About

Meet Your Wellness Therapist

Hello, I’m Barbara — a Yoga Therapist, Ayurvedic Consultant in training, wellness educator, and a mother of two incredible children who remind me every day why healing matters. At Root to Rise Integrative Health, my mission is simple: to help you rise into the healthiest, most vibrant expression of yourself through a highly personalized fusion of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda.

I believe healthcare should feel manageable, compassionate, and rooted in partnership—not overwhelm. Think of me as your health rehabilitator and collaborative guide. I don’t tell you who to be. I help you discover where you are, what your body is asking for, and how to move forward simply, steadily, and sustainably.

Why I Do This Work

Healing is not just personal—it’s generational.

When one person heals, entire family lines shift. Children grow up witnessing emotional regulation instead of burnout. Partners experience presence instead of survival mode. Communities benefit from calmer, more connected individuals.

I care deeply about facilitating transformation because every step we take toward balance ripples outward.

This is how we quietly, powerfully, change the world.

My Journey to Yoga Therapy & Ayurveda

My healing path began in 2008, when I was told I would likely never have children and that my best option was a hysterectomy. I remember sitting with that news thinking, “There must be another way.”

That moment became my turning point.

I turned toward natural healing, yoga, and nutritional shifts—and everything changed. Two years later, I welcomed a new and hopeful chapter of life, and eventually became the mother I was told I could never be.

I trained at Thrive Yoga in Rockville, Maryland, where Susan Bowen—mentor, teacher, and founder—gave me my first deeply transformational introduction to the vast, powerful world of yoga. That experience lit a fire in me that has never gone out.

My path continued through the American Viniyoga Institute, where I studied in a lineage devoted to individualized, therapeutic application of yoga. Becoming a Yoga Therapist taught me that every person has a unique story, a unique body, and a unique entry point for healing. Nothing about this work is “one size fits all.”

Today I am expanding that foundation through my B.A. in Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University, specializing in Ayurvedic Wellness Consulting. Ayurveda has helped me bridge the final gap between “knowing” and truly “understanding”—bringing clarity to patterns, digestion, hormones, stress, sleep, and the deeper root causes behind what we feel.

Everything I have lived, learned, overcome, and integrated is what I bring to you.

What I Offer

Root to Rise Integrative Health is built upon the belief that you deserve care that sees all of you—your body, mind, energy, history, and goals.

I blend:

Yoga Therapy (Viniyoga lineage)

Ayurvedic lifestyle & nutrition guidance

Somatic awareness practices

Nervous system support

Holistic postpartum & women’s health tools

Custom protocols for pain, stress, digestion, hormones, mobility & more

This is not just yoga.

This is not just Ayurveda.

This is integrative, therapeutic, personalized care—crafted specifically for your constitution, your life, and your long-term healing.

You won’t get a generic protocol or a “cookie-cutter” wellness plan.

You get a partner who listens, sees you, and walks the journey with you.

Keeping It real

I am not a perfected, enlightened being floating on a cloud—and I’ll never pretend to be. I’m human, just like you. I’ve seen my own shadows, walked through challenging seasons, survived pain, illness, and heartbreak—and learned, again and again, that healing is not linear.

What makes this work powerful is not perfection.

It’s presence, honesty, and consistency.

I show up for my clients the same way I show up for my children, my studies, and my own healing:

with compassion, curiosity, and unwavering determination.

Let’s Begin Your Rise

If you’re feeling burned out, disconnected from yourself, carrying physical or emotional heaviness, or simply wanting to reclaim your vitality—know this:

You don’t have to do this alone.

Together, we’ll build a pathway that feels grounding, nourishing, and sustainable—one that brings you back into your body, your breath, and your life.

From my heart to yours,

Welcome to Root to Rise Integrative Health.

Your healing is possible, and I am honored to walk this journey with you.