A New Chapter

A letter to my community.

Dear Community,

I arrived at this practice as a kid with my dad, trying to figure out this weird new hobby my mom was into. I wasn't all that interested back then—I didn't like how sweaty I got, how challenging it was, or how uncomfortable it made me feel. It wasn't until I was a freshman in college that I found yoga again, this time on my own, in glorious San Francisco. As many of us know, it's hard to live in San Francisco without stumbling into a yoga studio—especially back then, when there was one, if not two, on every corner.

During college, I felt lost in a sense, unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that working with people brought me joy, that I loved to communicate, and that I wanted to help others. Both of my parents were entrepreneurs and business owners, so paving my own path was in my blood. I wanted to do something creative and independent, something that required accountability. At the time, I worked for lululemon (heyo!), and they paid for our fitness classes (best perk ever). So one day, in the midst of a daze of not knowing who I was or who I wanted to be, I stumbled into a yoga class—a Level 2/3 power vinyasa class with Dana Damara at Yoga Tree Castro. I'd never taken a vinyasa class before, and I knew nobody.

Sixty minutes went by, and at the end, I thought, “That was weird. I have no idea what just happened… but I liked it.” I went back the next day, and the day after that, and soon enough, I had completely reorganized my work schedule to prioritize yoga every single day, somehow fitting it all in between classes.

I became absolutely obsessed. Over time, I began discovering different teachers and studios: Jason Bowman, Les Leventhal, Janet Stone, Julie Locke at Yoga Tree. I found Urban Flow and fell in love with Rusty Wells and Jason Crandell. And one day, I wandered into a class Stephanie Snyder was subbing for Rusty. I had no expectations except to sweat, but when she began to speak, it was like someone had lit a match in a dark cave. Stephanie illuminated the path for me in a way no one else had, and from that moment, I've followed her footsteps.

Stephanie and her team opened Love Story Yoga in San Francisco on January 9, 2017. I worked at the front desk, alongside Laurel, Anisha, Doug, and of course, our beloved Bruno. At the time, I wasn't teaching yet, but every day I became more obsessed with the practice. I watched these teachers I admired walk in and out of the studio, guiding classes and building community. They sang, sweat, and created sequences that left people feeling strong, expansive, flexible, and empowered. And I knew—I needed to do that. I completed my first teacher training at Love Story on September 30, 2017, and it's been full speed ahead ever since.

Since then, I've studied thousands of hours there, assisted trainings, led trainings, taught countless classes, assisted countless students, cried, laughed, grieved, celebrated, gained courage, been humbled, built friendships, navigated loss, and repaired damage.

It's hard to type this, but my time at Love Story has come to an end.

“Gratitude” feels too small a word. “Appreciation” doesn't do it justice. “Thankfulness” is not enough.

I am who I am today because of that studio, because of every breath that has been taken in that space, and because of your support. Now, I'm walking into a new chapter of my life. Don't worry—I'm still teaching. You'll still be able to practice with me on Glo, and I'll be announcing some new offerings in San Francisco soon.

Life is full of change. It's the one thing we can depend on, right? Even though we know change is inevitable, it can still be painful, terrifying, and uncomfortable. In this practice, we are taught simplicity. What's the next right thing here? What's the next best step I can take? I want to leave us with that simple teaching because sometimes life moves fast, and the rug gets pulled out from under us. But we always have the ability to stand back up, feel the ground beneath us, and take the next step forward.

I am so grateful for this life and feel incredibly blessed to have a community with you.

Thank you for everything.

With love, gratitude, and hope,

Haley