Leslie Carleton. I have been practicing yoga for about 25 years and teaching for the past 20. I first completed  teacher training in the Iyengar lineage with Gabriel Halpern, and studied with many  wonderful Iyengar teachers including Roger Cole, Manuso Manos and Jo Zukovich. In the late nineties I found myself in an Ashtanga Vinyasa class wtih Tim Miller and was ecstatic with how liberating it felt to move! I did Ashtanga teacher training with David Swenson and later on studied also with Shiva Rea, Beryl Bender Birch, Schuyler Grant and other "innovators" of classic form.  Now, I essentially teach what I practice, which is a form of Vinyasa yoga that blends influences of Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions to create a uniquely challenging and balanced flow practice. In July of 2011, I had brain surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor, and I lost my right side balance nerve and much of the hearing in that ear. Through the humbling challenges of this past year as I have re-learned how to navigate the world with one-sided balance, I have felt my practice deepen and ripen into something sustainable, nourishing, and unique to my own circumstances. I try to offer that same kind of experience to my students.
I believe that, when practiced with mindfulness and dedication, yoga has the power to inspire profound change not only in our bodies and minds, but also in the world around us. It is my intention to encourage students to develop a practice that is sustainable, beneficial, and personally meaningful.

 

Sharon Gouveia Comeau  has been practicing yoga since 1999. She practiced primarily Bikram yoga until moving to the upper valley in 2003, when she discovered Upper Valley Yoga and the joy of the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition.  She has taken workshops in Ashtanga yoga with David Swenson and Beryl Bender Birch, and just completed a 200 hour hatha yoga teacher training with Deb Neubauer, a certified Anusara yoga teacher.  Sharon is known for her clear teaching style, welcoming presence, and sense of fun and exploration she brings to the practice.

Stacey Glazer has been practicing yoga since 1988; in NYC, Boulder,CO, Arizona and here in the Upper Valley. During her seven years in Boulder, she studied at Richard Freeman's studio, the Yoga Workshop. Over the years she has practiced many different forms of yoga, but her passion continues to lie with the Ashtanga-Vinyasa lineage, and her teacher training has been primarily with Beryl Bender Birch. Stacey has taught Children's Yoga in after-school programs and at camp. In addition to being a regular instructor at Upper Valley Yoga, she also attends classes regularly.

 

Justine Fahey has been practicing yoga since 1998, first in Cambridge, MA at Baron Baptiste's studio and then in the Upper Valley since 2000. Mainly focusing on Astanga and vinyasa practices, she believes yoga is integral to both physical and emotional well-being. Justine lives in the Upper Valley with her husband, three kids, dog and cats. 

 
 
 

Erin Cochrane began practicing yoga in 1996, and has been teaching since 2002,when she completed David Swenson's Ashtanga primary series teacher training. She credits local teachers Stephen Leslie and Chris Buhner with igniting her love of yoga as well as instilling the importance of a daily practice. Erin has completed Sarah Power's Insight (yin) Yoga and Meditation teacher training levels I and II, and has incorporated this highly complementary style of yoga to her personal as well as teaching practices. Erin has also studied with Sage Rountree in her Teaching Yoga to Athletes program. Yoga has become a platform for broader study into the Eastern contemplative traditions, and Erin regularly attends workshops on these subjects at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where she serves as a member of the board of trustees. Erin's day job is with her MBA alma mater, the Tuck School.

 
Bri embarked on her yoga journey in college, when her friend (now husband) Geoff brought her to a class at the university gym. As an avid athlete, she grew to love its therapeutic benefits. Her practice has since blossomed, and Bri has developed a deep appreciation for the healing effects of yoga and meditation on the mind, body, and heart. Bri has a Masters Degree in Education and taught high school math for three years in New York City before moving to the Upper Valley. She earned her certification to teach yoga through Lotus Gardens Yoga in Sherman, CT in 2009 and completed the Anusara Immersion I in Darien, CT. She weaves energetic flow with deep relaxation in her classes, focusing on correct alignment and body and breath awareness.

 

Jennifer Armstrong While studying dance at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Jenny had the opportunity to study Pilates with a first generation Pilates teacher, Kathy Grant and got hooked! After college she moved overseas to teach, and began suffering from daily back pain. Returning to her roots, she decided to leave that job and re-organize her life around health and wellness, which brought her back to Pilates and yoga.  Jenny received her Intermediate Reformer and Matwork Certification from STOTT Pilates in April of 2007, and has been teaching ever since. She has been incorporating yoga into her own practice since college and  just recently completed the Anusara Immersion with Deb Neubauer.  She enjoys seeing people connect more deeply with their bodies, helping them to feel stronger both in their favorite physical activities and in their daily lives.  Having experienced the benefits of Pilates and yoga in her own life, she is excited to explore the combination of these two techniques with others!

 

Susan Kapp Monaghan, M.Ed. began practicing Hatha Yoga in 1997, before her daughter Eve was born. She has studied Astanga Yoga with Stephen Leslie, Beryl Bender, Kathy McNames, David and Doug Swenson and many others over the years. She has recently spent a month on Maui training with Nancy Gilgoff in the Astanga tradition. She completed her Astanga Primary Series teachers training with David Swenson in 2000. Susan brings to her daily practice over 25 years of dance training, specifically modern and contact improvisation. Moving meditation has enabled Susan to balance her life with her partner John, as a mother, artist, engineer and teacher. Susan has been teaching Astanga and Hatha Yoga classes in the Upper Valley since 2000. When she isn't in the studio her practice includes tutoring and teaching mathematics. She hopes to pass on her love of learning, movement and the bliss all we all seek in a balanced life. 

 

Angie Follensbee-Hall has been practicing yoga and meditation since 1996. Angie studies with many great teachers of various lineages in between making Handmade Paper Wall hangings, and raising two beautiful daughters! In 2005, her eldest daughter suffered a serious illness. During her daughter's recovery, Angie began to seek ways of finding peace and a sense of wholeness, and she returned to the practice of Yoga with renewed vigor. In 2007, she graduated from Yoga teacher training with Linda Lalita Winnick, of Shakti Yoga and The Ayurvedic Enrichment Institute, of Woodstock, NY., and she is currently enrolled in Linda's 500 hour Advanced Teacher Training. Angie's training is unique in its application of Ayurvedic principles and practices. In each class, asanas are chosen in accordance with Ayurvedic principles of seasonal balance. Angie's classes are vinyasa based, and incorporate alignment elements of Anusara and Iyengar Yoga, as well as the deep soul connection from the Kundalini Yoga practice. Angie has studied with top teachers in all these styles. Angie lives in Cornish, NH with her husband Joshua (who sometimes accompanies Angie's classes with live music) her two daughters, and her many animal companions.

 

 

Jamie Donnelly is a certified Yoga Therapist with a background in Power and Prenatal Yoga. Her diverse background enables her to incorporate in her classes not just the physical but the emotional and energetic qualities of a well rounded yoga practice. Her classes will give you a healthy workout while leaving you with a relaxed mind and energetic spirit.

 

 

Lucy Kammer discovered yoga in college, and has always been drawn to it as a stress-reliever and as as recovery tool for the active lifestyle. She completed her teacher training in Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga through the SchoolYoga Institute in Keene, NH, which has roots in the Sivananda and Ashtanga traditions. Lucy enjoys creating classes that begin with a Vinyasa flow and move into deeper and more meditative stretches. Lucy enjoys sharing her passions about staying active with others. While her day job is working in Geography Department at Dartmouth, you may also find her teaching Spinning classes at the UVAC, or leading kayaking and snowshoeing adventures with L.L.Bean. When she's not at one of these places, you'll probably find her cycling or paddling in warm weather and skiing if there's snow! Lucy lives in the Upper Valley with her fiancé, Scott, and her dog, Bryce.

 

Amalia Chryssa earned her BA from Bard College in 1996 with a major in Language and Literature. Her interest in languages lead her beyond her native Greek and university studies of Latin, to the study of Sanskrit and the Sufi poets. Fascinated by this ancient energetic language, Amalia ventured into the world of yoga in 1999 at The Integral Yoga Institute in NYC. In 2010 she completed the Laughing Lotus Teacher Training Program which combined asana practice with Aryuveda, Sanskrit mantra, the melodic sounds of the harmonium and kirtan.
"The beauty of yoga is that it is connected to every body we have—be it the mental, the spiritual or the physical—and is devoted to the alignment of these bodies. When your prana can freely travel through the chakras, bliss will be achieved. I wish to thank all the teachers on my path, including those without the title of ‘teacher’, as well as Upper Valley Yoga for giving me the opportunity to share my passion."

 

Lauren Harris. My journey into yoga began in 2004, when I began taking weekly Hatha yoga classes. With an extensive background in dance, the principles of alignment were familiar, yet something deeper and more profound resonated with me. After taking a hiatus from the practice and studying dance during my time at Bennington College, I came back to yoga in 2010 when I moved to Alaska. During the dark winter in the North Country, I cultivated my own heat by delving deeply into my practice, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of exploration. In the past year, I have been traveling around the world, practicing yoga, meditation and body work of many styles, developing my own spiritual practice and as a teacher. I have explored many styles of yoga, including Forrest, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Hatha, Bikram and the playful AcroYoga and enjoy integrating different techniques into my teaching. I completed my 200-hour Vinyasa Flow teacher training with Vidya Jacqueline Heisel and Jennilee Toner of Frog Lotus International in Costa Rica in the winter of 2012. More recently, I completed my Thai Yoga Massage certification in Chiang Mai, Thailand with The Sunshine Network this winter. As I unroll my mat in far away places, I am able to find home within my own practice. I hope to also facilitate a journey for my students, traveling with awareness through asanas and finally coming home again in Savasana, emerging back into the world feeling more grounded and comfortable in our own bodies. I am honored to draw upon the wisdom of all my Gurus as I evolve as both teacher and student.

 

Becky Hooper