Occupation: I am the owner and instructor of Yoga Dimensions in Newtown. I’ve been an instructor for over ten years, and we’ll have been at our South Main Street location for ten years in April 2014.

Family: I have two boys. Jamie is a sophomore at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., and P.J. is an associate editor at a publishing company in New York.

Pets: No pets, right now.

How long have you been in Newtown? I’ve lived in Sandy Hook for 12 years. We lived in Darien before that.

What do you like to do in your free time? Believe it or not, I like to do yoga. I do like to hike on the trails, and I like to read and I like to cook.

Do you have a favorite book? There are two books I just read that I love. One is The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I just read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

Do you have a favorite travel or vacation destination? Costa Rica. Mostly we’ve been on the Osa Peninsula on the southern tip. There is beautiful flora, and it is just gorgeous and so exotic. In March, I’m leading a retreat on Nicoia Peninsula, in the middle coast of Costa Rica. I like the beaches in Costa Rica, and the jungle.

What is the best thing about Newtown? Building this yoga community has been the best experience of my life. Once people are here, they become like family. Newtown was a great place to raise my kids. And there is so much undeveloped land here still. The trails are amazing. I think I could hike a different one every day. People could go on vacation here, it’s so beautiful.

What has been the greatest influence in your life? Yoga. It changed my life. I started practicing when I was 38 years old, and it changed my view of life. I learned to look at life as a gift and as something to live in the present. I learned to not wish your life away. It’s really put me in the present, which is huge.

Do you have a personal philosophy? “Be the change.” So many people talk a good game, but don’t live it. If you can live what you believe, that’s a great thing — walk the talk.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? Bazooka Bubble Gum. I chew it only in private, because I think it makes me look like a cow. But I love to chew it, blow bubbles, and crack it. I don’t have many vices, so this is not such a bad one.