My yoga journey began in 1997. It was just what I needed in my young adulthood to ground my body and infuse my life with the mysticism I so eagerly sought.
During my first pregnancy in 2001, I practiced prenatal yoga regularly with a very nurturing teacher and a welcoming community. I was young, scared, and looking for connection.
Thankfully, this class helped me source my strength and grow my trust in both my body and my baby. Little did I know that this journey with birth would become my life’s work.
After a traumatic delivery, I studied birth with Whapio Diane Bartlett of The Matrona and became a holistic doula to help women have empowered births. At the same time, I worked in my local health department as a Perinatal Health Educator.
After doula training, I had the honor to continue my studies with Whapio through a nine-month Wise Woman Apprenticeship.
Eventually, I became a Registered Nurse and worked in Labor/Delivery and Postpartum/Nursery. It was a dream come true to be able to care for so many women and families.
All the while, I taught bellydance classes (which still very much influences the way I move and teach).
After the birth of my second child, I quit my nursing job to stay home with my children. This was a difficult decision, but my second birth was a very healing experience for me.
I felt like perhaps my dharmic work with birth was complete. However, I continued my search for mysticism and women’s empowerment through a powerful apprenticeship with ALisa Starkweather called Priestess Path.
This two-year women’s mystery school was a challenging and beautiful initiation into holding space for women in all stages of life and I am forever grateful for this experience.
I took my first 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2019 and began teaching right away. Things were going great and then everything shut down due to the pandemic.
I was fortunate enough to be able to use this time to further my yogic studies online and plunged into a deep dive with Sianna Sherman and Greta Hill of Rasa Yoga. I am honored to now be a Certified Rasa Yoga teacher and an RYT-500.
In 2021, during the last few months of Rasa training, I found out I was pregnant with my third child. It was then I realized my dance with birth was not over.
Through Divine Grace, I found Ma Yoga and this wonderfully supportive community. I completed prenatal yoga certification during my pregnancy and am now a Certified Ma Yoga Instructor.
I love connecting to the elements and embodying them through our practice. Jessica is such a nurturing teacher and I am so grateful to be part of this special collective.
The world has changed and now we can connect through the Cyber Shakti (aptly named by my teacher Sreedevi Bringi) and create genuine connections with people all over the world.
I have experienced the power of a worldwide community simply sitting in my home. It has been a lifeline for me, especially during these intense and isolating postpartum months.
Now I am happy and honored to be able to hold transformative space for you. I believe in the power of yoga and the power of community to strengthen our vessels and create a sense of belonging.
You are not alone. We are stronger together. I look forward to joining you on the mat to make some magic.
For more info about me, visit angelaburgessyoga.com.
