I met Cora last winter in Palm Beach when I was looking for a yoga teacher to help me deepen my practice. Cora is the founder & owner of Moksha Yoga Studio in Wellington, FL and one of the best yoga teachers I have worked with. She is passionate about sharing the gift of yoga, running her own business and balancing family and work while still making time for for the little things that bring her joy. In our interview she shares what keeps her balanced, her journey to teaching yoga and her self-care routine.
Tell me about yourself.
I live in South Florida. I am originally from New Jersey but moved to Florida just shy of my 18th birthday. During college I met my husband (not in college) and we got married in 2005 and in 2007 I had my first child, Luca. 3 years later we had our daughter, Harlow. I love yoga, art, learning, reading, paddle boarding, diving, hiking, traveling and spending time with my friends and family. I have passed my desire for wanderlust on to my children and we spend a lot of time traveling and immersing ourselves in nature and different cultures. Oh and food, I am a big foodie.
What inspired you to get become a yoga teacher and open your own studio?
I went to college for graphic design and after spending years in that field and working in the corporate world I realized that career path was not as fulfilling as I had hoped. I was a dedicated yoga student for a couple of years and decided to take a teacher training more so do deepen my knowledge and connection to the practice. I had no desire to teach and was actually super afraid to speak in public. I had no intentions of teaching whatsoever but I guess the universe had another plan for me. My teacher at the time was from Sweden and every summer would go home to visit her family so she decided pretty much make me take over her classes while she was gone so if it weren’t for her I don’t know that I would have ever started teaching.
What was your journey into entrepreneurship?
I had my son in 2007 and that is when I made the firm decision that I was not going back to the corporate world. I wanted to be a stay at home mom but something else inside of me also knew I still wanted to work at least part time. There were no yoga studios here in Wellington, FL at the time and before I had my son I would travel to Boca to take yoga classes. It became more of a challenge to go off to a yoga class in Boca three times a week after I had Luca. That is what inspired me to start thinking about taking the leap and opening Moksha Yoga Studio. I was nervous, scared and not quite sure if it was the right move to make but everyone around me really encouraged me and it all unfolded in a way that I knew it was meant to be.
What have been the biggest challenges throughout your journey so far?
I think the biggest challenges so far have been learning how to run a business and navigating the challenges that come with running a business. Also just the general ups/downs, ebbs/flows that are a part of everyday living when you have a business to run and a family to take care of.
Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
I have actually been thinking about this a lot this year. This has been a really tough year from a business standpoint and the stress has been high. It makes you think into the future and ponder on where you see yourself later in life. I still have not completely answered this question. I have some ideas but nothing has completely resonated so I think I am just going to let my intuition continue to guide me and be open to what the universe throws my way. I truly love what I do and for sure see myself continuing on this journey of sharing yoga with others and helping people in the best and most knowledgable and compassionate way I can.
How do you balance your business and being a mom?
I try to balance these two as much as I can. I am in a unique position with my business where I do not have to be there from 9-5 and I can coordinate my schedule in ways that work best to also accommodate my kids and be there for them when needed. There are days every so often where that just feels impossible but we always manage to figure it out. I am fortunate that my husband also has his own business that is right across the street from mine so he has been instrumental in helping with the kids if I have to take over a class or schedule a client. Now that my kids are older it is a bit easier because they can be home alone for a bit but when they were younger having my husband right there was so helpful. It wasn’t always easy for him at times (think little kids misbehaving in the office) but he made it work. My schedule also seemed to naturally fill more as my kids got older so when they were younger I was not working as much as I work now.
Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration is so incredibly important to not only my success as a teacher but to my mental health as well. Typically during season I have up to 5-7 clients a day along with my group class schedule and only take Sundays off. So with teaching that much I have learned I have to stay inspired or I will just feel like this yoga robot and get bored.
I do several trainings a year with my teacher Tiffany Cruikshank of Yoga Medicine. Her program is so instrumental in helping me continue to learn and grow as a yoga teacher and provide yoga therapy, diversity with my clients and in my classes.
I also read a lot which is so inspiring and anything outside in natures just resets my soul. Traveling is also really important and really helps to inspire me. And lastly, taking time for myself wether that’s a bike ride, a massage or accupuncture. I am a huge advocate of self-care! Especially in this day and age.
What does self-care mean to you?
Self-care means taking time out for myself to cultivate more balance in my life. I am an only child so I really enjoy being by myself and actually need that from time to time. During the week if I have some free time while the kids are in school and clients aren’t on the schedule I usually book a massage or plan to go paddleboarding. I also exercise and do yoga a lot and that is so important for my mental and physical health. I think it is very important to eat healthy and really nourish your body with proper foods but I also think it is important to give yourself a break sometimes and indulge a little every so often. Self-care is really all about balance and the more balance you can find, create and settle into the happier you will be!
What does your morning routine look like?
I typically wake up, brush my teeth and throw on some yoga clothes depending on my schedule. I then wake my kids up and take breakfast orders. I first will pour myself a glass of room temperature alkaline water and squeeze half a lemon and sometimes apple cider vinegar in it. I drink that while getting breakfast ready for kids, organizing anything they need help with, etc. Usually after that I sometimes make a juice or will have coffee or tea with usually some brain fuel and adaptogens depending on how I feel and which ones I feel like I want to use that week. After this we load up and I take the kids to the bus stop. I send them off and then depending on what is on my schedule for the day I go from there.
What is your evening routine?
Evening mostly involves family time, kids, homework and dinner. Once kids go to bed I spend time with my husband either chatting or watching a show or reading.
What kind of exercise do you do?
I do yoga almost everyday. I also do HIIT or Crossfit style workouts about twice a week just to mix it up and because the body loves different forms of movement. I will also walk or run downtown along the water while my daughter is at dance class. I really just like to be outside, so form of movement outside I enjoy!
What is your approach to nutrition?
I eat well and am a big advocate of natural foods, foods from the ground, locally sourced and organic when possible. I am a pescatarian and most of the fish we eat we catch ourselves by fishing or spearfishing so its from sea to table and amazing! Lots of greens and veggies are a big part of my diet. I do not eat a ton of fruit but do enjoy fruit. I just don’t seem to crave it. I am pretty consistent with my nutrition but am also not majorly rigid. I will allow myself to indulge every so often because life is meant to be enjoyed! But for the most part my body craves greens, veggies and fish. I lost my sweet tooth after I had my daughter so that was a big plus!
What product is your clean beauty non-negotiable?
I am careful about things I put on my skin. Your skin is your biggest organ and I don’t necessarily believe we have to wear all these creams or lotions all of the time. Ive gone to mostly all natural cleansers. Deodorant has to be all natural and that is super non-negotiable for me. The fact that they make all these deodorants with so many terrible chemicals that were are rolling right over our lymph nodes is just a big NO.
How do you bring mindfulness into your day?
I bring mindfulness into everyday with not only my yoga practice but connecting to my breath and really trying to be in the moment as much as I can. I try to practice what I preach which isn’t always easy because life is life but even just taking a minute or two everyday to stop and breathe or connect to your senses is so valuable.
What are you grateful for?
So many things. My life. The life my husband and I have built. My family. My children. The studio and the community we have created. My clients. My dogs. All that I have experienced and seen in this world so far. And even when I have days I am not feeling grateful, I try to flip the switch and find the silver lining. Cultivating gratitude on the daily is such a strenghting tool for your mental health but like anything, it’s practice.
What brings you joy?
My kids bring me the most joy even when they drive me crazy. Our travels bring me a lot of joy as well. And helping people…it is such a wonderful feeling to know that you are helping someone by simply sharing what you are passionate about and a practice that also helps you.
What little things do you do in your life in order to make a difference in the world in terms of sustainability?
I am big on recycling. I try to not consume so much plastic like small bottles, plastic bags, etc. I use reusable cups, silverware, etc and try to limit waste when we are traveling or on our boat. I make my husband stop by every piece of trash or balloon we find floating in the ocean when we are out fishing to pick up.
I try to buy local as much as possible and support the local farms and purveyors. The studio sells boxed water to avoid plastic, we use all natural cleaning products and installed sustainable cork flooring. So I try to do a lot of little things.
My next goal is to downsize our home so we can be a bit more sustainable with our living space rather than have extra rooms you barely use.
What was the last book you have read?
I am usually reading couple of books at a time so the last two were Educated by Tara Westover and The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper.
Favorite podcast to listen to?
Brené Brown
Favorite app?
Instagram for beautiful images but I am loving all the creativity coming out of Tiktok
Favorite clean beauty product?
Tata Harper products and simple coconut oil
Favorite dish to cook?
That’s tough. I love to cook and I love food but I guess just a delicious and creative fish dish.
