About Andrea

Andrea is passionate about studying and facilitating yoga within communities, particularly among youth and young adults. She loves the reflective nature of the practice and the focus on breath, movement, stillness, social justice, and individual and collective consciousness-raising and action. In 2014, Andrea completed a foundational 200 hours of yoga training at Authentic Yoga & Authentic Yoga Teacher Training in Scottsdale, AZ. In 2019, she also completed an additional 20-hour certificate in restorative yoga. Further, in 2021, Andrea completed an additional 300 hours of yoga training and received her Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) certification with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute.

Andrea received her Master’s in Social Work from Arizona State University in 2014, where she then supported young adults aging out of foster care on national advocacy initiatives, which she loved! She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Social Work, Office of Gender-Based Violence, at Arizona State University. Currently, her research and practice focus on examining trauma-informed, mind-body interventions, emphasizing yoga and mindfulness, among individuals with histories of interpersonal violence, including adverse childhood experiences.

Andrea’s recent work includes her dissertation, which examines the associations between yoga use and the mental health, body connection, and academic well-being of young adult collegiate women with experiences of interpersonal violence utilizing a yoga feminist-trauma conceptual framework. Her most recent TCTSY facilitation was at an inpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation home for adults in Arizona.