HANDS TO HEART CENTER

Lia Simonds

Lia earned her 200-hr certification in the spring of 2015 at CorePower Medford. Growing up in downtown NYC, she was a competitive swimmer through childhood and was drawn to the meditative power of movement and breath. Lia is a longtime yogini with a background in Bikram and Vinyasa. She thrived from a regular practice in Boulder, CO after a post-college, west-bound road trip landed her there in 2010. Yoga was an inspiring supplement to a life of teaching preschool, building friendships, and mountain wanderings. Lia was thrilled to find and build a yogic community when she returned to the East Coast and earned her M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2012.

Through teacher training and continued practice, Lia is fascinated by the ways yoga illuminates the dualities of this world. She sees yoga as a mindful dance of honoring what we cannot control in life and strengthening the ability to face what we can change, even if it’s just our breath. For Lia, yoga has been nourishment, a source of peace and connection, a best friend, therapeutic outlet, and an ever-evolving venue for self-exploration. She is dedicated to sharing her passion for yoga with others, particularly those without easy access to its benefits. Through her work with youth and families as the Medford Boys and Girls Club Education Coordinator, her experience teaching early childhood, research and advocacy for children of incarcerated parents, she has over and again witnessed amazing resiliency amidst the most disenchanting situations. This appreciation for growth out of struggle finds another voice through teaching yoga.

Lia lives in Somerville, MA and is currently pursuing an MSW at Simmons College and plans to integrate her love of yoga with her social work practice. She is interested yoga for children and adaptive yoga projects. She looks forward to learning from her students and fellow yogis everyday, sharing an appreciation for the beautiful and natural imbalances in life. Lia has found a home in the Boston yoga community, one where she can fiercely nourish her authentic self.