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Lindsey VerStraeten, co-owner and yoga
teacher
Lindsey is a
co-owner of Metta Community Yoga Center. She
first began practicing yoga in 2001. Inspired by the sense of balance and
clarity the practice brought her, she completed her Yoga
Teacher Training with Kat Meyers, Jeff Martens and Michelle
Dante at Inner Vision Yoga.
Lindsey has worked in the community since 1998 at
HandsOn Phoenix and now in Mesa's Neighborhood Outreach
Department. Through HandsOn Phoenix and her work in
neighborhoods, she has had
the opportunity to learn about the strengths of this
community while exploring a wide array of social issues and
ways to create positive change.
Metta was created by Lindsey (and
many great friends) with a commitment to make yoga
accessible to others while providing space for people to
gather and feel a sense of community.
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Rhonda Oliver - co-owner
Rhonda is a co-owner of Metta Community
Yoga Center.
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Sonja Bochart, yoga teacher
Sonja, an Arizona native, has always been drawn to healing, the arts, and the environment. Yoga is the color thread that has offered her beautiful insight to her interests and greater meaning in life. Sonja is focused on the mind-body-spirit connection, and the great potential of yoga to calm our minds, empower our immune system, and connect us with our true essence. Her personal practice was deepened through YA 200 teacher training with Kat Meyers & Jeff Martens, and she is currently pursuing her 500 hour master level teaching certification. Sonja's teaching style focuses on cultivating self-awareness utilizing each student’s unique experience during asana practice as the vehicle for self-exploration. Sonja is also an interior architect focusing on sustainable and life-enhancing projects in our community. |
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Meghan Canada, yoga teacher
(500 hours)
Meghan is registered with Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level,
and received her certification through the Advanced Studies and
Teacher Training program at Yoga Pura, in Phoenix, AZ. Her
commitment to her own practice led her to devote her life to sharing
yoga with others. She has never met a yoga class in any style that
she didn't love, as a student or as a teacher.
Her classes are a blend of practical
philosophy, physical challenge and a light touch, dedicated to
helping her students use the practice of yoga to awaken to their
true Divine natures - along the way uncovering strength, joy and
ease that overflow the mat into the rest of their lives. |
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Angie Cox, yoga teacher
Angie has been teaching yoga since she
finished Yoga Teacher Training at SWIHA in 2006. She started taking
yoga classes after she moved to Arizona in 2000, and decided to
stick with it because of the amazing benefits of stress relief, good
exercise and flexibility. She enjoys teaching Yin because it’s a
great balance to the more physically challenging practices and an
opportunity to be quiet and go within.
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Nancy Ferraro, yoga teacher
Nancy has been
practicing yoga since 2006, when she took yoga as cross training for
running. Smitten from the first class, her passion for yoga grew
until it was a natural progression for her to teach.
Her eldest
student being 80 years old and her youngest 9, Nancy truly believes
that yoga can benefit everyone by opening the body to heal itself.
Her passion is to lead her students to discover their authentic self
and reach their full potential on their life journey. It is truly
her honor and energizing force in her life to bring yoga to her
community. |
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Cathy Genzler, yoga teacher
Cathy integrates teachings of the classical, ancient
yogis with contemporary insight and music to offer students a
dynamic and unique experience with each class that she teaches.
Cathy is fascinated with the human body; her understanding of
anatomy, physiology and biology is derived from her formal, ongoing
studies. She is currently working toward her 500 hour yoga teacher
certification.
Honoring the earliest interpretations of the science
of yoga, Cathy encourages her students to be mindful that the
physical practice of yoga (asana) is meant to bring the body to
place where the mind will finally become quiet, allowing the
essential nature of the person to be revealed. Cathy’s classes are
planned with this in mind, regardless of the level of physical
movement.
Cathy has studied nationally with a variety of
teachers including T.K.V Desikachar,
Dr.
Judith Hanson Lasater, Shiva Rea and Max Strom,
although her greatest inspiration comes from her students. Join her
for an uplifting and dynamic yoga experience!
More fun: follow Cathy on
her website
www.cathygenzler.com,
cathygenzler@gmail.com. |
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Zuzana Kolinkova, yoga teacher
I was introduced to Yoga very early in life by grandmother, who was a Yoga
enthusiast and advocate in Czech Republic. It is gratifying to recall visits
to her studio where she was teaching the same postures that I perform and
teach today. The art has been passed down within my family, and I have now
become the enthusiastic practitioner. Over the years my yoga journey has
taken me to many parts of the world in the role of both student and teacher.
In addition to my professional career in international trade and my
continuous pursuits of foreign languages, a fundamental part of my life is
Yoga. I am passionate about the practice of Yoga and I love sharing it with
my students, helping to guide them on their own personal yoga journey. |
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K-Lee,
bellydance teacher
K-lee has been a student of bellydance
since 1998, a professional dancer since 2002 and an instructor since
2004. In addition to teaching bellydance she also directs and dances
with local bellydance & world fusion dance troupe Natium World Dance
who performs around the Valley.
While her passion lies in teaching and
dancing tribal style bellydance, K-lee also thrives on teaching new
students the joy that can be found in using the body to dance its
way to a more fit life. Her teaching technique includes
encouragement, challenges, and above all- FUN! |
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Logan Milliken, yoga teacher
Logan Milliken has been practicing various styles of yoga since
2000. In recent years, Logan has become ever-more passionate about
her practice, which led her to receive her teacher certification
through At One Yoga, in Scottsdale, AZ.
Logan will always consider herself a student of Yoga as she is
constantly learning and discovering new lessons and pearls of wisdom
that Yoga has to offer; not only in the Asana practice, but also in
the ways we can choose to live our lives “off the mat”. Logan is
grateful to all of the wonderful teachers whom she’s been inspired
by over the years. Especially, and most recently, John Salisbury
and David Swenson.
In her classes, Logan loves to use music to inspire her student’s
journey inward. She offers a challenging Vinyasa class, that will
leave students feeling more grounded, open, relaxed and re-energized
when they leave!
Logan lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Chris, and their two
little boys, Hutch and Parker. When she’s not in the studio, Logan
can usually be found chasing her young boys, playing outside in the
vegetable garden, or in the kitchen trying out a new recipe! |
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Brijet Myers, yoga teacher
Brijet found yoga as a teenager and came to love the feeling of
inner peace and psychical strength it built in her. After her
teachers began suggesting she get certified to instruct, since she
was spending so much time in Yoga studios anyway, Brijet earned her
200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification at At One Yoga in Scottsdale
under the instruction of John Salisbury and Alex Austin.
Since then
she has taught many different styles of Yoga in many different
atmospheres. She draws her inspiration from her family, amazing
music and the incredible Yogis she has had the pleasure of
practicing with- from the famous instructors she has learned from to
the beginners who have come to her classes. Brijet lives in the
Metta neighborhood with her husband, daughter and newborn son.
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Kat Myers, yoga teacher & yamuna body
rolling practitioner
Kat is a dedicated, devoted and ever-evolving student of yoga and
life. She has been teaching since 1989 and teaching teachers
since 1996. Kat uniquely blends anatomy, alignment and body
rolling into a healing, contemplative and radically dynamic approach
to fitness and well-being. Kat is grateful to the inspiration
and teachings of Sri Gary Olsen, her Rhythmic Family, and all of her
wildly creative students that continually inspire, motivate and
teach her. Visit
www.yogabodyrolling.com to learn more about Kat.
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Patty Miller, yoga teacher
Patty has been
practicing yoga since 2000, when she needed a way to get back in
touch with her body after surgery. She had taken yoga classes in the past and always walked away thinking
"this is just not my style." However, after her surgery, she decided to
try yoga one more time. This time, it was exactly what she needed.
The pain and stiffness had taken away her ability to move and
breathe freely. Her yoga instructor introduced her to a practice
that was gentle, free from expectations and easily adapted to her healing
body.
In 2006, Patty
became a Certified 200 Hour Instructor (RYT) in Interdisciplinary
Yoga at the Nosara Yoga Institute with Don & Amba Stapleton. In
2007, Patty was also certified as a Pranassage®
Instructor, which is a yoga relaxation experience. Patty is
currently completing her 500 hour RYT Training Program.
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Katie Princic, yoga teacher and front desk
Having always led an active lifestyle,
Katie was initially drawn to the physical challenge of yoga
practice, however after realizing the mental and spiritual benefits
she was hooked. She absolutely loved learning about the history and
philosophy of yoga, the anatomy and physiology of asana, and
personal approaches to yoga, through teacher training at Inner
Vision Yoga.
Katie is thrilled to be able to share
yoga as a teacher, so that others might find the balance, energy and
joy that she has experienced from a regular practice. She enjoys
looking for fresh approaches and new insights in her teaching and
personal practice, and believe that there is always something new to
learn and that everyone has something to gain by rolling out the
mat! |
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Regina Robbins - yoga teacher
Regina is a forever student & a natural teacher with a B.S. in
Psychology, an M.A. in Spanish and over 10 yrs. of professional
experience teaching. She has been
teaching yoga since
2004. Her authentic style embraces a variety of
hatha yoga including Vinyasa, Anusara, Iyengar & Yin. Her classes
take yogis of all ages through a deep explorative process that
challenges students to integrate, exercise and align body, mind and
spirit. A true child at heart, she is a lover of God, life,
learning, nature, family and fun! She wants to create a safe
place to explore the joy of being a kid, a family & a community.
Regina practices and teaches with a playful
spirit and a heart full of joy, laughter and love.
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Lara Rosenberg - yoga teacher
Lara began practicing yoga in Arizona in 2000 and finished her
teacher training in 2004. In 2005, Lara’s inspiration to help those
abroad took her to do humanitarian aide work in post-tsunami Sri
Lanka and Southern India. Lara has also traveled many and continues
to explore many other parts of the world. Lara attributes her
unique teaching style to the many influences in her life. Lara
brings a fresh yet grounded style to her teaching she is always
changing and growing herself –she promotes and encourages this
philosophy in her teachings. Lara’s goal is to have her students
leaving class feeling free, light and energized. |
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Stacy Weiss, kids yoga teacher and front desk
Stacy began studying yoga during her last year in college (2005) and
has enjoyed learning and practicing ever since. In June of 2008 she
received her Laughter Yoga Certification and promptly began the
first Laughter Yoga class in Phoenix at Metta. Amazed by the
benefits of Laughter AND Yoga, Stacy has enjoyed the insight,
guidance and unending spiritual development yoga has provided her.
One of her goals is to teach and inspire others to discover how yoga
will help their personal journeys – and share how it's affected
hers.
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Jen Wheeler, yoga teacher
Registered at the 500-hour level with Yoga Alliance, Jen is also
certified as an Amrit Yoga Teacher and has served as a mentor for
the Yoga Pura Teacher Training program. With over ten years'
previous experience as an elementary teacher, Jen has a natural
knack for translating even the most complicated yogic concepts with
simplicity and clarity. With a friendly nature, lighthearted sense
of humor, and calming presence, she creates a welcome, nurturing
environment for all.
Jen is dedicated to helping her
students experience authentic yogic techniques to use in everyday
life to awaken their deepest potential for happiness, peace and
fulfillment. In addition to her daily practice of yoga and
meditation, Jen enjoys traveling, eating and spending time outdoors
with her husband, Craig, and their yellow lab. |
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Amber Williams, yoga teacher
Amber completed the 200 hour yoga teacher certification at SWIHA in 2005 under the guidance of Cain Carroll, author of "Partner Yoga." Her original motivation was to deepen her personal practice and expand her knowledge in all 8 limbs of yoga. As her practice evolved, Amber realized yoga was changing her life and was inspired to help others feel better inside their own bodies. Embracing this opportunity, Amber’s classes are filled with love, humor, and gratitude. |
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