In 1997, Crystal took her first yoga class at an Ashram in Denton, Texas where she studied Kundalini open eye meditation. Growing up as a dancer, she found that the asana practice took her to her roots. After her first yoga retreat where she learned how to use a neti pot and was introduced to head stands, Crystal began a journey that would include many more retreats.
After a trip to Thailand where she studied Thai Massage, Crystal moved to California in 2004, beginning her full time massage therapy practice. It was this intense physical labor that brought her to yoga three times per week for maintenance as a bodyworker. At the end of every yoga class, she felt as if she had just received a massage. She could see how the muscles and bones worked together to create balance. Her love of anatomy as a massage therapy instructor at Everest College gave her the opportunity to marry the world of massage with yoga by teaching her students what she knew from her own practice. While vacationing in Central America, Crystal was invited to teach yoga at La Paz in San Marcos, Guatemala. She then knew it was her next career calling.
In 2009, Crystal found the Cloud Nine Yoga family and dove into the 200 hour teacher training at the Long Beach Branch. Without skipping a beat, she continued her training with Cloud Nine and attended the Bali Bliss Intensive teacher training with the intention of being a teacher trainer herself. Since then, she has been attending every 200 hour teacher training at the Long Beach Branch as an assistant.
Crystal teaches Beginner Yoga in Bellflower, Chakra Yoga in Long Beach, partner yoga workshops, and facilitates ecstatic dance. She takes a hands on approach to teaching and enjoys incorporating healing touch in class.
