s funny how sometimes the people who cross your path for just a few minutes end up leaving an impact.

Reasons why I am single

1. I don’t settle for what doesn’t feel right.
2. I want real connection, not surfaced bs I read through it
3. I love simple things flowers, thoughtfulness, check ins.
4. I give my all, and I need that back.
5. I stay open, but I notice balance.
6. Consistency/reassurance matter to me.
7. If the energy’s off, I step back.
8. I want old school romance
9. I’ve rebuilt my life. I choose from wholeness, not need.
10. I’m dont mess with potential bc I know what real love feels like.

I became a teacher because yoga saved my life. Not in the cheesy way people say it. I genuinely fell in love with my teachers. Platonically, ofc.

They helped me through so much pain, and I looked at them with hearts in my eyes 😍. I remember thinking, “I want to be that person for someone else someday.”

Then I turned it into a career.

The deeper I got into the yoga world, the more I felt like I had to constantly prove myself. More certifications. More accomplishments. More credentials. No matter what I did, it never felt like enough. So I kept going.

I got certified in Bikram, taught my first class, started competing regionally 🖕🏻, created and designed my own format, Vulgar Pilates, built my vision from the ground up, got my trademark, became the first to legally offer Elevated Yoga at The Artist Tree, competed internationally placing 5th and later 9th in the world finals, taught classes with 200+ people, watched students wear my brand, did SH2K at 14,000 feet, walked red carpets as Vulgar Yogi® twice, and taught at 30+ studios across the country and around the world.

But I realize none of that is my biggest accomplishment.

My biggest accomplishment is impact the students who healed, stayed, grew, and then went on to help other people heal too.

Yoga was also one of the places where I felt the most judged and bullied, which is ironic. That judgment became fuel. It pushed me to stop trying to fit into what everyone else claimed yoga was supposed to be and start building my own lane.

Vulgar Yogi® was never actually a brand. It was survival. It was armor/persona that kept me safe. I was never really meant to fit in.

At the end of the day, I’m most proud that I became the teacher I needed when I first walked into that room in West Philly. After years of getting knocked down and building under someone else’s business, giving every inch of myself and still being told I wasn’t enough I collapsed on the anniversary of my father’s passing.

I can’t do it under another company. It has to be my own.

It’s been a decade now and not a day goes by where I don’t think about you

Standing firm in your beliefs comes with a price. You’ll be misunderstood, criticized, challenged, and sometimes even betrayed. People will question your motives, your vision, and your worth. But the most difficult hurdle isn’t proving yourself to them it’s refusing to give up on yourself.

Them: “Your name is actually Vulgar… ?” **very confused sometimes even dirty looks**

Me: Yes.

becomethebrand