Cole’s passion is to support everyday people as they safely and playfully step into their own confidence and connect deeply with themselves. Her method of choice — yoga.

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: 

• 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.

• Janet Stone and her continued reminder for each of us to come home to our hearts.

• Rod Stryker and his depth of practice.

• 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. 

• 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.

acknowledgments

I invite each of us to pause and honor this land in which we gather to reflect and learn. This land is the occupied ancestral homelands of the Hinóno'éí (Arapaho) and Tsitsistas (Cheyenne) nations, the Nuciu (Ute) and many other Indigenous nations, colonized as Denver, Colorado.

We pay our respects to the elders, past, present, and future, from these nations and express gratitude for their custodianship of this land. We acknowledge the painful history of colonization, forced removal, and dishonorable treaties that have impacted Indigenous communities across this region.

As a white cisgender queer English-speaking woman, I strive acknowledge the privilege I hold, and to create a space that appreciates and uplifts the diverse voices and experiences of all participants, including those who identify as Indigenous. By practicing mindfulness, compassion, and inclusivity, we endeavor to create an atmosphere that respects the interconnectedness of all beings and acknowledges the intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous communities.

I also want to pause and remember the practice of Yoga and its origins. The wisdom of Yoga comes from a culture outside of the one in which I was born. Its roots come from both India and Africa. As I offer, I endeavor to do so with the utmost respect for the practices I share and the teachers that have come before me.

Through our yoga practice, may we enhance our understanding of the world and contribute to a more just and equitable community.

With humility,

Cole