About the owner

Amanda Cotton began skating at the age of 7, at the North Texas Ice Arena in Valley Ranch, Texas.  She began skating competitively at age 9, and went on the compete at the Regional level from 1997 to 2003.  During those years of training, she was introduced to yoga, which she began to see as a critical supplement to her skating.

Prior to graduating from Nolan Catholic High School in 2003, she received an offer to play the role of “Belle” from “Beauty and the Beast” for the Disney on Ice presentation of “Princess Classics.”  Starting in June of that year, she performed and traveled with Disney to 10 countries worldwide, including Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines.  It was during those years on tour that she came to know and understand yoga, and the benefits of its practice.  She attended numerous yoga and tai chi classes in these different Asian countries to absorb as much of the diverse yoga culture as she could.

Amanda left the ice show at age 20, and moved to Gainesville, Florida where she studied Chemistry at the University of Florida.  For three years, she simultaneously attended school full-time and commuted to Jacksonville, where she taught skating 4 days per week.  It was during these three years of teaching and studying that she embraced all of the knowledge of yoga that she had brought with her from Southeast Asia.  The breathing techniques, the mind-body connection, the poses; they all served a valuable purpose in maintaining balance in her life.  Yoga taught her to focus on the breath, to breathe through everything–even final exams and long commutes.

Finally, in 2008, she reunited with her high-school sweetheart and moved back to Texas when he proposed.  He encouraged her to pursue her love for yoga by opening a studio that would reflect her passion and experience.  Amanda received her YogaFit certification in May of last year, and has since been guest teaching at local studios while working on the plans for Fire&Ice Yoga.  She married David Pastusek on September 26, 2009, and they currently reside in Arlington, Texas.