Our Teachers – Spring 2021

Spring Into Well-Being Yoga Teachers

These talented teachers are leading our classes
April 9 — June 20, 2021

Michaele Woodhouse

Michaele WoodhouseGentle Yoga for Healing, Monday 1 pm
Michaele’s practice on the mat began about 9 years ago, when a vinyasa class became much more than the asanas; it became a dance for her soul. Her love for yoga led to becoming a teacher through Yoga-Mojo Studio in Cary, NC. In addition, Michaele has trained in Yoga for Cancer Patients and Survivors through the UNC Lineberger Center. Michaele teaches several styles of classes: vinyasa, gentle, restorative, and yoga for cancer survivors. For her, it is about meeting everyone on their level.

In addition to You Call This Yoga, Michaele partners with  Waverly Hematology Oncology in their Healthy Movements Program. She has been a Reiki Master since 2010 and recently became certified in Thai Body with Michael Sitzer. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Nicole

Restorative Yin Yoga for Veterans and Their Families, Monday 5:30 pm
Nicole has been practicing yoga since 2015. She is certified through Asheville Yoga Center. Nicole teaches Vinyasa Flow which synchronizes the movements of the breath with a dynamic sequence of connected yoga postures joined together in a smooth, flowing way. Her goal is to help students physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually through yoga. The link between teacher and student is stressed so that care is taken of all students. She creates a space for all students to feel safe and supported as they develop in their own personal practice of yoga.

 

Kiesha Battles

Keisha BattlesYin for Bedtime/Anytime, Monday 7 pm
Community Yoga (BIPOC Healing), Thursday 6 pm
Kiesha Battles (E-RYT 500) is Yoga Director at Charlotte Family Yoga Center and a full-time yoga teacher and trainer who studied with Maya Breuer and Kristine Kaoverii. Kiesha speciality is in Yin Yoga under training by Bernie Clark. Kiesha earned a graduate degree in Asian studies, with a certification in international business and a focus on Asian philosophy, religion, and modern language. Through her academic studies, she was exposed to Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and yoga. Kiesha has taught for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte for eight years and was a R. O. S. E. Award recipient. She has been featured in the book Yes Yoga Has Curves, interviewed by the Charlotte Post and in Pride Magazine. In 2016, Kiesha was honored as an inaugural Self-Care Charlotte Ambassador. In her role, she promotes self-care for the purpose of nurturing healthy lives and relationships for individuals, families, and communities. In 2018, she was appointed Co-Director of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color™ and in 2020 to the Board of Directors for Amplify and Activate.

Facebook: I AM YOGA
Instagram: iamyogaclt
Website: Kiesha Battles
Contact: yogadirector@kieshabattles.com

Bethany Goodson

Bethany GoodsonFlow – Meditate – Journal, Tuesday 6:30 am
Community Yoga (BIPOC Healing), Thursday 6 pm
Bethany Goodson (RYT 500) was trained in Denver, CO and holds an advanced yoga teacher training certification. She has completed additional training to specialize in vinyasa, yin, kids, hot, trauma-informed, and adaptive yoga. Her signature offerings feature the complementary pairing of movement and writing to support connection, reflection, and clarity.

Bethany is honored to be one of four teachers leading the BIPOC community classes. Expect a slow flow followed by longer holds to unwind the body and open the heart.

Facebook: The Free Hearts
Website: The Free Hearts
YouTube Channel: Bethany Goodson
Contact: info@thefreehearts.com

Jyoti Shah

Healing Yoga for Back Care, Tuesday 10:30 am
Jyoti (RYT 500, E-RYT 200) is the founder of YogaSheila in Northwest Cary and has been teaching yoga for over 16 years. She is a professional yoga and meditation teacher trained under the living tradition of the Himalayan Institute. and has completed her Yoga Alliance recognized RYT 500 and E-RYT 200. She is also a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, trained under the guidance of world-renowned psychologists and meditation experts Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

She follows the practice of Hatha Yoga, which helps develop every aspect of an individual: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Her teaching encompasses classic asanas, mindful movements, breath training, meditative and energizing pranayama techniques, and the “flow of awareness” relaxation technique to access a deeper state of inner awareness leading into meditation.

Jyoti continues her professional development by attending advanced trainings and workshops with yoga gurus and therapists around the country. Her specialized training and certifications include Yoga for Mood Management, Breath Work and Prana Awareness, Yoga for Low Back Pain, Yoga for Neck and Upper-Back Pain, Yoga for Pelvic Floor, Yoga for Athletes, and Restorative Yoga.

Facebook: YogaSheilaNC
Website: YogaSheila
LinkedIn: Jyoti Shah
Contact: jyoti@yogasheila.com

Kristen Rae

Kristen RaeLow-Impact Stability Flow, Tuesday 12 pm
Stretch & Rest: Gentle Movement and Restorative Yoga, Friday 10:30 am
Kristen Rae is a Yoga Therapist with over 13 years of experience — teaching many types of classes, running workshops, giving private instruction, and organizing yoga events. When Kristen isn’t teaching yoga, she is hanging with her family, rarely very far from a beach. She enjoys traveling and teaching yoga annually in Jamaica, Australia, and Indonesia.  Kristen is currently You Call This Yoga’s social media manager and programming co-chair.

Please join her weekly classes. All levels welcome, all the time!

Facebook: Yoga with Kristen Rae
Instagram: kristen.rae
Website: Kristen Rae Yoga
Contact: Yogawithkristenrae@gmail.com

Amy Rockwell

Amy RockwellActive Yoga for Healing, Tuesday 5:30 pm
Amy has been a fitness professional for over 25 years in both corporate and private practices. She found her true passion for teaching in yoga. She has completed both 220-hour teacher training and advanced training in Yoga for Cancer Patients and Survivors. Amy has 24-year old identical twin girls, who are her best friends and the center of her world. Her father was in the military, which influenced her decision to join. She was commissioned after College Army ROTC, and left the Army to raise her daughters and become a fitness professional.

 

JJ Gormley

JJ GormleyHealing Yoga, Wednesday 11 am
Yoga for All Levels, Thursday 1:15 pm
JJ Gormley (MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500) is the SCHYS Executive Director of the training programs, where she acts as the main curriculum designer, program coordinator, and program director.  JJ received a B.S. degree in Mathematics, an M.S. in Complementary Integrative Medicine,  and a Graduate Certificate in Nutrition.  She is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Registered with the Yoga Alliance as an Experienced Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500), a Prenatal Teacher (RPYT), and Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT). She has been and continues to be a student of yoga (since 1979), teaching since 1989, and running teacher training programs since 1994. Her teacher training programs have been registered with the Yoga Alliance since 1999 and her Yoga Therapy Certificate Program with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) since 2017.

JJ has studied from some of the world’s leading teachers and has studied from many of the major yoga traditions including Integral Yoga, Kundalini, Iyengar, Anusara, Ashtanga, and Viniyoga. She was the event coordinator for the Yoga Therapy Summit in 2013 and 2017.  She has presented at the annual Symposium for Yoga Therapy & Research (SYTAR) and the Yoga As Medicine conference in Washington, DC, taught an eight-week series on yoga philosophy for the Smithsonian Institute’s Resident Associate Program, and served on a panel on Yoga for Systemic Lupus at the National Institute for Health in Bethesda, MD.  She is currently serving on the IAYT’s Accreditation Committee and is on the Advisory Board for Yoga Therapy Today magazine. She has also published many VHS and DVD recordings, a CD, multiple training manuals, co-authored Holistic Healing with Yoga Therapy, and has been featured in numerous magazines and articles. In her spare time she loves to go on walks and hikes, or can be found reading, knitting, gardening, or hanging out with friends who like to play cards, enjoy good food and good company.

Facebook:  JJ Gormley
Instagram: yoginijj
LinkedIn: JJ Gormley
Website: Surya Chandra Healing Yoga
Contact: jj@schys.yoga

Claire Cunneen

Claire CuneenChair Yoga Flow, Wednesday 5:30 pm
Claire Cunneen began her career as a group fitness instructor in the late 90s. She holds a degree in Sport & Exercise Science and is a Yoga Therapist, along with many other qualifications. Drawing from both personal and professional experiences throughout this time, she has developed a passion for helping others to live not only healthier, but happier lives. She is dedicated to creating sessions that are welcoming and inclusive for everyone.

Her teaching is beneficial for the physical body, soothing for the mind, yet also fun and uplifting. Her goal is to positively impact anyone that she encounters — inspiring people to feel connected, happier, and live life to the fullest, no matter who they are, what body they are in, or what stage of life they are at. As an Accessible Yoga Teacher and owner of LV Chair Yoga Australia she is striving to make Yoga accessible and available to everyBODY!

Website: LV Chair Yoga
Facebook: LV Chair Yoga Australia
Instagram: @lvcyau
LinkedIn: Claire Cunneen
Contact: Claire@getfitwhereyousit.com

Sara de Miguel Hernández

Sara Miguel de HernándezFlowithme Chair Yoga, Thursday 7 am
Sara de Miguel Hernández is a Life Coach, corporate yoga teacher, and Founder of Flowithme. Often known just by her brand name, Flowithme, Sara lives in Cork, Ireland where she helps people to navigate their wellness journeys. Her technique incorporates the practice of chair yoga, life coaching, and cooking with Thermomix, helping her clients to reflect, rebalance, and refocus in any area of their life. Sara works in English and Spanish, both with individuals online, on a one-to-one basis, and with larger corporate groups.

Website: Flowithme
Facebook: Flowithme
Instagram: @_flowithme_
YouTube: Flowithme
Contact: sara@flowithme.com

Courtney Gendron

Courtney GendronCommunity Yoga (BIPOC Healing), Thursday 6 pm
Courtney (she/her/hers) has a background in dance and started her yoga practice in a modern dance class warm-up without even realizing she was practicing yoga. She enjoyed the benefits of yoga and continued her practice at local DC studios until moving to Charlotte, NC. She continued her practice and in 2017, began to pursue her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. She is an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, has completed her RYT 200 certification in the Tantra Lineage, and is also certified in Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.

Courtney continues to grow as a teacher by her current enrollment in a 300-hour  Yoga Teacher Training, focused on social justice. Her goad is to provide yoga to those that would otherwise not practice yoga.

Website: Yoga Courtney
Facebook: Yoga Courtney
Instagram: @yoga.courtney
LinkedIn: Courtney Gendron
Contact: ortney@gmail.com

Karla Vallecillo

Karla Vallecillo imageCommunity Yoga (BIPOC Healing), Thursday 6 pm
Karla Vallecillo is from Nicaragua and is a devoted full-time yoga teacher. She received a B.S. degree in Recreation and Sports Management and is certified in multi-style yoga.  She specializes in gentle vinyasa and restorative yoga; her classes combine both strength and mobility. Through her teachings, she aims to provide an inclusive and safe space for her students to explore, learn, and experience the healing abilities of yoga — both on and off the mat. Karla offers online group classes and private sessions, serving  the community in English and Spanish.

Karla Vallecillo es de Nicaragua y es una instructora de yoga dedicada a tiempo completo. Recibió una licenciatura en Administración de Recreación y Deportes y está certificada en yoga de estilos múltiples, se especializa en vinyasa suave y yoga restaurativa, sus clases combinan fuerza y movilidad. A través de sus enseñanzas, su objetivo es proporcionar un espacio inclusivo y seguro para que sus estudiantes exploren, aprendan y experimenten las habilidades curativas de yoga. Karla ofrece clases de grupo en línea y sesiones privadas, sirve a la comunidad en inglés y español.

Monica McGee

Monica McGee imageYoga Stability & Balance in Spanish, Saturday 8:30 am
Monica has been teaching yoga since 2012. Her passion and driving force is to share the wisdom yoga brings into our relationship with the world and with ourselves. She loves to teach classes with her husband, Kendall, and to be a mom to her daughter and step-daughter, Montsi and Ella.

Monica offers a space for transformation while skillfully weaving structure, energy, and perspective in her classes. She has accumulated over 8,000 hours of instruction at all levels and co-owns The Elements yoga studio in Charlotteville, VA.

Amma Fandiño

Amma FandiñoChair & Standing Yoga in Spanish, Saturday 10 am
(alternating with Juan Martinez)
Amma Fandiño (RYT 500) has been a devoted yogini for over 28 years and a passionate biologist for 27 years. She holds a master degree in environmental sciences from Yale University and is a certified Integral Yoga and Accessible Yoga teacher. She is also trained in Therapeutic Yoga, Yoga for Arthritis, Yoga of Recovery, Lifeforce Yoga, Prison Yoga, and Mindfulness.  Amma’s passion is to share yoga with communities with challenges and conditions of vulnerability on a physical, mental, and emotional level. Amma has been dedicated to teaching cancer patients and their caregivers. Amma’s inspiration is bestowing support to patients in order to improve their quality of life as well as their ability to cope with the difficult circumstances associated with the disease.


Another facet of Amma’s vocation is teaching yoga to people with anxiety, depression, and addictions. Currently, she teaches in two prisons in Bogotá.  She dedicates her efforts to provide a space that promotes empowerment, rehabilitation, and healing of those deprived of liberty, as well as supporting their addiction recovery processes. Amma is contributing to the Accessible Yoga (AY) program since 2015 and is a regional representative of the AY group in Spanish. As a Yoga Accessible Trainer, she feels honored and fortunate to support the training of yoga teachers in the Spanish-speaking community. She lives in Colombia with her husband and two kids and loves to spend her free time in contact with nature.

Amma Fandino, RYT500, MSc, ha sido una devota yogini por más de 28 años y una bióloga apasionada por 27 años. Con maestría en ciencias ambientales de la Universidad de Yale, es profesora certificada de Hatha Yoga Integral y Yoga Accesible. También cuenta con entrenamiento en mindfulness, yoga terapéutico, yoga para artritis, yoga para adicciones y depresión. La pasión de Amma es compartir el yoga con comunidades con desafíos y condiciones de vulnerabilidad a nivel físico, mental y emocional. Amma se dedica a enseñar a pacientes de cáncer y a sus cuidadores, apoyando el mejoramiento de su calidad de vida y su capacidad para asumir las difíciles circunstancias de la enfermedad. También ofrece clases en dos cárceles en Bogotá promoviendo espacios hacia el empoderamiento, la rehabilitación y la sanación de las personas privadas de libertad. Amma participa del Programa de Yoga Accesible desde 2015, representa al grupo regional de YA en español y hace parte del grupo de profesores del entrenamiento de Yoga Accesible apoyando la formación de maestros de la comunidad de habla hispana. Vive en Colombia con su esposo y sus dos hijos y le encanta pasar su tiempo libre en contacto con la naturaleza.

Website: Amma Fandino
Facebook: Accessible Yoga- Español
Contact: yogaconamma@gmail.com

Juan Martinez

Juan MartinezChair & Standing Yoga in Spanish, Saturday 10 am
(alternating with Amma Fandiño)
Juan es profesor certificado en Yoga y Meditación, Hatha Yoga y Ashtanga Yoga, como en Yoga Accesible, Yoga Inclusivo (Yoga Terapéutico especializado en discapacidades, adicciones, patologías y persona adulta mayor), Yoga y Encarcelamiento, Yoga y Trauma Informado. En la actualidad está realizando una maestría en Yoga Terapéutico.

A compartido la práctica del yoga a través de distintos programas, en centros penales, rehabilitación de adicciones, adultos y adultos mayores, personas de la calle, salud mental, personas con discapacidad física y hospitales.


Su enfoque va más allá de la práctica postural y busca mostrar a través del Yoga, un santuario, un laboratorio, una oportunidad, un lugar para la contemplación y la expresión de la compasión y respeto a nosotros mismos como a la vida misma, descubriendo así nuestras virtudes y fortalezas, todo desde el punto más positivo de cada experiencia hacia la transformación y dándole importancia a la técnica como a la filosofía y la psicología de la práctica, acercando el yoga desde el Yoga inclusivo, adaptado, accesible y diverso, hacia todas las personas con o sin discapacidad y procesos de vida, integrando a las práctica de asanas, las técnicas de respiración, atención plena, meditación guiada, relajación profunda, sonido terapia y reiki, todo como una terapia no solo para el cuerpo, sino para la mente y el alma.

Tom Spector

Tom SpectorMeditation and Healing, Sunday 7 pm (Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3)
Tom is internationally regarded as a refreshingly effective meditation and healing teacher.  He began meditating in 1968 while enrolled in an intense graduate program at Yale University.  He was struggling not only with the curriculum, but also with anger and a battered down self-esteem.  Meditation clarified issues and elucidated the paths forward.  Tom then completed the full PhD Program in record time.  Tom started teaching in 1976, after a magical meeting with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross at a Ram Dass meditation retreat. Tom’s book, Our Two Gardens: How to Cultivate Healing, and his CD, Meditation and Healing, are available on his website.

Website: Hatha House Yoga Studio
Contact: spectors@mindspring.com

Erin Flanagan

Erin Flanagan imageMindful Meditation, Sunday 7 pm (May)
Erin was first introduced to mindfulness and meditation while working as a registered nurse in Vancouver, BC. The practice supported her professionally and personally to meet herself and others with more kindness, understanding and patience. Erin is a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher through the University of California San Diego’s Center for Mindfulness and she has completed her Mindful Self-Compassion teacher training through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. She is also a yoga teacher and enjoys restorative and hatha yoga.

 

Website: J. E. Flanagan
Contact: justnowmindfulness@gmail.com

Anjana Rathores

Anjana RathoresMeditation, Sunday 7 pm (June)
Anjana began yoga as a way to fight-off polymyalgia rheumatica and adopted it as part of her daily routine. Having personally benefited, she developed a passion for yoga and made it her mission to spread the goodness of yoga as a way of life to seniors with similar age-related conditions and to communities in need. She received her first yoga teacher training in 2016 and is continuing to train in various forms of yoga including chair yoga and yoga-trapeze.