YogaFlex

Honestly, she was quite jealous that she couldn't"do"those arm balances and was determined to figure them out. The more she practiced, the more she realized that yoga was so much more than spontaneously performing arm balances at parties!

The practice of yoga has led Dena to study with amazing teachers. She is very blessed to have extensively studied with Stephanie Keach as she was and will always be the person who showed her the love and passion of yoga. It is with Stephanie that Dena obtained her RYT as well as her Prenatal certification. Dena has also studied with Andrey Lappa, Peter Sterios, Grace Morales, Seane Corn and Bryan Kest. She believes in putting forth serious effort in one’s asana practice while at the same time listening to the body and remembering not to take asana practice too seriously. They’re just poses, after all.

Dena is most proud of her family, as she cooked 3 delicious babies (2 girls and a boy) all from scratch!

At the end of her first practice she felt a deep sense of coming home to herself. It was not long before transformation and healing began, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. As she continued to practice she began feeling much more deeply connected to everything else around her. In 2006 she completed a 230 hour YA certification, under the guidance of Dolly Stavros. "I am truly grateful for all of the amazing teachers whom have inspired both my practice and my teaching. Yoga enrgetically grounds me and enriches me spiritually, leading to greater self knowledge. I am honored to share this gift with others along thier own journey of purification of the mind, healing of the body, and connection to the spirit." Brooke encourages free-style and self expression both on and off the mat. Join her an environment of light-heartedness and compassion, breath and movement, and exexperience the profound benefits praticing yoga can have.

She is a householder devoted to her husband of 21years and a mother of three beautiful children. She has teacher trained in Power Yoga, with Grace Hewitt, Ashtanga Primary and Intermediate Series with Manju Jois, and Universal Yoga with Andrey Lappa . She has had the distinct honor of deepening her understanding of yoga through a year of study with Chandra Om, the senior disciple of Sri Dharma Mittra. Mara credits her intensive

studies with Yoga Master, Andrey Lappa, founder of the Universal Yoga System, as expanding her growth in all areas of the eight limbpath. Mara continues her spiritual studies with Andrey whenever he travels to the West.

Amity (RYT-200) has been involved in the fitness industry since 1995. She worked as a high school cheerleading coach with a strong focus on a conditioning program. She is an avid runner and marathoner. She became certified to teach indoor cycling class in 1998 and pilates in 2002. As a way to enrich her classes, she began to take yoga to find new core strengthening exercises. Not long after she found a love for yoga, her teacher encouraged her to start teaching. She has trained with and holds a Vinyasa Flow Certification and a Pre/Post Natal Certification with Stephanie Keach and a 200 Hr. Certification with Grace Morales and MyLinda Morales- Hutchings. She has taken several workshops including those with Andrey Lappa and Peter Sterios.

One visit to a Bikram yoga class 9 years ago and she was hooked! After practicing Bikram for 2 years, she was introduced to the practice of Ashtanga and was amazed by the possibilities! She has taken workshop intensives and classes with many renowned teachers including Andrey Lappa, Chandra Om, Beryl Bender Birch, David and Doug Swenson .

Her greatest experience practicing vinyasa style yoga has been completing the 200-RYT yoga studies program with Mara Healy at YogaFlex. She hopes to share with students the wonderful gift of yoga through the spirit in which Mara has shared with her.

Over time, of course, her body changed and Angi also found that yoga helped with both accepting and changing more than just the physical! She believes the physical benefits of yoga can change your days, but the mental

effects will change your life.

She completed her Yoga Alliance teacher training with Dolly Stavros through Red Stone Yoga and greatly enjoys continued growth by exploring and seeking new

teachers, styles and experiences. Angi loves to offer challenging multi-level classes for students to observe their reactions and explore their possibilities. Her firm belief is that everyone, from beginner to experienced practitioner, can benefit from finding their limits and stretching beyond! Sitting at your edge(mental, spiritual, or physical) is truly the path to personal growth.

Come experience a deep stretch class soon to find more mental and physical flexibility in your own life!

She has been practicing yoga since 2007. She came to yoga after a rib injury to literally learn how to breathe again. Through yoga, slowly, she found breathing, awareness, and gratitude.

After practicing for about a year, Renee committed to deepening her practice for herself and for the benefit of others. She completed her 230 hour yoga studies training at Yoga Flex under Mara Healy and considers it a privilege to guide others in yoga. She has been fortunate to study with Andrey Lappa, creator of Universal Yoga, and a modern yoga master. Renee earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 1999 and has been a practicing physical therapist since then. She incorporates her expertise in anatomy and movement into the asana practices that she teaches.

Yoga has proved to be a fascinating exploration of personal capacity for Renee. She finds it amazing that at every turn, in every moment, yoga brings to each one of us exactly what we need at the time.

Maria (RYT-200) began her yoga journey in the attempt to stretch after working out at the gym. Practicing yoga had a tremendous affect on her state of mind and physical body. She took her practice to the next level, and wants to share this experience with others. Maria completed her 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification with Grace and MyLinda Morales in May 2008. She plans on growing as a teacher by continuing to study and completing the 500 hour level certification. Maria also studies Fine Arts and is a talented professional photographer you can view her work at www.marialages.com

Olya (RYT-200) first came to yoga in 2001. She signed up for a semester course in yoga led by Debbie George, Kripalu RYT-500. Olya signed up for this class because she thought the word yoga sounded magical and she wanted to learn more.

Olya used to believe that exercise had to be hard core, sore muscles, pain, pushing yourself to the limit. Yoga taught her a different, gentler approach to not only physical exercise but also to life. She discovered this "HA" moment and she learned that you can only feel it if you are carefully listening to yourself and surroundings.

In 2009 Olya completed her 200 hr teacher training with Stephanie Keach, owner of Asheville Yoga Center, who is a teacher that is all about eclectic blend of styles: Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Core Strengthening, Zen Philosophy, Compassionate Humor and Ecstatic Chanting. This blend spoke to Olya and now she is very happy to give back to community by teaching herself.

She remembers her first yoga class as being a time when she felt really free. As a fitness instructor at the Charlotte YMCA’s for the past 20 years, she has always enjoyed teaching others, and thus was led to study with many amazing teachers who helped her along her path to teaching yoga. Chrys has a love for Anusara Yoga techniques and has studied under John Friend, Sienna Sherman and Desiree Rumbaugh. Locally, she credits Johnna Smith for showing her how to help transform her students experiences in class “off the mat”. Chrys practices yoga therapy through her company BalancedBody Yoga Therapy, enabling her to work one on one with her clients to help them along the path to healing.

She needed a way to cross-train and stretch out tired muscles. After a few months of regular practice, she discovered how yoga not only opened up her hamstrings but opened up her life. Within a year, she was so excited about what she'd discovered that she wanted to share it with others. Lecia completed her 230 hour RYT training program under the tutelage of Dolly Stavros. Her classes are sometimes "hard" but always fun, and she loves seeing the look on her students' faces when they make a connection to something they've never tried before.

In addition to yoga, Lecia enjoys running, biking, and beekeeping.

www.wandakoch.com