Erica took her first yoga class in 2001. She began to dabble and become curious but it was not until several years later that she committed to a regular practice. Her practice allowed her to find restoration and balance from many years of action sports. She completed her first 200 hour training at Yandara Institute in 2010. In 2016, she completed a 300 hour Living Yoga Alchemy training and a 100 hour Ayurveda course.
She feels blessed to be able to study with many amazing teachers. Some of the most influential yoga teachers in her life include; Amy Outman, Allison Eaton, and Craig and Christopher Perkins.
She has also taken workshops and classes with many outstanding international teachers including; Shiva Rea, Erich Schiffman, Mark Stephens, Saul David Raye, Gerry Lopez, Samantha Shakti, Rod Stryker, Simon Park, and Marla Meenakshi Joy, to name a few.
She first started teaching yoga in Lake Tahoe, California in 2011 where she developed a yoga program at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. She also organizes summer outdoor yoga meetups in South Lake Tahoe.
She has been a seasonal resident yoga teacher at Encanta La Vida Jungle Resort on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica and is an annual yoga teacher and immersion week leader at the globally recognized Yoga Farm.
Her travels have taken her to teach at surf resorts in Fiji, Morocco, and Indonesia where she shared the gifts of yoga.
She snowboarded regularly for over 10 years and continues to passionately learn from surfing and the sea. She is very familiar with most of Northern California and has lived in Lake Tahoe on and off for many years.
She has also spent a significant amount of time living and volunteering in Costa Rica. World travels have allowed her to experience; Mexico, Canada, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Argentina, Uruguay, France, Morocco, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa. Some of her highlights include working at a Heli-Ski Lodge in Alaska, teaching yoga at a surf resort in the Mentawai Islands, guiding yoga boat trip tours across the Golfo Dulce in Costa Rica, designing and hosting international retretas, and solo backpacking the Tahoe Rim Trail.
She has taken courses in CPR, First Aid, AIARE Avalanche I + II, Wilderness First Responder and Freediving I + II, and Lifestyle Herbalism. She has completed a Permaculture Design Course and can converse in Spanish.
She is the Founder and Co-Creator of Yoga Trade (worldwide yoga jobs, events, and community) and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Menlo College.
She enjoys sharing experiences and inspiration thru writing and has been featured on several top publications, including Elephant Journal, Tahoe Quarterly, WeTravel, and Yoganonymous. Erica has been a sponsored athlete + ambassador for Carve Designs since 2006.