Meet Erika
Movement Enthusiast | Aquarius | Aspiring Morning Person
I don’t remember the name of my first Pilates teacher, and I haven’t been able to track her down. But decades later, I realize that her teachings fundamentally changed how I live and how I carry myself every day.
At the time, I was pursuing an English Literature degree at UC San Diego, and I signed up for a mat Pilates class to help me recover from a spine injury. I hoped it would support my rehabilitation, but I quickly discovered it offered much more.
In my first class, the teacher told us that she would speak continuously, offering cue after cue to guide our attention. Looking back, I now understand that this was my first experience with a form of mindfulness practice. I became acutely aware of my body, my breath, and the most subtle sensations of each movement—something I’d never experienced before.
Pilates didn’t just help me heal physically; it taught me how to be deeply present with myself—how to listen, how to breathe, and how to fully inhabit my body.
My Journey
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the human condition—by what it truly takes to feel fulfilled, happy, and at peace in this life. Through movement and breath, I’ve discovered that many of the answers I was seeking were always within me, and I could access them in moments of presence and connection to my body.
For over a decade, I’ve dedicated myself to a journey of teaching and exploring many practices from Pilates and yoga to breathwork, meditation, Ayurveda, qigong, and somatic therapy. I’ve had the privilege of studying with remarkable teachers across the globe, and these practices have become a true passion of mine. I am always learning and seeking new knowledge to integrate into my work, and I’ve completed over 1000 hours of training in different disciplines (see certifications below),
The more I learn, the more I keep coming back to my primary intention for teaching, inspired by that first Pilates class. If I can help others cultivate more presence, confidence, and ease in their lives through intentional movement and breath, then I feel very lucky to be doing this work!
Certifications and Specializations
Pilates
500 hr Comprehensive Pilates (Pilates V, CA)
Mat Pilates (Power Pilates, CA)
Prenatal & Postnatal Pilates (BASI Pilates, Amsterdam)
Pilates for Scoliosis (BASI Pilates, Amsterdam)
Pilates on Tour® Certificate Courses (Balanced Body, CA)
Yoga
RYT 200 hr Hatha & Vinyasa Yoga (Shades of Yoga, Bali)
RYT 50 hr Yin Yoga (The Fat Yogis, Amsterdam)
RYT 10 hr Yoga Nidra (Delight Yoga, Netherlands)
Trauma Sensitive Yoga (Spirit Rock, CA)
Prison Yoga Training (Delight Yoga, Netherlands)
Yogi Facilitator Training Level 1 (Delight Yoga, Netherlands)
Meditation & Mindfulness
2 yr MBSR Teacher Certificate Program (Brown University, RI)
16 wk Mindfulness Mentorship Certification (Cloud Sangha, Online)
RYT 100 hr Meditation Teacher Training (Sarvaguna Yoga, India)
50 hr Mindfulness in Education (Esalen Institute, CA)
Hip & SI Joint CE Training (Movement Logic®, Online)
History of Yoga Course (Dr. Sean Feit Oakes, Online)
Bhagavad Gita Course (The Practice Yoga Bali, Online)
ACI 16: The Great Ideas of Buddhism (Three Jewels NYC, Online)
8 week MBSR Intensive Training (Brown University Mindfulness Center, Online)
10 day Vipassana Course (Dhamma Thali, India)