07/16/2026
Meet Patricia “Patty” Jimenez Hamilton
Patty's journey with yoga began long before yoga studios and teacher trainings were as accessible as they are today.
She first discovered yoga when she was young, through books, television programs, and a great deal of personal exploration. She would read, practice, experiment, and try to understand the postures and the way movement made her feel. Much of her early yoga practice grew from curiosity, self-study, and a genuine love of movement.
That love of movement has been the thread running through Patty’s entire life.
Her background includes modern and jazz dance, training with the North Carolina School of the Arts, and performing at Busch Gardens in both the magic show and the German dance show. She was also a collegiate varsity swimmer and later spent many years playing competitive USTA team tennis. Over the years, her movement world continued to expand through strength training, cardio and dance-based fitness, Pilates, mobility training, Animal Flow, swimming, snow skiing, hiking, cycling, pickleball..... and, most recently, learning to kite surf!
Professionally, Patty has taught yoga and fitness for more than four decades in universities, health clubs, medical fitness centers, studios, and community settings. She has trained instructors, presented continuing education, and taught everything from cardio conditioning and strength training to dance-based movement and multiple styles of yoga.
Earlier in her fitness career, Patty was also an ACE national presenter and continuing education provider. She produced a cardio dance workout video that went on to sell more than 2,000 copies through professional fitness conventions.
Alongside her lifelong work in yoga and fitness, Patty also built a full-time professional career in scientific software consulting and enterprise sales, working with major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Although that world may seem very different from yoga, it taught her a great deal about communication, listening, education, and translating complex information into something practical and understandable. Those skills continue to influence the way she teaches today.
Yet yoga has always remained a constant.
Currently an E RYT 500, Patty’s first formal 200-hour yoga teacher training was Iyengar-based, followed years later by a 200-hour Vinyasa Flow training. Those two approaches continue to influence her teaching today. She loves the precision, intelligence, and understanding of alignment found in Iyengar Yoga, but is equally drawn to the creativity, rhythm, breath, and graceful transitions of Vinyasa Flow.
Over the past several years, Patty’s study of mobility, strength, and movement science has added yet another layer to the way she sees yoga. She is fascinated by how we build strength through range, improve joint control, coordinate the body as an integrated system, and create movement that is not only flexible, but resilient, fluid, and sustainable.
Perhaps most special to Patty is sharing this journey with her daughter, Carla Jimenez Rosas. Carla has been part of the Lotus Pond community for over 23 years, and although they each bring unique perspectives to yoga, their approaches complement one another beautifully. Carla brings a deep connection to yoga philosophy, breath, inspiration, and the heart of the practice. Patty’s own curiosity often takes her toward biomechanics, mobility, strength, alignment, and movement quality.
On July 18, Patty and Carla will have the opportunity to teach together at the Lotus Pond in their workshop, Bridging Alignment & Flow. They will explore how thoughtful alignment, mobility, strength, breath, cueing, and creative transitions can come together to create a more intelligent and expressive yoga practice.
Patty will also return in August with Evolving Your Flow, a workshop exploring how mobility, strength, and modern movement concepts can enhance traditional yoga sequencing while still honoring the heart of yoga.
Outside of teaching, Patty has an enormous love of nature, hiking, international travel, and exploring the world through movement. Some of her favorite memories involve hiking through beautiful landscapes, practicing yoga while traveling, Snow skiing, cycling through new places, and simply being outdoors. She has also been partner dancing for more than 20 years, enjoying West Coast Swing, Salsa, Argentine tango, and other dance styles. A lifelong lover of Broadway and musical theater, she has been fortunate to enjoy many wonderful Broadway shows through the years—especially now with her new husband, who shares her love of theater and travel.
At 71, Patty says she may be more curious about movement than she has ever been.
She believes we never finish learning about the body, or ourselves. Yoga has been part of her life for decades, but it continues to evolve as she evolves.
And perhaps that is what she loves most about the practice: that there is always another layer to explore.
