After flirting with yoga in college, Mary began studying yoga seriously in 1994, partly to compensate for years of long-distance running. She considers it the best New Years' resolution she ever made.

She has done teacher trainings with Erich Schiffmann, Ana Forrest, and Aadil Palkhilvala and worked extensively in several yoga styles, including Iyengar, Astanga and viniyoga. She teaches a blend of what she has learned.

When people ask why do yoga, here is what she says: Through precise but open movement, through meditation and fluid breath,  yoga calms you down, wakes you up, gives you hope and helps you understand that you are not alone. By giving you a clearer glimpse of who you really are and how you are connected to the world, it can make you more creative, more courageous and wiser in your choices. As a result, the time you invest in yoga makes more time in your life. It is also simply fun.

Raised in Georgia in a family of 10, Mary has lived in California, Florida, Arizona, France and Massachusetts and traveled around the world. She also writes a column for the Chicago Tribune.