Teaching our current yoga classes
Amma Fandiño, MSc, E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®
Amma has been a devoted yogini for over 29 years and a passionate biologist for 30 years. Certified Integral Hatha Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher and trainer, with teaching experience in the United States and Colombia. Amma’s passion is to share yoga with communities with challenges and conditions of vulnerability on a physical, mental and emotional level. She has been teaching trauma-sensitive yoga in prisons for seven years and six years offering accessible yoga classes to patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Since 2015, Amma has been contributing to the Accessible Yoga program as an ambassador and as a regional representative of the accessible yoga group for Spanish-speaking countries. Since 2020, Amma has been part of the YCTY´s team as well as part of the faculty for the Accessible Yoga training. Fellow of the Yoga for Equity Program (2021) of the Yoga Alliance and facilitator of the Prison Yoga Project for Colombia´s chapter since 2022. She lives in Colombia with her husband and two children and loves to spend her free time in contact with nature.
Website: Amma Fandino
Facebook: Accessible Yoga- Español
Contact: amma@accessibleyoga.org
Andrea Cole
Andrea Cole is the founder of Honor Your Presence, PLLC where she serves as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Yoga Instructor, and Reiki Practitioner. From Greensboro, NC, she received her Bachelor of Art in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and received her Master’s in Social Work from UNC-Charlotte. Andrea is a 500-hour Certified Yoga Instructor (CYT-500) and completed both 200 and 300-hour yoga teacher trainings with I AM YOGA, under the teachings of Kiesha Battles and Candace Jennings. Andrea currently studies the interconnection between holistic health and Black women’s wellness, the space in which she’s a ruthless advocate. As a healer, nurturer, confidant, forever-learner and space-holder, Andrea utilizes evidence-based and natural modalities, as well as lived-experience, to teach community members how to heal individually and collectively.
Anjana Rathore
Anjana Yoga embodies the transformative essence of yoga, guiding students on a journey of physical healing and spiritual awakening. With a deep reverence for the ancient practice and a passion for sharing its wisdom, Anjana Yoga radiates the joy of movement from the inside out. Her teaching style is a beautiful dance, gracefully adapting to the unique needs and abilities of each student she encounters. From the gentle flow of chair yoga to the gravity-defying thrill of trapeze yoga, Anjana masterfully crafts each session as a sacred space for self-discovery and inner peace. Even amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, her innovative “desk yoga” offerings invite a moment of mindful stillness, a chance to reconnect with breath and body. Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or tentatively stepping onto the mat for the first time, Anjana Yoga meets you exactly where you are, guiding you with compassion and grace. Under her nurturing guidance, the physical practice becomes a pathway to profound healing – soothing aching joints, softening the scars of old injuries, and gently unwinding the knots of tension held within. But the true magic of Anjana’s teaching lies in her ability to illuminate the radiance that dwells within each student. Step by step, breath by breath, she invites you to peel back the layers of doubt and fear, revealing the luminous strength and boundless potential that has always resided in your heart. In the sacred space of Anjana Yoga’s classes, transformation is not just possible – it is inevitable. So come, dear friend, and let your soul dance free. The mat is calling, and your journey awaits.
Arriana Covington
Arriana (RYT – 200) was raised in Greensboro, NC. Since a child, Arriana has been passionate about education, access and mindfulness. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from UNC – Charlotte in Organizational Communication and Africana Studies and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Florida. During her own academic endeavors, Arriana was introduced to yoga and was inspired by the practice to be committed to spiritual growth, holistic well – being and community care. In 2020, Arriana completed her yoga teaching training with K10 yoga studio. She believes that yoga is the gift that keeps on giving to our communities by allowing us to first give yoga to ourselves. Arriana leads her yoga classes with this mindset in mind by offering opportunity for reflection, guided breathing and intentional movement throughout her classes.
Additionally, Arriana has completed the Skills in Action, 75 Hour Yoga Training with Michelle Johnson and Growga Continued Education Training.
Current Position Title: Senior Trainer at the Posse Foundation Virtual Program Tea
Social Media: @a.c.of.light (Instagram) acoflight.com (website)
Ben Clarke
Ben Clarke (RYT-500, HHP) started his yoga practice after a cancer diagnosis in 2016, as a way of recovering from chemo and surgeries. He’s found it to be pivotal in helping him re-inhabit his body, reduce stress and anxiety, build back strength, and improve flexibility and energy levels. He became a certified yoga teacher in 2018, and he’s been a holistic health practitioner since 2012. For Ben, yoga is about calming the mind and warming the body. Ben strives to create a safe space for your yoga practice and offers options in his classes to encourage you to listen to your body and take the option that’s right for you.
Carla Jernigan-Baker
Cassandra Cureton
Cassandra initially came to yoga to relieve pain from sciatica and scoliosis. She began taking yoga classes two times a week and noticed both her mental and physical condition improved each time she got on the mat. This awareness in 2017 started her yoga journey in earnest. After immersing fully into her personal practice, Cassandra received her 200-hour registered yoga teacher certification in 2021 from I AM Yoga, Charlotte, NC. Her greatest joy is sharing the healing properties of asana and yoga philosophy with participants who have not been exposed to its life-changing benefits.
Cassandra feels blessed to share the magic of yoga in several local venues in Charlotte, NC, including Oak Street Health Center, Archwell Health Center, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the I AM Yoga virtual studio, and the NoDa Yoga studio. She is also honored to serve as Program Coordinator for the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color™. Cassandra has received training certificates in several yoga modalities, including Yin Yoga, Aqua Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Myofascial Release Techniques, and Trauma-Informed Yoga. Her current class offerings include chair yoga, yin yoga, aqua yoga, deep stretch, and slow flow.
Facebook: Cassandra@Facebook
Instagram: ccureton26, ccureton26
Email: cassandracureton@yahoo.com
Christa Carter
Christa Carter was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and currently lives in Durham, NC. Having done dance lessons and classes since the age of 3, she enjoys body movement and expression. She began practicing yoga in 2016. She began her teacher certification in 2021. First, a kid’s yoga certification (Growga/YogaRenew) and 200hr Yoga Teacher Training with YogaRenew. She has also completed Trauma Informed Yoga and 300hr Yoga Teacher Training with My Vinyasa Practice. She soon began her yoga teaching career at the Durham YMCAs where she currently teaches. As a teacher, she enjoys guiding students through exploration of their body, mind, and spirit through the practice of yoga. She believes that yoga is a transformative practice that influences how we interact with the world around us. Her hope is the experiential practice will spark curiosity both on and off the mat.
Elijah Brunson
Elijah Brunson, Spiritual Name Teg Ravidass Singh, is a recovering non-profit executive who has leaned into rest, mindfulness, and joy as therapeutic mediums for healing and building community. He also incorporates his experience as a Theater of the Oppressed practitioner into his various other practices supporting mindful living. Elijah serves SAFE yoga community as a Kundalini Yoga and continues to offer Transitions Coaching to the broader community with a particular focus on supporting Black Queer Peoples.
Georgianna Dowdy
Georgianna, an Ambassador for Safe Yoga Greensboro for the past three years, has practiced for 17 years in the local community. Georgianna feels honored and blessed to share the healing benefits of yoga. Meeting and inspiring new students from the community has always been a passion for her.
JJ Gormley
JJ Gormley: (M.S., C-IAYT, E-RYT) has been a practitioner of yoga since 1979 and teaching since 1989. She has been steeped in the therapeutic approach to yoga since 2003. Using her therapeutic approach, she works with clients who have many different types of ailments and issues, including those with cancer, autoimmune disease, neurological disorders, trauma/PTSD, substance abuse, and addictions. She also works with the caregivers for people with chronic issues.
Facebook: JJ Gormley
Instagram: yoginijj
LinkedIn: JJ Gormley
Website: Surya Chandra Healing Yoga
Contact: jj@schys.yoga
Karla Vallecillo
Karla is a certified Yoga and Pilates Teacher. She is the founder of Buscando Vida LLC, a Wellness Lifestyle brand that offers inclusive and accessible wellness experiences in English and Spanish. Her offerings include mat pilates, chair and gentle yoga, sound healing, breathwork, restorative and vinyasa practices.
Her work focuses on making wellness accessible for everybody and uplifting the wellbeing of our communities.
Instagram: @buscandov.da
Kiesha Battles
Kiesha received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Seton Hall University in 1997 and a master’s in Asian Studies also from Seton Hall University in 2000. For over a decade, Kiesha served in various roles in the field of Information Technology Project Management and Auditing. In 2010, Kiesha left corporate life to focus on mental wellness and her family.
Kiesha teaches full time and has created and led numerous yoga programs and retreats. In 2016, Kiesha was appointed as Co-Director of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color to carry its 25 year legacy. In addition to teaching and leading programs for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and CorePower Yoga, Kiesha has run her own studio and yoga school, iamyoga, since 2017. Kiesha has been a You Call This Yoga Ambassador since 2018.
Kiesha is a humble soul who connects to all beings first at their core. Kiesha is passionate about service to the community and takes pride in being a regular blood donor for the Red Cross. Kiesha lives with her husband and two sons in Charlotte, NC. When Kiesha does sit down, she is reading, meditating and breathing.
Facebook: I AM YOGA
Instagram: @iamyogaclt
Website: Kiesha Battles
Contact: yogadirector@kieshabattles.com
Marcus Tolbert
Marcus’ yoga journey began in 2012 as a helpful way to stretch after running and improve his posture. His passion for yoga emerged profoundly in November 2021. In May 2023, he completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification at Khali Yoga Center in Charlotte, NC, and continues expanding his knowledge of yoga philosophy and Asana practice. He is committed to sharing the transformative power of yoga with others.
Pam Kidder-Ashley
Pam began her yoga journey in 2014, primarily to enhance her fitness, but she quickly realized that her asana and meditation practices enriched her mental and spiritual life as well as her physical well-being. In 2022, she completed her 200-hour YTT at Asheville Yoga Center. She soon began teaching a slow flow class for Health Promotion for Faculty & Staff at Appalachian State, where she was a professor for 30 years. She also began teaching an accessible gentle class for seniors in her neighborhood and serving as a substitute instructor for several facilities in Boone. Pam finds value and joy in every opportunity she has to share the practice of yoga with others.
Sation Konchellah
Sation is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and Certified Yoga Instructor.
Sation earned her 200-hour Yoga Certificate under the instruction of Kiesha Battles, and Candace Jennings with the I AM Yoga School in Charlotte, NC. Sation is a Reiki practitioner and Strategic Self Care Consultant who offers mindful movement and meditation sessions in addition to weekly Restorative Yoga Classes through the I Am Yoga platform. Practicing Restorative, Yin and Deep Stretch inspired Sation to invite more rest into her life. She shares these styles of yoga with students incorporating tools from Polyvagal Theory, she guides students to places of rest for the nervous system offering pause to the mind and the body. Expect to feel relaxed after a class with Sation. Your body will thank you.
When she is not serving in these ways, Sation enjoys the great outdoors; hiking, kayaking, tubing and playing at the beach. She also enjoys listening to audio books and especially looks forward to spending time with family and friends!
My favorite yoga related book is Radical Acceptance, Embracing your Life with the Heart of a Buddha. It was a life changing read that invited me to consider and remember to offer grace and compassion to myself AS I AM NOW… and not the “I’ll be glad when” version of myself.
Shakira Bethea
Shakira was born in the mountains of Colorado, but her roots run wide in the South. For her, North Carolina is home, where she integrates the timeless wisdom of her ancestors, nature, and the practices of Yoga and Usui Reiki Ryoho.
With over a decade of experience as a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, her deep commitment to embodied living has evolved over time, shaping her brand Rhythmic Bloom. She guides others on a journey of spiritual and personal development, helping them discover resonance in loving honesty, cultivate a mindful rhythm of living, and experience transformative movement.
Shakira is committed to fostering connections and partnering with community organizations that share her vision to provide accessible spaces that nourish the soul. You can learn more about her work at www.rhythmicbloom.com.
Instagram: @rhythmicbloom
Website: www.rhythmicbloom.com
Tamara Jeffries
An Iyengar-influenced instructor, Tamara offers an evidence-based yoga practice that incorporates science, philosophy, and meditation and centers holistic alignment and bodily autonomy. She completed yoga teacher training in 2013 at Triad Yoga Institute and meditation teacher training through the Open Heart Project in 2020. She serves on the advisory board for the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance and was an advisor for Yoga Alliance Standards Review Project.
Tamara was a Senior Editor at Yoga Journal and a journalism professor at Bennett College in Greensboro, where she also taught the first for-credit yoga class at a historically Black college. She is now an editorial projects director, helping organizations and institutions tell their stories.
Veronica Alarcon
Veronica started her yoga journey ten years ago. She was looking to find a balance that would help her with the stress, anxiety, and depression she was experiencing during that part of her life. For several years, the practice of yoga helped her balance her physical, emotional, and spiritual health. In 2020, she began to deepen her journey of self-healing and self-discovery and decided to complete her YTT 200 hr training at Zin Yoga Studio. Along the way, she has also completed her 500 hr YTT and Holistic Health Coach training by the Institute of Integral Nutrition of New York City (lIN). She believes that the practice of meditation, yoga and mindfulness can help everyone to live a much fuller and healthier life by taking care of their mind, body, and spirit. Veronica believes that yoga is for everyone, and she enjoys offering lots of options for movement where everyone in class feels welcome. She loves to create a space and an experience in every of her classes where people of all ages, skills and yoga level feel comfortable and safe on their path of yoga. She offers classes in English and Spanish.