Instructors

Rey Cardenas

My yoga practice began as a means of relieving stress associated with playing poker professionally online. Long hours of psychological and economic warfare along with a poor diet and negative sense of self led me to seek refuge on my mat. I began to practice yoga on the wii fit, then at gym, then at a local studio. My mat became a sacred space that allowed me to experience the present moment manifesting itself as physical sensation. My love of yoga surpassed my diminishing love for poker. I enrolled in teacher training at my home studio determined to get hired once the program was finished. Coincidentally, on the day of our graduation, online poker became illegal in the United States. I ended up getting hired at the studio and taught there for 2 years.

As things evolved, the opportunity arose to open Practice Yoga in my favorite neighborhood in downtown Austin! PYA is the result of pure grace. I’m grateful to be on this path, doing work that I believe in, and serving my community. The classes that I offer are alignment based and are meant to help people find embodied meaning.

Adriene Mishler

Adriene Mishler is an actress, writer, international yoga teacher and entrepreneur from Austin, Texas. On a mission to get the tools of yoga into schools and homes, Adriene hosts the YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene, an online community of over 5 million subscribers. Yoga With Adriene provides high quality practices on yoga and mindfulness at no cost to inspire people of all ages, shapes and sizes across the globe. YWA was recognized by Google as the most searched workout of 2015, has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal and was awarded a Streamy in Health and Wellness in 2016. Adriene also co-founded the subscription network Find What Feels Good, dubbed the first “Netflix For Yoga” providing creative Yoga and Yoga Lifestyle content across all devices. Adriene combines studies of traditional yoga with developmental movement, storytelling and mindfulness. Her approach to regular self care embodies a playfulness, wisdom and humor that encourages all personalities to the mat. With a professional theatre background Adriene works in television, voiceover, film and dance and is a regular contributor for magazines and blogs. She has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in Health and Fitness two years in a row and travels to host classes and workshops in yoga, meditation and self care all across the globe.

Laura Joy DeBolt

I fell in love with practicing Yoga when I moved to Austin in 2007 and began teaching after I completed my first 200 hour teacher training in 2010. I went through another 200 hour training in 2013; it was a beautiful revisitation of the foundations of Yoga. I then completed Practice Yoga Austin’s 300 Hour Advanced Teacher Training in 2016, which precipitated an incredible transformation in my teaching. I have enjoyed being a student in PYA’s robust Continuing Education Program since then.

I began teaching Yoga Teacher Trainings in 2018. Over the years of offering these 200 hour trainings, my curriculum and lectures have continuously been informed by the practical, real life experience of being in the classroom, and I eagerly look forward to each meeting with my students.

I have over 5,000 hours of teaching experience and a passion for Yoga that just won’t quit. My Yoga classes are challenging in a lighthearted way, with an emphasis on grounding and careful alignment. I try to design every class I teach to be a “full-body, feel-good” class.

Jenni Bacich

A recovering perfectionist, Jenni found Yoga gifted her a way to move without attachment to an outcome. The community, lack of competition and insightful guidance of many teachers empowered her to slowly shift focus away from how her body appeared or functioned on any given day. When she stopped overriding her body’s limitations, she began craving daily movement from a soul-space.

A passion for coaching others to transform their relationship to their own energy, combined with gratitude for the effect yoga has on mental health, led Jenni to earn her 500-hr RYT through Practice Yoga Austin, with focused study in Trauma & Stress Informed Yoga, Yin & Restorative Yoga and Foundations of Ayurveda.

Jenni’s talent lies in creating an environment where students feel nourished in movement and stillness alike. In her classes you can expect a mix of dynamic and functional movement interspersed with traditional asana to soothe the nervous system and energize the soul. Students will be given a variety of options to authentically embody their practice and prop usage is emphasized to facilitate the experience of freedom that supported alignment can bring.

Jenni offers a donation based EDM Glow Flow class on the 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month (7:30-8:30pm). Plan to flow through a powerful set of asanas, seamlessly sequenced to electronic music that will light you up on a soul level as you head into Saturday night.

Marnie Castor

I first came to the practice of yoga in 1995 in Los Angeles, California. In 2005, I completed my first 200 hour Teacher Training with Jenny Aurthur at YogaWorks in New York City. For nearly four years, I managed the YogaWorks Main Street Studio in Santa Monica, California where I had the privilege of practicing with the some of the finest senior teachers in the country. In 2009, I studied another 200 Teacher Training with James Brown at Yoga Poser and in 2010, I apprenticed with Chad Hamrin in the YogaWorks 300 hour Teacher Training. After having sustained a back injury, I found my way to Therapeutic Yoga and later apprenticed with Jasmine Lieb. In 2011, I completed the Level One Certification in Urban Zen.

My teaching style is an alignment-based, slow-flow with an emphasis on mindfulness and breath. I currently teach the inmate population at Dell Valle Correctional Facility.

Hannah Charles

Hannah’s yoga practice started out as a form of exercise and stress relief that slowly evolved into a lifestyle as she began to recognize the benefits that yoga offers on and off the mat. Yoga has helped Hannah to become more present, enjoy the little things, and see the beauty in everything. It has also helped her to feel empowered and confident by listening to and trusting her body, knowing that everyone’s body is different. After several years of practicing yoga and acknowledging a shift in her perspective as well as her overall well-being, she felt called to become a teacher to share these feelings with others in the community. Hannah completed her 200 hour teacher training with Practice Yoga Austin in 2021 and is certified through Yoga Alliance.

She has found that slowing down on your mat can translate to slowing down in life which everyone can benefit from. Her teaching style is a slow, intentional flow with an emphasis on breath work. She leads her classes at a steady pace that allows you to fully connect breath with movement so you can feel the benefits of each pose by being present in your body.

Hannah believes that movement is medicine and yoga is for everyone. She is passionate about holding space for people from all walks of life to come to their mats to connect with and learn about themselves and others. She strives to create an uplifting environment where all feel welcomed and supported, making each class accessible to all levels by offering modifications and using clear instructional cues. Her goal as a teacher is to inspire others to be present, cultivate kindness, and live authentically by practicing self love.

Iva Drtina-Hall

Iva Drtina-Hall E-RYT500, From an early age, she explored all facets of body awareness, from ballet to jazz dance, African dance, gymnastics and yoga.Her interest in health, nutrition and alternative medicine began when she studied Physiology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, It was also at this time that she was introduced to Yoga by her mother in 1985.

Iva’s extensive travels throughout Asia, North America, Europe and Australia had broadened her view of different cultures, philosophies and traditions. She spent many years living and working in Japan, teaching cross cultural awareness, running a café-lounge with her husband in Tokyo and teaching yoga. Her experiences and her studies opened the doors to many new healing modalities such as fasting, cleansing and vipassana meditation, which she incorporates into her yoga and meditation classes, workshops and retreats in India, Japan and the US.

Iva completed her Yoga Arts Teacher Training in 2002 in Byron Bay, Australia and is certified under Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching in San Francisco, Japan and Austin focusing primarily on Vinyasa Flow and Yin Yoga. She continues her own education, participating in Yoga workshops from Seane Corn, Shiva Rae, Donna Farhi, Gary Kraftsow. Her interests recently reside in the complement of a Vinyasa Flow practice with a Yin restorative practice to fully balance and restore harmony to oneself. She has studied under great Yin teachers such as Paul Grilley, Sarah Powers and Bernie Clarke. She has developed her own Yin Intensive training, teaching students and yoga teachers how to practice and teach Yin Yoga. Iva hosts retreats and workshops internationally as well as facilitating on teacher training programs in Austin, Hawaii, India, and Japan.

Courtney Hans

Courtney has been teaching yoga since 2013. She earned her 200-hour yoga teaching certificate in 2013 and is currently enrolled in Practice Yoga Austin’s 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training. She is recognized by Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 200 and YACEP.

Her first yoga experience was in 2001 in New Orleans after having finished college where she studied Sanskrit and Hinduism among other subjects. She took very little notice of yoga for the next 10 years but then was hooked. “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

Courtney’s teaching style is alignment-focused and she loves teaching people who are looking to explore movement and learn more about themselves through yoga. As a self-proclaimed athlete (running and hiking – Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Class of 2015), Courtney encourages safety and observation to create a sustainable practice.

Courtney has taught various styles of yoga and workshops in Washington, DC; Richmond, VA; along the Appalachian Trail; and Austin, TX.

Geannie Friedman

Geannie is RYT 500 hour certified from Practice Yoga and received this certification in February, 2022. She received her 200 hour certification from Practice Yoga in 2015. She is trauma informed, passionate about social justice, and has Social Work experience and an MSW. As a Wellness Specialist at a nonprofit in Austin, she taught yoga to individuals, couples, and group classes in people’s homes and in recovery centers. She currently has been teaching at studios and in the community for 5 years. In her own practice, she found the benefits of yoga very transformative both mentally and physically, lowering stress and anxiety, improving mood and energy, and decreasing back and neck pain. Yoga helps to restore and replenish the nervous system, and she uses yoga as a tool to help others in the community. She is very passionate about teaching yoga, making it welcoming and accessible for everyone, fun, and a practice for growth, strength, healing, and restoration.

Stacie Hawkins

I didn’t find yoga, yoga found me. I was having trouble coping with a traumatic life changing experience when I stumbled upon my first class. Before I discovered yoga, I was a personal trainer for several years. I was a competitive swimmer, and pretty much did every form of physical activity excluding yoga. One day, I was coaxed into a yoga class by a friend. The class challenged me physically and woke me up emotionally and ever since that first practice, I became a student for life.

I am a 500-hour E-RYT Certified Yoga Instructor and am also a certified personal trainer through NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) and have been teaching yoga in Austin since 2007. I continue to grow in my teachings through experience with my personal practice, studies with my teachers and my students. My teachings have a lineage in Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Anusara, and Iyengar and are heavily influenced by my knowledge of anatomy and sequencing as taught by my long time teacher, Shanti Kelley. I also incorporate the universal principles of alignment as taught by my teachers, KK Ledford, Jason Lobo, and Noah Mazé.

I believe that our yoga practice is a mirror to our everyday lives and can help us change our perspective if we learn to surrender and trust the process. I believe that yoga is for everyone and in my classes I emphasize the importance of self-awareness, alignment, and personal growth. My teachings are lighthearted, playful, and educational with creative sequences that are ever evolving and changing, just as we are. I look forward to growing and learning with my students both on and off the mat.

Shanti Kelley

Shanti began the study of Yoga in 1996 with her first teacher, Vince McCallaugh. With him, she studied the principles of asana, pranayama, yoga nidra, dharma and a gentle and light-hearted approach to practice. In 2000, she was granted her 1st Teacher Certification in the Lineage of Indra Devi and Elemental Yoga. After 7 years with her teacher she went on to study Astanga with Tim Miller, Iyengar with Lisa Walford and Bhakti with Dharma Mitra until finally landing with her current teacher Annie Carpenter in the system of Smartflow, an alignment-based style of vinyasa that she believes transformed not only her practice but her life. Her classes are rhythmic, progressive and steady; always calling to the student to look deep, dive deep and steadily rise. Shanti is a senior-level 500 hr certified teacher within Annie Carpenters Smartflow system and holds 2 different ERYT-500 certifications. She completed a Masters program in Spiritual Psychology in 2003 and is an accredited Yoga Therapist with the IAYT. Shanti is a Level 2 iRest Practitioner, for which she wrote her dissertation on the application of iRest within a Yoga Therapeutic setting; and is currently completing her Integrative Restoration certification with Richard Miller. Shanti has taken her love for alignment, anatomy, metaphor and philosophy and is Facility Instructor for several Teacher Trainings through the country, specializing in anatomy and kinesiology for Yoga Teachers. Her own anatomy manual, the Body as Metaphor, will be published in early 2018. Shanti is a life long student and practitioner of yoga and believes that yoga is for everyone for as long as they want it. She is honored to be a teacher of teachers and a guide to anyone on the courageous journey of life experience. She is quickly becoming an expert in her field and leads retreats, training and anatomy components for many teacher trainings both locally and nationally. She feels blessed to share her wisdom with all those in this developing global community of yoga!

Tamara Kenigsberg

Teaching yoga full time since 2011 Tamara’s classes are an intelligent and powerful vinyasa flow inspired by Kula, Katonah & Iyengar yoga paying attention to alignment while maintaining thoughtful and creative sequencing. Born & raised in Miami, Tamara currently resides in Austin and also teaches restorative, prenatal, pranayama, and serves on the faculty for various Yoga Teacher Training programs.

Shawn Kent

Shawn Kent is a licensed practicing counselor, a licensed massage therapist, and a certified Yoga instructor. Shawn specializes in Mindfulness Based Yoga Therapy and teaches yoga as a practical wellness discipline. He has run Mindfulness Based Yoga Therapy groups for adolescents in juvenile detention, for incarcerated adults, and currently for under-served youth in the public school system. He also runs Mindfulness Based a Relapse Prevention groups for youth in recovery. He sees yoga as a healing discipline that has the potential counteract many of the difficulties of modern life, and encourages students to truly practice mentally, physically, and emotionally both on and off of the mat.

Allison Bee Levy

Alli Bee has been on a mission in this lifetime to figure out how to find her light and let it shine! Now it has become her mission and purpose to help others to find their light as well! She has found in order to do this, one must follow their heart. Alli Bee has followed her heart and been inspired by the impact this practice can bring into one’s life. Yoga is not only about the physical body, but it delves deeper on a much higher frequency. This practice has helped her understand how to cultivate this energetic field of peace while embodying this light and being able to share it with the world. Alli Bee started her practice over ten years ago as an outlet for her frustration, sadness and anxiety. Yoga became a way for her to really get to know and be able to speak with her heart. The world can be a crazy place, but when she got on the mat, it became her safe space. A place where she can devote her heart to move with purpose, to listen to her body, and to find a way to release that toxic energy that no longer served her. Everytime she would arrive to class, she would set an intention to create the reality she wanted to live in. Manifesting your reality is something Alli Bee holds dear to her heart and she provides the space for her students to attain this just as her teachers did for her. She cultivates a sense of playful peace that lightens a room when she teaches. Her sequences are creative, yet flow with ease and purpose to calm the nervous system and realign one’s Chi. She grew up as a gymnast, so she also weaves in challenging, yet mindful moves that helps one really tap into their own body. With her positive messages and intuitive observations, she adapts to her students needs and creates a safe space to practice, while allowing them to move through the pose by following their hearts.

Alli offers Donation Based Holotropic Breath Work & Meditation on the Second Saturday of each month (7:30-8:30pm).

This class is a donation based breath work class using the Holotropic Breath Work technique. Alli Bee will be guiding you the whole time during this powerful journey with a short meditation to begin, 30 minutes of breath work and 20 minutes of integration at the end with a guided meditation. This class is open to anyone and is done lying down on the ground. No previous experience necessary.

Rachel Matyastik

Rachel was hails from Arlington, TX and has a BS in Engineering Sciences from Trinity University. She completed her 200 hr yoga teacher training with YogaWorks San Francisco in 2019 and her 300 hr training with Practice Yoga Austin in 2023, deepening her love and knowledge of this multifaceted practice. Through Yoga Rachel has developed coping skills that help her to stabilize through the turbulence of life.

Rachel continues to seek out development opportunities to strengthen her teaching and personal practice, particularly nerding out where yoga asana intersects with her mechanical engineering background. She teaches alignment based flow. You can expect to move with breath, build strength, and unkink the body from desk-posture. Rachel builds intelligent sequences, which work to turn the gaze inward and cultivate awareness of the self. Rachel is currently teaching in Austin, TX where she coaches her students to use the toolbox of Yoga to manage the chaos of everyday life.

Siara Morrow

Siara’s classes are exceptionally breath-based, centering on development of stable attention, an enlivened body, and a sense of ease. Connect your whole being through intentional breathing that enables deep āsana experiences. She weaves in subtle practices of introspection, self appreciation, prāṇāyāma and visualization as you press into well rooted patterns with new ways of expanding your practice. Guided by the belief that inspiration is our gift to each other, she intertwines concepts from Raja yoga, Haṭha yoga, Āyurveda, anatomy, psychology and behavioral health to draw your awareness into the richness of your inner experience.

Siara is a student and teacher mainly of Viniyoga, a lineage that intersects Raja and Haṭha yoga. Viniyoga was carefully engineered by T.K.V. Desikachar, son and student of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. In 2021, Siara is completing her 500 hour studies and beginning Yoga Therapy training at the Yoga Well Institute under the guidance of Chase Bossart, student of Mr. Desikachar, and Amanda Green, student of Chase. In 2018, she received her 200 hour certification under Mary Richardson and Kristen Folkens at Yoga Yoga. Siara also draws from her psychology and behavioral health studies at Drexel University.

Morgan Moulckers

Morgan, E-RYT500 and MSNS, discovered the transformative practice of yoga as a teenager and is deeply grateful for its influence that is weaved throughout every aspect of her being. As a lifelong teacher and student of the practice, her deep-rooted appreciation and reverence of the practice shows up in every aspect of her life. Morgan began teaching yoga as a freshman at UT Austin and her love of teaching has remained the most consistent piece of her through relationships, job changes, moving countries, and the ebb and flow of everyday life.

Morgan has learned under her teachers Leah Cullis, Kate Waitzkin, and Gioconda Parker and teaches primarily vinyasa-style classes infused with intentional breathwork, intelligent sequencing, yoga philosophy, and a playful energy and warmth she brings to every interaction. While Morgan is a powerful vinyasa teacher at heart, she has formal training in Yin Yoga and loves balancing the fire with grounded and balancing practices of Yin, breathwork, Kundalini, and Ayurveda — her classes seamlessly blend elements from different styles into something that is uniquely her own. Morgan received her Masters of Science in Functional Nutrition from UT Austin and is committed to living a life centered around feeling your best so you can show up for life in the way you intend. Through consistent practice and dedication to the practice, Morgan has made her mark in the corporate world as an HR Strategist for a Tech company, where she is able to shape the human experience of working in Tech and has had the privilege of sharing practices including yoga and breathwork with colleagues.

Having traveled through over 60 countries (and counting), Morgan began leading yoga retreats in 2019 and has held retreats for her students in Kenya, Morocco, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Banff, and Austin. Community and connection are at the center of everything she does. Morgan hosts handstand and inversion workshops in Austin and enjoys bringing students out of their comfort zone in a safe way. Morgan believes yoga is not something you do, but rather a way of being and showing up in the world through surrender, trust, and compassion for all things. Morgan lives on the East Side with her partner, Ryan, and her dog Kamo.

Gioconda Parker

I have been practicing yoga for 20 years, and teaching for 19. After my fifth yoga class, I knew I wanted to become a yoga teacher. My teacher training was a five-year internship-style program. We met at my teacher’s house once a week for a half-day, and assisted 4-5 classes per week. I spent hundreds of hours with my teacher, as his student, assistant, and helper. I learned much from him, and am eternally grateful for the foundation he provided me.

I also spent ten years under the guidance of a spiritual teacher, from whom I learned meditation, self-inquiry, the heart of devotion and relentless self inquiry. However, my greatest lesson came through the dissolution of our community and my choice to part ways with him. This journey more than any in my life challenged me to take responsibility for my own actions and for my own growth, and while it was difficult, I took this time to dive more deeply into studies in yoga, ayurveda and philosophy, and became the lead teacher in the first teacher training of a prominent Austin yoga studio.

I continued to study and practice yoga—-journeyed to India and Thailand—and upon my return continued to lead and to develop more teacher training programs, as well as international yoga retreats. In 2013, I completed my Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology and in 2014 I completed the three year training program in Somatic Experiencing and began seeing clients as part of my post training work. I became an SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) in June of 2016.

I teach Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga and Partnered Thai Massage, meditation and pranayama, the foundations of Ayurveda, and am well studied in the Yoga Sutras and other significant yogic texts. In addition, I have studied world religions, have been trained as a life coach, and completed a year-long energy healing course. I am an eternal student, and have found this supports my continued passion for teaching and mentoring. I love sharing what I know, learning what my students know, and having the opportunity to invest in my students with the same loving care my teachers invested in me.

Brandi Jo Perkins

Brandi Perkins was born and raised in the Austin Area. She began practicing yoga in 2003 and completed her first yoga teacher training in 2013. Over the years she has continued her studies in yoga and developed her practice as a Western Herbalist as well. She teaches alignment based classes that hone in on conditioning the body and mind. The classes will be centered in nourishing stability and mobility, developing strength while finding release, and building subtle body awareness. She also teaches Seasonal Yin Classes that blend meridian theory and herbal nutrition to balance with the natural changes of the year.

Sam Pullen

Sam Pullen hails from Louisiana. A yoga teacher, cook, and traveler, she is passionate about sharing asana practice with all walks of life, solo travel, self empowerment, and time spent outdoors. Sam earned her 200 RYT and 300 RYT from Practice Yoga Austin under Kiely Rutledge, Rey Cardenas, Gioconda Parker, G’nell Price, Shanti Kelly, Stacie Hawkins, Shawn Kent, Ive Drtine-Hall, and Jenn Wooten’s tutelage. Through out her training and teaching career so far, it has been her focus to guide practitioners in a way that is both a challenge and release towards peace and clarity of mind and body.

G’nell Price

G’Nell Price has been practicing yoga since 1998. Having over 1000 hours of teacher training provides her with a wide knowledge base for different styles and methods of Hatha Yoga. She is a former Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher. Additionally she has completed Baron Baptiste method of Power Vinyasa flow teacher training and assisted Baron on many occasions. She is influenced and inspired by her long time teacher Christina Sell.

G’Nell was given the yoga name, Karuna, “she who is full of compassion”, which appropriately describes her dedicated teaching. Her classes are lighthearted and challenging: you will feel supported, experience blissful alignment, leaving with inspiration in your heart and a smile on your face.

She works full time as a Behavior Specialist for children with multiple disabilities at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. G’Nell has witnessed amazing results for the differently-abled children practicing yoga. The radiant children at TSBVI are her inspiration and continually teach her about her own path.

G’Nell lives on the East side with her husband and Border Collie, Pippi. Come to her class to learn, laugh, sweat and shine!

Tyler Price

I remember taking my first yoga class while studying at Texas State University— I was intimidated and completely lost! However, I quickly noticed the effects yoga had on my mental health. I became a student for life. I found Practice Yoga Austin in 2015 and it became my home once I moved to Austin.

Eventually, I received my 200 HR Certification in 2020 under the direction of Laura Joy and Marnie Castor. I love teaching students how to practice in an accessible, sustainable way. A teacher once said, “We don’t come here to be good at yoga.” This is how I structure my classes. It is important to me that all students feel welcome, especially if they are new to yoga.

Off the mat, you can find me biking around Lady Bird Lake, jamming to 80s music, or buying too many houseplants.

Emily Smith

Emily Smith, M.Ed., CRC, CCM, C-IAYT, E-RYT has been practicing yoga since 1998, and teaching since 2003. As a former studio owner, she is experienced in teaching foundational yoga to advanced yoga practices. Her classes blend somatic experiencing, breath as shape change, intelligent flow sequencing and non-dualistic Tantrika yoga philosophy. She believes yoga guides us to live more courageously and vibrantly. Emily began working as a yoga therapist in 2006 after completing yoga therapy training. She has also been under the tutelage of Doug Keller since 2006 studying the Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga. Currently, she has undergone more than 4000 hours of training in yoga therapy, meditation, and pranayama with such teachers as Rod Stryker, Donna Farhi, Tias Little and Leslie Kaminoff. She maintains a personal practice under the guidance of Mahadevi Sandra Summerfield Kozak. Emily is certified by Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, a certified Y12SR yoga for addiction instructor under Nikki Myers, certified Love Your Brain instructor and has completed iRest levels I & II with Richard Miller. Emily draws upon her real world experience in working as a rehab counselor and yoga therapist in her teachings to make group classes a healing personalized experience.

Emily possesses an M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling, and has 20 plus years of experience as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor & Certified Case Manager. She works as a Director of a Yoga Therapy Training Program in Austin and serves on the Accreditation Committee for IAYT. In addition, she isCertified in Coaching Healthy Behaviors through The Cooper Institute, as a Main Street Vegan Lifestyle Coach, in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University and is a Certified Wellness Program Specialist through the Chapman Institute.

Jen Vu

Jen discovered sound healing in 2008. After being in a car accident and undergoing many different therapies, she still had ongoing sciatic pain. Looking for relief, she tried sound healing and in 2 private sessions the pain was gone for good. Jen has leaned on sound for her own healing, and during the pandemic was called again & again to sound. She has completed her sound healing training with the Atma Buti Sound and Vibrational School, is a certified practitioner with the Sound Healing Academy, and is a certified BLISSbowls practitioner. She offers one-on-one and group sound bath meditations to facilitate vibrational healing, working with Himalayan, quartz and crystal alchemy singing bowls, gongs and other sonic tools.

Jen has been teaching yoga in the Austin community since 2016. She completed her 500hr alignment-based vinyasa training with Shanti Kelley. She specializes in kids and aerial yoga and completed training with The Little Yoga House and Yogapeutics. She is a certified Meditation and Mindfulness teacher. Jen is also a certified Reiki Master, 10th generation healer in the direct lineage of Reiki founder Mikao Usui.

Jen brings teachings from all these modalities to integrate movement, play, self-care and good vibes to all her offerings! Connect with Jen on IG @sonic.starchild.

Jen teaches Donation Based Sound Bath Meditation on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Experience deep relaxation through an immersive sound journey where you are “bathed” in the therapeutic sounds of Himalayan, quartz and crystal alchemy singing bowls, gongs and other sonic instruments. Release stress and restore energetic balance in your body through vibrational sound healing.

Whitney Walsh

Yoga has been a centerpiece in my life for well over a decade. I practice alignment yoga to provide mental clarity in the moment and to explore my physical capabilities, emotional resilience, and character growth over the long term. And as a yoga teacher, I love guiding others on this journey to meet themselves.

I find the physical body and its infinite nuance fascinating, and I intend to spark others’ curiosities through my instruction. Our bodies are constantly evolving, dynamic – sometimes hard to master and sometimes hard to accept. Therefore, I teach students how to tailor poses to their bodies rather than crafting the “perfect pose.” I find this results in a sustainable asana (yoga postures) practice, promotes respect for our unique bodies, and supports physical longevity.

Through the body, yoga reveals and confronts familiar human experiences such as growth, limitations, eagerness, and disappointment explicitly and intentionally in a contained space on the mat. Thus, I may introduce advanced postures and offer challenging options with an open invitation for no expectations. Through this process, my yoga class provides the opportunity to confront the ego with compassion and integrity. Expect a certain amount of flow to harmonize breath and movement then prepare to still the body to meet the mind.

Tova Weinberg

Tova is a life-long yoga practitioner, and has been teaching yoga in Austin, TX since 2014. She has studied under Gioconda Parker and Christina Sell and is a registered E-RYT500 with Yoga Alliance.

Tova specializes in alignment-based vinyasa flow. She embodies her own unique playful style and makes class accessible for all levels of practitioners through her clear instructional cues. Her classes are fun and cultivate both strength & flexibility – and always sequenced to an awesome playlist.

Tova has been in the corporate world for over 15 years, and understands the constant tug of war of juggling a full time career and making time for yourself. Through her teachings, Tova’s intent is to nurture the balance that we all crave. Connect with Tova on Instagram @yogitova.

Jenn Wooten

Jenn’s yoga roots are planted in both the Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga lineages. She draws from these foundations and other yoga styles; Anusara and Yin Yoga to create a Vinyasa yoga style that cultivates strength, grace, fun and freedom of expression.

Jenn loves teaching students how to practice in a way that is accessible and effective. She encourages students to focus on the process of self-understanding over the poses and highlights the importance of discovering one’s inner teacher.

Jenn has an academic background in anatomy and physiology and combines this knowledge with an intuitive approach to healing. She has been teaching for 10 years and practicing for 18. She has taught classes in Thailand, Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica and the U.S. Her yoga practice and her family are the glue that hold her life together and she is deeply grateful for both.

Jenn has been teaching yoga for eleven years going. Her gift as a teacher is her ability to connect somatically and emotionally with her students to connect with the wisdom of their own bodies. She loves teaching students how to practice yoga in a way that is accessible and effective to strengthen the body, ground the nervous system and open hearts and minds. Her teaching style is loving, grounded, challenging and as irreverent as it is spiritual. She teaches teacher trainings, retreats and workshops both locally and internationally. She continues to discover herself and the world around by rooting deeply into family and teaching while uncovering the mystery and magic that come from showing up to life as it is.

Jess Zarowitz

Jess was first drawn to yoga as a way to soothe anxious energy and replace unhealthy coping skills that were no longer serving their purpose. Over the years, her practice has radically transformed into one that invites in more stillness and presence, a lens through which to observe the mind, regulate the nervous system and understand what it means to be embodied. Jess believes yoga is for every body and is passionate about making it accessible to all. In her classes, she aims and encourages us all to keep it real, do our best, be good to ourselves and others. She teaches regularly at the Lockhart Women’s Prison and her company IT IS: All Goods dedicates profits towards free yoga for underserved groups. You can find out more about her work at itisawebsite.com. Jess’ love of travel has provided her with a worldly perspective, open mind and free spirit. She’s a mountain mama at heart who loves to sink her bare feet into the earth and discover new things with her Catahoula Leopard Hound.