My name is Christen Carroll.  I have lived in Las Vegas since I was 9 months old so I have seen the city grow as much as I have.  I found yoga in high school in hopes of breaking away from the competition in school.  It did not take long for me to be completely dedicated to learning more than just the poses of yoga and take my practice deeper.  In 2005 I received my 200 hours of yoga teacher training with no intention of ever teaching - it was to deepen my own practice.  Somehow I ended up subbing a class and I  was absolutely hooked.  In May of 2006 I graduated from UNLV with a BS in Nutrition Sciences but that didn't seem to be where my life was going.  

Plans were shifting as I discovered I was pregnant in July 2006.  Pregnancy fit me. Teaching and practicing yoga everyday helped me in so many ways with my ever-changing form.  I felt the bond with my growing baby, I felt important and made it important to take care of myself, I learned to relax, and of course staying fit helped support my belly through pregnancy and more importantly into labor and delivery.  I originally planned a hospital birth until I toured the hospital - it did not seem right for me.  At 34 weeks I decided I would birth at home.  I found my midwife (through a yoga student no less) and 3 weeks later I gave birth to a baby boy.  The entire birth experience was purely magical from the little contractions I had, my water breaking and surging the process forward with haste, to finally having him in my arms.  Those emotions you have after giving birth to your baby are indescribable and I was hooked.  I knew that my calling was to be with women and help them bring their babies into the world. I should have seen the signs that life's calling for me had to do with pregnancy, birth, and the bond between mother and child - picking up a Sheila Kitzinger book Rediscovering Birth when I was still a teenager, my favorite project for my degree was developing a program for hospitals to encourage breastfeeding. 

It took me a bit but I found where I am supposed to be but I am so happy to be able to do what I love. Everyday I learn more about and from both yoga and my experience with the entire pregnancy and birth process.  I hope to be able to help you either with your pregnancy and birth or through yoga.

Peace and Joy,

Christen