MORE ABOUT ANDREA

Hi! I’m Andrea (you can call me Dre ). As a yoga teacher, fitness & flexibility coach, ayurvedic wellness coach, and lover of all kinds of movement in general, I'm a warrior for all things natural health and wellness. I especially love handstands, contortion, and acrobatics. I am passionate about living a lifestyle built for longevity.

But I didn’t start out this way, so let’s rewind a bit…

I wasn’t always healthy and athletic. In fact, I didn’t become active until I was in my 30s. I used to smoke, drink, party, and lived a pretty sedentary, indoor life. I was always struggling with depression, my weight, and chronic respiratory infections. I had chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma, and as a kid I had pneumonia twice. The first time, I was hospitalized for 2 weeks, and the second time, I was out of school so long I almost had to repeat the 6th grade.

In 2009, I decided I had to quit smoking. I saw how my entire life revolved around how and where I could smoke. I had to smoke the last thing before I brushed my teeth and went to sleep, and the craving for a cigarette was the thing that woke me up in the morning. Plus, it actually HURT to inhale the smoke. I was overweight, unhealthy, and depressed. I had been living most of my life like this. I knew I had to make a change.

In addition to quitting smoking, I had developed a soy allergy and I had to completely revamp the way I ate. I have been vegan since 1998 and up until then, soy was a huge part of my diet. I knew I didn’t want to stop being vegan, so I had to find a healthy way to do it. I went back to basics, simplifying my meals and ingredients. As I cleaned up my diet, my body became intolerant to intoxicants, so I stopped drinking, too.

Fast forward a bit. In 2011, a friend brought me to a yoga class. We both went through breakups and wanted to become healthier, so our outings were generally centered around fitness. I fell in love with the practice and how much better all this movement made me feel, and I dove deep. My whole lifestyle shifted, and with it, my mindset. I no longer wanted to do anything that would make me feel bad.

I went through some more health issues over the next few years. I started losing my hair due to vitamin and mineral imbalances, had to have sinus surgery to stop the sinus infections, and I was struggling with constant adrenal fatigue. And then, during my 300-hour yoga teacher training, I was introduced to ayurveda, the mother science of yoga, the study of all aspects of life and nature. I intuitively knew that this was what I needed to heal. I started working exclusively with my Ayurvedic coach towards the end of 2016, and everything shifted again.

My life was so profoundly impacted by this practice that I studied to become an Ayurvedic wellness coach in 2021 and received my certification in early 2022. My approach follows that of my mentor, which isn’t exactly traditional but incredibly empowering. It’s all about learning the language your body speaks, learning the energetics of every situation, and bringing in the balancing qualities to improve your health, the overall experience of life, and connection to mama nature.

Today, my life revolves around feeling my best and taking such good care of my vessel that I can enjoy life to the fullest. My biggest takeaways are: 1. bodies in motion stay in motion, and 2. nature provides everything you need. The nature of our world means we are constantly exposed to toxins, but we can live in such a way that minimizes our toxic load and keeps our bodies functioning in the highest and most efficient way possible. 

Our bodies can do amazing things, and I want to make sure mine can keep doing those things for many years to come. I also love teaching others how to do the same.

Are you ready to start your wellness journey? Let’s connect!