Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Cassizzi.
Hi Dawn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey with yoga began in 2002, following a back injury. What initially started as a way to heal my body slowly became something much more meaningful. I began to recognize that yoga wasn’t just changing how I moved, but also how I experienced myself and the world around me.
At the time, I was working in the corporate world, but after many years in the retail/corporate world, I felt a growing desire to do something different with my life. I wanted a career that felt meaningful, something that allowed me to give back to my community and contribute, in whatever small way I could, to the greater good. Yoga had already made such a difference in my own life, and teaching felt like a natural way to share that with others. In 2019, I made the decision to pivot and chose to not only open a yoga business with a partner, but to start a 200 hr yoga teacher training for myself.
Over the past 20-plus years, my relationship with yoga has continued to evolve, just as I have. What began primarily as a physical practice has become a lifelong exploration of strength, awareness, resilience, and connection.
Today, I’m a yoga teacher based in Birmingham, Alabama, and the creator of Light of Dawn Yoga. I teach in local studios and community spaces while also sharing practices with a growing online community around the world.
Much of my work today focuses on helping people, particularly women navigating midlife, discover what’s possible in their bodies through strength, mobility, and mindful movement. I’m passionate about challenging the idea that becoming older means becoming less capable. I believe we have so much opportunity to continue learning, growing, and surprising ourselves at every stage of life.
And after all these years, I’m still very much a student of the practice. Yoga continues to challenge me, teach me, and remind me that there’s always more to discover.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think any meaningful journey comes without its share of challenges, and mine has certainly been no exception.
Leaving the stability of the corporate world to pursue teaching yoga came with uncertainty. Choosing a career because it feels aligned with your purpose doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be financially easy. There’s a lot that goes into building a sustainable career doing something you love, and I’ve had to learn to navigate that along the way.
I’ve also experienced some incredibly difficult seasons in my personal life. Those experiences have challenged me in ways I never could have anticipated, and they’ve changed how I understand resilience, compassion, and what it means to be present with life as it unfolds.
One of the greatest lessons yoga continues to teach me is that the practice isn’t about avoiding difficulty or always finding peace. It’s about learning how to meet ourselves where we are, even when life feels uncertain, uncomfortable, or completely different from what we imagined.
More recently, building Light of Dawn Yoga beyond the studio and into an online space has brought a whole new set of challenges. Learning to navigate social media, create programs, and grow a business while staying true to what matters to me has been a learning experience in itself.
I’m still figuring things out, and I imagine I always will be. But I’ve come to appreciate that growth rarely happens without some discomfort, and sometimes the most meaningful parts of our journey emerge from the things we never would have chosen for ourselves.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m the creator of Light of Dawn Yoga, where I share my love of movement, mindfulness, and the lifelong practice of yoga. I’ve been practicing for over 20 years, and today I teach both in person throughout Birmingham and online, connecting with people from all over the world.
My teaching blends strength, mobility, flexibility, and mindful movement. I’m especially passionate about helping women in midlife build confidence in their bodies and recognize that getting older doesn’t have to mean becoming less capable. There’s so much we can continue to explore, learn, and strengthen, and I love encouraging people to stay curious about what’s possible.
While I enjoy the physical challenges of yoga, the deeper philosophy of the practice is just as important to me. Yoga offers us tools for navigating life with more awareness, compassion, and presence. I try to weave those teachings into my classes because I believe what we practice on the mat has the potential to change how we show up in the world.
One of the things I’m most proud of is the community that’s grown around my teaching, both locally and online. Social media has allowed me to reach people I may never meet in person, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to know that something I share can inspire someone to move, try something new, or simply take a few minutes for themselves.
As for what sets my work apart, I think it’s my approach to the practice as an ongoing exploration rather than something to master. I love creative movement, interesting transitions, and giving people opportunities to challenge themselves, but I also believe in meeting ourselves where we are. Some days that means building strength and trying something difficult. Other days it means slowing down, listening, and creating space to breathe.
Ultimately, I hope people leave my classes or online practices feeling a little stronger, more connected to themselves, and more confident in what they’re capable of.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The easiest way to connect with me is through Light of Dawn Yoga on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, where I share yoga, strength, mobility, and mindfulness practices.
You can also visit my website, lightofdawnyoga.com, for additional resources and guided practices. Currently a work in progress.
I’m always open to meaningful collaborations with wellness brands, organizations, and others who share a passion for movement, well-being, and community.
You can find me on social media at @light.of.dawn.yoga.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @light.of.dawn.yoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14nhc6umaV9/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lightofdawnyoga?si=0jp58-2G57q8m4QM
