About Me
I am a Reiki Practitioner (Master Teacher/Level III), Adaptive Yoga Instructor, and Licensed Massage Therapist in the Chicago area whose journey in life is to help people feel better.
I come from Mexican immigrants and therapies such as massage, cupping and natural medicine are a very common healing practice in my parent's homeland. Walking on my dad's back after a particular hard day at work, and giving my family shoulder rubs were normal activities for me. Even as a child, I loved making people feel better. Becoming a massage therapist seemed like the natural transition for me, and it was in massage therapy school that I first heard the word Reiki, and learned that I had a natural healing energy. I graduated from Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 2005, received my Pre & Peri-Natal Massage certification in 2007, and have over 10 years of corporate chair massage experience. I was attuned in 2008 for Level I and Level II Reiki, and Energy Work finally made sense. The incredible healing that I have witnessed in my clients keeps astounding me to this day. I am truly honored to be able to bring this healing modality to my clients and assist in their well-bring. In October 2014 I was attuned to Reiki Master Teacher/Level III and will soon have workshops for those who are called to become Reiki Practitioners themselves.
I come from Mexican immigrants and therapies such as massage, cupping and natural medicine are a very common healing practice in my parent's homeland. Walking on my dad's back after a particular hard day at work, and giving my family shoulder rubs were normal activities for me. Even as a child, I loved making people feel better. Becoming a massage therapist seemed like the natural transition for me, and it was in massage therapy school that I first heard the word Reiki, and learned that I had a natural healing energy. I graduated from Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 2005, received my Pre & Peri-Natal Massage certification in 2007, and have over 10 years of corporate chair massage experience. I was attuned in 2008 for Level I and Level II Reiki, and Energy Work finally made sense. The incredible healing that I have witnessed in my clients keeps astounding me to this day. I am truly honored to be able to bring this healing modality to my clients and assist in their well-bring. In October 2014 I was attuned to Reiki Master Teacher/Level III and will soon have workshops for those who are called to become Reiki Practitioners themselves.
My yoga journey began in my late teens/early twenties, at home via home videos... remember those?! (haha) Yoga wasn't as accessible then, as it is today... and to be honest I may not have had the confidence to walk into a yoga studio as a plus size person. Eventually though, I did make my way into public yoga classes, and slowly discovered just how much more powerful yoga could be, but more importantly how powerful it made me feel! In 2007 I remember thinking that I wanted to be a Plus Size Yoga Teacher; that the plus size community would feel more comfortable attending classes lead by someone with their body type. We were definitely not being represented, and yet my friends and I loved doing yoga. Not only because of the physical benefits, but the amazing peace of mind yoga gave us. I put my yoga teacher dream on the back burner, and worked on people as a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner for the next few years. Fast forward to 2013, Ganesha Yoga opens up near me, and I meet the owners, Mindy Hanzlik and Jane Musgrave. Their philosophy? Adaptive Yoga - making yoga accessible to everyone in every body. Yep, they even have Plus Size Yoga classes! They not only re-inspired me, but Jane and Mindy also molded me into an Adaptive Yoga Teacher in the Fall of 2015.
