Where Our Namesake Comes From: The Story of FORUM Modern Yoga
When people ask where the name FORUM comes from, they’re usually expecting a quick answer. But the truth is, FORUM wasn’t named quickly. It came from an idea about gathering, conversation, and shared experience.
It’s a name rooted in my life, my upbringing, my movement background, and the people and places that shaped me long before I ever stepped on to a yoga mat.
Southern California Roots
I grew up in Southern California, a place where movement, music, and creativity all live a little louder. Cheer, dance, and the live music scene weren’t just hobbies for me; they were the foundation of how I learned to express myself, connect with others, and make meaning out of movement.
In my late teens and into my early thirties, I spent years following a band across the country. I danced, traveled, and built lifelong friendships - east coast to west coast. Those experiences taught me what community really feels like. They taught me what it means to show up for something bigger than yourself. Live music showed me just how transformative shared peak experiences can be.
Music cracked me open. Movement grounded me. Community held me.
All three would eventually become core pillars of FORUM.
A Family Story: Work, Grit, and Legacy
My father, the son of Mexican immigrants, built a commercial painting company 50 years ago. He painted landmarks all across California, hospitals, schools, museums, stadiums - places people flocked to for connection and culture.
Among those buildings was a place that holds a special piece of my own history: The Forum in Los Angeles.
It’s where I saw one of my very first concerts. It’s where music met magic. It’s where I first understood how a place can hold energy, memory, and meaning.
It’s a full-circle moment to stand here now, building a space of my own, one that honors the grit and vision that my father modeled and the lineage I come from.
Why FORUM? Why That Name?
When it came time to open a studio, I knew I didn’t just want a yoga space. I wanted a place where ideas, education, and evolution could live. A place where:
teachers could gather
students could grow
educators from across the country could share their expertise
movement could be explored, questioned, and reimagined
Historically, a forum is a gathering place, a space for exchange, learning, dialogue, and community.
That’s exactly what I wanted to build.
Not a studio that existed in isolation.
Not a space that relied on outdated cues or rigid methods.
But a true forum for learning, curiosity, and informed movement.
The Heart of FORUM Today
The studio you know now was built from all these threads:
my roots, my history, my family, my teachers, my music-filled twenties, my SoCal upbringing, and my relentless desire to keep learning.
FORUM was never meant to be just a place to take class.
It was meant to be a place to evolve.
A place for teachers to study.
A place for students to understand their bodies in new ways.
A place where lineage meets modern movement.
A place where community is built intentionally and not by accident.
FORUM is the space I wish I had when I first moved to Kentucky.
And now, it’s the space I’m honored to share with all of you.
