Yoga can empower individuals physically, mentally, and emotionally. And with some curiosity and openness, it can have lasting benefits that run deep.
She teaches a variety of forms of yoga including flow, yin and restorative, which are infused with yoga philosophy, life reflections, breathwork, and mindfulness.
As a constant student herself, she is right there with you on this crazy journey called life using the tools she’s been given along the way. The personal awareness she experienced in her own practice has helped her navigate times of discomfort and cultivate a deep sense of ease within herself. She hopes to create an accessible space for others to do the same.
She continues to deepen her studies within yoga, to honor the roots of this ancient practice, and integrate them within the context of the current environment. She leaves space to be wrong, and for new information to widen her understanding of yoga.
As she shares the knowledge she has gained, she hopes to honor the long line of teachers from whom she has directly learned (and unlearned), as well as all of the teachers and ancestors who paved the path before her. Among her greatest influences as a teacher are:
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The Samarya Center and its guiding voice, Molly Lannon Kenny, and their focus on supporting the individual in each yoga practice and the grounding principle that each person is already whole.
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Janet Stone and her continued reminder for each of us to come home to our hearts.
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Rod Stryker and his depth of practice.
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The amazing yoga teachers and movements that she has had an opportunity to learn from that are driven to make the practice of yoga accessible to all bodies and to search for self and collective liberation.
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Most profoundly the strength and vulnerability she witnesses as students grow in their own practice.
While her classes are not always named “trauma-informed,” this aspect is woven within each class she offers. This is one way in which she hopes to support students — through yoga that is aware of trauma and how it might interact with a student, show up on the mat, and how to make the yoga space safer.
When working with an organization for the end of violence against women, she regularly witnessed the disconnect that women experiencing physical abuse sometimes have from their bodies. This inspired her to then study with trauma-informed teachers such as Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Dr. Gabor Maté, Peter Levine, Dr. Janine D'Anniballe, Hala Khouri, and Nancy Candea.
In addition to teaching regularly in the Denver area, Cole is also the Program Director for Comeback Yoga, bringing trauma-informed yoga to the military community, and was the co-founder of a trauma-sensitive yoga program called Buffalo + Sparrow Yoga Collective. She has been practicing for over half her life, teaching for nearly 15 years, and training about yoga for nearly a decade.
This life is messy but also full of joy! Among her joys outside of the practice of yoga are laughing with friends and loved ones, dancing until the wee hours, traveling, cooking, pie making, being outside as often as she can, and finding ways to live more eco-friendly. Oh, and chocolate with peanut butter.