Chronic pain and illness first brought me to contemplative practice two decades ago. With the help of a committed practice, I developed a more loving and understanding relationship with my body and mind, ultimately allowing healing, balancing, and strengthening to occur over time. In 2023, when Long Covid and ME/CFS left me disabled, I returned to these practices and to teaching with a new perspective — and a deep desire to explore how they can support others living with energy-limiting conditions.

I have studied yoga and several traditions of meditation for two decades with some of the most renowned teachers throughout the world. My teaching is primarily informed by my studies with Christopher Wallis, Gary Kraftsow, Leslie Kaminoff, Sally Kempton, and Pema Chödrön. I consider myself a lifelong student of yoga and continue to train extensively to keep my classes intelligent, fresh, and inspired. I have completed rigorous advanced teacher training in Viniyoga with Gary Kraftsow, and I have taught in studios, boardrooms, retreat centers, and one-on-one settings.

In 2015 I cofounded Room to Breathe, a public yoga studio integrated with a collaborative psychotherapy practice in downtown Chicago. There, I collaborated with therapists and healthcare professionals to make research-based, trauma-sensitive programming accessible to all. Through Room to Breathe, I designed and taught an intensive 9-month psychologically sensitive yoga teacher training program, as well as a 65-hour continuing education program for practicing teachers.

I hold a master's degree in health communication from Northwestern University, where I studied how mindfulness and yoga can be effectively integrated into the US healthcare system.

Today I teach primarily online, with a deep focus on serving people with energy-limiting conditions such as ME/CFS, Long Covid, and chronic pain. I am also the maker behind Woven by Serena, a small jewelry business offering handcrafted mālā necklaces and gemstone bracelets designed for mindfulness and grounding — many made specifically with the chronic illness community in mind.

I write honestly about all of it — the practice, the illness, the slow work of rebuilding — on my Substack, Serena Disappoints You.