A Wellness Studio Born from a Love for Life

Like many veterans, I wasn’t exactly rushing to try yoga when my mom suggested it. My world was all about lifting weights, outdoor adventures, and walking off any aches and pains. But that all changed after a snowboarding accident left me with severe damage to my arm and wrist. Post-recovery, my wrist mobility was so bad I couldn’t even play basketball without nerve pain shooting through me. Facing the possibility of surgery, I gave in—reluctantly—and stepped onto a yoga mat for the first time.

Those first few years were humbling. I struggled with poses, barely understood the terminology, and often wondered if I was doing anything right. But as life took me across the country, selling yoga mats at festivals, I met an incredible mix of instructors who showed me different pieces of the puzzle. It wasn’t one big breakthrough moment—it was those collective experiences that slowly built my practice and planted the seed for what would eventually become Phoenix Rising.

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"The most important instrument you’ll ever learn to play is your body, but it’s one only you can teach yourself to play."

When the pandemic hit, I found myself at a crossroads. I was just starting out as a yoga instructor and running a small retail space selling mats. My friend Valerie and I began holding donation-based yoga classes in the back of the shop, just to bring people together during a tough time. To our surprise, those classes took off. Suddenly, I had to make a decision: follow my dream of moving abroad or stay and build something for the growing community right in front of me.

I chose to stay.

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Building Phoenix Rising during the pandemic was a wild leap into the unknown. With everything around us shutting down, we poured every ounce of passion, sweat, and creativity into transforming the space. I think I lived on naps and caffeine for about 73 hours straight as we worked to make it happen. When we finally opened our doors, seeing people practicing yoga on the floor I had just laid down, surrounded by artwork and the energy of something brand-new—it was nothing short of magic.

Back then, we had just two yoga rooms and a lot of heart. As a veteran-turned-yogi, I wanted to bring something unique to the community: not just yoga, but adventure, exploration, and a commitment to helping people move better so they could live better.

We introduced our Healthy Aging™ classes for seniors, designed to support strength, balance, and mobility as they navigate the later years of life. I tapped into my network from festivals to bring in unique offerings you won’t find anywhere else in Rhode Island. We now offer more classes than any other studio in the area, including AIReal Yoga—aerial yoga I brought here after training with its founder, Carmen Curtis. Our Yoga Teacher Training program is also the only one in the region to include Aerial Yoga certification.

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Cycling was another important addition to the studio, offering the perfect complement to yoga for the adventurers in our community. Whether you’re hiking a volcano in Guatemala or exploring the outdoors closer to home, the strength, agility, and balance you build here help you thrive beyond the studio walls.