We believe knowledge is power; through education and expert instruction our students build the awareness needed to make meaningful change both on and off the mat.  

We are sensitive to those with injuries or who haven’t moved for some time.  With personalized attention and small class sizes, we embody the benefits of a yoga practice that takes the shape of the individual.  Our classes help students feel confident and strong again.  

We share your story.  We are you.   Our teachers represent the clientele we seek to serve.  Spine & knee surgeries, hip replacements, autoimmune, anxiety, and depression just to name a few.  Life happens, but through it all yoga; in all it’s many facets; helped us.  That is why it is so important for us to provide a safe space for to explore and observe body & mind without worrying about getting hurt, doing something wrong, or worrying that you will make a fool out of yourself.  

We recognize that we all have good days and bad days.  Our moods and feelings change with the weather…quite literally.  That is why we have a variety of classes to meet the needs of the ever-changing landscape of the body and mind.   One-week movement feels great and the next week all you want to do is stretch and melt onto the floor.  We got you.  Each experience has its own merit and everything can be tailored to meet your needs.  

Our goal is to provide a warm, welcoming space to go offline so that you can focus on YOU.  Whether you are healing physically or emotionally; we all meet in the middle and work our way in or out from there.  

Align Yoga & Strength is a place to feel at home so that you can let go and get back to YOU.  

Align with yourself again; body, mind, and soul.  

How we can help you

BEHIND ALIGN YOGA & STRENGTH

FOUNDER & TEACHER: ALLISON

Thank you for stopping by and checking us out.  

We all have a story.  

You know that bookmark in our lives that we can clearly see the before XYZ and after XYZ.  For some it’s disease, divorce, injury, and others it’s a stage of life that has given us the motivation and desire to make meaningful change.  I have many bookmarks as I am sure you do as well.

The thing is this, my life has been crafted by the things that I have endured, experienced, and learned from.  BUT I am not my injuries, I am not a victim of the circumstances of my life; and neither are you! We can all use what we have learned about ourselves to write a new story.  We can change the tape that incessantly runs through our minds to find peace and joy in a new way. I am proof of that!  

Here is my story:

 Before I became a yoga teacher in 2011, I suffered from debilitating back pain and consequently had surgery for a herniated disk.  The fear I experienced after surgery was just as palpable as the pain itself. This lead me to where I am today, teaching yoga and helping people with injuries get back to being comfortable in both body and mind.  I am an anatomy and biomechanics nerd because of how much I love learning about the why and the how of the body.

I may not know all the answers to your questions and you may need a different service that I can provide - I can only promise that I will be honest with you about what I can offer you.    

I am a lover of life.  A mom to a wonderful young lady.  A wife and pet owner. Like you I wear many hats.   So many that I sometimes forget WHO I AM. But then I come to my mat and I breathe.  I move my body and I breathe some more. And I remember and I connect.

I have been a fitness enthusiast from a young age, as a child, I watched Gerardo and Richard Simons for fun. So when I got a job as the Business Manager of a gym on the top floor of World Trade Center 3, I was in my glory!  Well, we all know what happened there. It took about 4 months for PTSD to really hit me. The anxiety was awful and I began being treated for both anxiety and depression. I sought solace in a local fitness studio and began practicing yoga with an amazing teacher.  I learned so much and really got to experience the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that come from a consistent practice. I was hooked.

Then I got married, got a corporate job...family and work took center stage.  

In 2009 a herniated disk left me side-lined and unable to walk.  At only 31 I was diagnosed with advanced Degenerative Disk Disease and was told I had the spine of a 70-year-old.  Talk about a wake-up call! After surgery, I realized I had to change in a big way – my perspective, the way I moved, held my body, and how I led my life.  My practice took on new meaning with a focus on alignment and form to create stability while increasing flexibility and strength throughout the body and mind.

Right before returning to work, I got laid off.  (Such a blessing!!) I decided going back to sitting for 8 hours a day was not going to be good for my spine and I needed a new path.  But I felt lost. I was so full of FEAR and ANXIETY. My body had betrayed me and I was scared of feeling that pain again. I found alignment based yoga and not too long after I signed up for Yoga Teacher Training.  I graduated from teacher training in March and wanted to begin teaching ASAP! Yoga by the Bay in Keyport began as a free class so that I could practice my craft. It has been such a pleasure to teach this community class along the Raritan Bay for the last 7 years!  The wonderful people I have met and befriended is something I am forever grateful for.

I received a 200 & 300-hour certification from Yoga works of NYC (2011 & 2013 respectively).  I am a Yoga Tune Up Certified instructor as well as Restorative Yoga, Kids/Teen Yoga, Yin, and Prenatal Yoga.  I love helping students create home practices for maintenance of both body and mind and offer private and public classes.   

Currently, I am pursuing an Advanced 300 Hr Yoga Psychology certification w/ Yoga.Psyche.Soul.  and Human Movement Specialist Certification.