YOGA EDUCATORS WITH EXPERIENCE, all Triangle Yoga Instructors are

   available for private sessions. Please email them if you are interested.

 

 

 

 

Leah Barber attended the University of North Carolina for Elementary Education, and has been teaching kindergarten and 2nd grade for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for the past 5 years.  Her love for teaching carried over tino my love for yoga, so she attended a 200 hour certifiaction in 2010 and has been teaching both children’s and adult yoga ever since. She started practicing Bikram Yoga 9 years ago and found it to be challenging yet lacking in the mind body connection that she needed.  As an elementary school teacher she needed an outlet to help come down from stressful days, so she started practicinga a variety of yoga styles until she found Power Flow which , introduced her to the balance she was looking for. Power classes provided a good combination of breath work, stretching, strength training, and a mind

body connection. In 2010, she completed her teacher training in the Power Flow as well as a Kids Yoga training. Over all, Leah emphasizes core work in her classes to build stability and reduce injury. She encourages her students to do their best and be comfortable with where they are in their practice, helping them understand the poses and practice, as well as encouraging them to grow.

Her Kids Yoga classes are fun-filled with yoga, music and stories. She has a natural ability to work with children and provide an environment that is inclusive where each child can find comfort in learning yoga poses and invent new ones.  With her experienceas a kindergarten and 2nd grade teacher, she has gained valuable classroom management skills that carry over nicely into her yoga classes.  Leah provides a structured but loving and safe yoga class for children to enjoy.  Email Leah

David Beadle, MFA, is a professional dancer, movement teacher, licensed massage therapist,and certified practitioner of Body-Mind Centering. Influenced and inspired by many years of study with outstanding teachers in Somatics, Meditation, Iyengar, Vinyasa, and Kripalu Yoga, he has been seeing private clients and teaching yoga in various settings since 1984.

David's teaching approaches asana mindfully, gently, and deeply. He is interested in helping students embody a unique blend of alignment, movement, and breathing principles. David's classes will enrich your yoga practice with insight, subtlety and depth. Shedding new light on the inner workings of the poses, his approach offers an embodied exploration of the transformative and creative potential of Hatha Yoga. David's students can gain new levels of awareness resulting in a radiance that is both clearly and profoundly experienced.

David is co-director of  'Yoga Body, Mind and Spirit' ,

a yoga teacher's training program in Chapel Hill, NC.

Email David

 

 

 

Tracy Bogart, E-R.Y.T., has yoga roots that stretch back to her Waldorf School kindergarden curriculum when she was introduced to Eurythmy (the art

of speaking and singing through movements and gestures that are intended to reveal to the eye what language and music bring to the ears). Tracy's personal teaching style is directly connected to these roots. She creatively emphasizes the liquid- like coordination of breath and movement, along with the direct connection of expression of oneself through the heart and the body as a whole. When she teaches, each class organically unravels a unique sequence of poses designed to unleash the movement of energy within, tap into the energy around the body, and connect with the infinite space outside the room. A yoga instructor for over 25yrs, Tracy's traditional teaching experience was adopted in Southern California where she lived, studied and practiced yoga at the renowned YogaWorks in a variety of styles with teachers Erich Schiffmann, Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, Brian Kest, Rod Stryker, Ana Forrest, Lisa Walford, Max Strom, Steve Ross, Remy O'Neal and Robyn Shumacher. Looking for a way to continue studying with her teachers, find new teachers to study with, and stay close to home to raise her two daughters, Tracy opened Triangle Yoga. Through the years she has hosted (and studied with) over three dozen master teachers at the studio.

       

Tracy has been Co-founder and Director of Triangle Yoga since 1995. Prior to that time, yoga was not openly accessible in

'The Triangle', and it was difficult establishing classes for the public, so in 1992 she developed yoga programs in a number

of local gyms and fitness centers thus creating a new awareness for 'the practice' in the area. In addition to Tracy's teaching,

and managerial duties at the studio she has also taught yoga to the Men's Football and Women's Lacrosse teams at UNC

Chapel Hill and to students at the American Dance Festival in Durham. Tracy is certified as an Advanced Yoga Teacher

by the White Lotus Foundation, an Advanced Yoga Alliance Teacher, in Thai Yoga Therapy with Saul David Raye and has a

certificate of completion in Anatomy and Physiology with Carol Verner's 'Form & Flow' program. As senior teacher at Triangle

Yoga, Tracy recognizes how profoundly yoga transformed her life and gave it a purpose. Grateful for everything the practice

has provided, she is dedicated to sharing her enthusiasm for as long as she can through mentoring teachers,

empowering new students, and motivating continuing students to keep their yoga practice authentic.

Email Tracy   

Click here to see some of Tracy's press         

 

 

 

  

Jennifer Campbell has been practicing movement arts since she was 6 years old.

She came to yoga in 2006 to renew her spirit after years of dealing with a particularly aggresive case of Crohn’s disease.

The practice helped her to recover from an invasive gastrointestinal surgery in 2008 and helped her body rebuild and her center

to remain in tact. In 2009 Jennifer decided to take her practice off her own mat and into the community by enrolling in a 9 month teacher

training intensive through Blue Lotus yoga studio in downtown Raleigh. Through this program she had the pleasure of expanding her

practice under the skilled guidance of Jill Sockman, Yvonne Cropp, Carrington Jackson, Heather Tiddens, Warren Grossman,

and Kristen Cooper-Gulak. She is additionally inspired by the leaders of Off the Mat Into the World including Seane Corn,

Hala Khouri, and Suzanne Sterling who have helped her to create context around using yoga for activism and service.

Jennifer teaches an active yet introspective Vinyasa flow. She attempts to dive deeper into the purpose of the practice.

Students leave her classes feeling rejuvenated and balanced. While she appreciates the subtler movements and relaxing

sequence of a restorative or yin practice her Vinyasa styling is one of movement into stillness. Come to her classes to build

heat in the body, lubricate the joints, work with muscular energy and liberate the soul. Email Jennifer

 

Scott Campbell took his first yoga class in Texas almost 35 years ago. Although fascinated by the experience,

he detoured to L.A. for a career in acting, and amidst the craziness, explored the relationship between the mind, body, and

the emotions. Seeking balance in his life, he returned to yoga some 7 years ago and used his practice to heal, ground,

deepen, and expand what he learned as an actor. He is a student and teacher of Taoism and Tibetan Buddhism

as well as Indian styles of yoga. His teaching reflects the eclectic mix of his background, using what works

to help each student to uncover and move closer to their truth and the peace that eventually comes. Email Scott

   

 

 

 

Margaret Chesson, PT, RYT graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in Physical Therapy in 1976.

She has worked most of her PT career in orthopedic or geriatric physical therapy,  working

the past ten years at Carol Woods Retirement Center part time where she also teaches senior

gentle yoga classes. Her attraction to yoga was a natural extension of her interest in intersection

of western and eastern thought. She first trained with Ginger Garner, MPT, RYT, ATC, a long time physical

therapist and yoga teacher who specializes in chronic pain management. Most recently she successfully

completed the 220 hours of Yoga Teacher Training with Body, Mind and Spirit of Chapel Hill.

      

Margaret also credits the nurturing and attentive tutelage from the instructors of Triangle Yoga with the

development of her own personal practice. It is Margaret's desire to share her enthusiasm for the health

benefits of yoga with every Body and reassure you that it is never too late and you are never too old

to begin the yogic exploration. With the ample aid of props and supports, her classes meet

you where you are and invite you to experience the benefits of merging the therapeutics

of movements of your own body and breath with the focus of your mind. Email Margaret

 

 

 

Molly Drake has been practicing yoga since 1973. Through studying, practicing,

and teaching Iyengar yoga, she gained respect for the intensity and awareness

that one brings to practice. In pursuit of her own authentic expression of the spirit of

Hatha Yoga, Molly has explored and studied with many nationally known teachers

and has particpated in  dozens of workshops and teacher trainings. Particularly

inspired by the teachings of Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten, Molly now

teaches ina gentle, yet powerfully fluid, internal, open, and playful manner.

Her classes are not about rigid discipline or intense striving;

she teaches the poses as a means to explore and study

our inner selves. She sees yoga as being about the empowerment of our inner being through the vehicle of our personal body--an internal exploration, a journey, a continual unfolding and revelation of our true self. Email Molly

 

Rebecca Drake, Vinyasa Flow Teacher and YogaWorks certified, began practicing yoga while attending the American Dance Festival in 1999. Rebecca has had the privilege of studying with many master teachers, and has been deeply influenced by Sarah Powers, Shiva Rea, Andrey Lappa, and Tracy Bogart. She is committed to everyone in her classes, and aspires to create a safe and supportive environment  for her students. She has a sweet sense of humor, and encourages a playful approach to practice,  while gently and lovingly challenging her students.

 

Rebecca was the first Aerial Dance and Aerial Yoga teacher in North Carolina, and continues to teach Aerial fabric techniques to students of all levels at Triangle Yoga. She specializes in Aerial Dance choreography, having had her work performed by varied artists such as Archipelago Theatre, Playmakers Repertory Company, and the Carolina Friends School dance program. She also has performed at the NC Museum of Art, Fletcher Opera Theater, and National Music Festivals.


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Click here for info about Aerial Dance, Aerial Yoga and Rebecca'sVinyasa Flow Classes.

View some photos from her Aerial Classes

View Rebecca's article in 'Fit Yoga'

 

 

Please contact Rebecca for private lessons, choreography, or performance.

Email Rebecca.

 

 

 

 

     

Dara Fort's first yoga class brought new-found physical and mental awakenings for her. Being a competetive gymnast and dancer for years, yoga was a refreshingly non-competitive way to feed her body while nurtring her soul. She found a sense of balance between having always pushed her edge and learning to be where she was in a moment. Through this balance Dara began to realize yoga's ripple effect within herself and within her community. Her relationships became stronger, her grip on life was softer and her appreciation for the connectedness of the universe was finally realized. After a year of practice Dara decided she wanted to teach. She wanted to spread the word, to share the gifts of this practice that others may not have experienced. Erich Shiffmann was one of her first inspirations to teach and take her personal practice further. She became a certified Level 1 and Level 2 Yoga Instructor and continued her education by attending classes and workshops. Over the next few years Dara's life and learning was enriched further by teacher trainings and the births of my her daughters. Dara's favorite "gurus" are David Swenson, Beryl Bender Birch, Ana Forrest, and Seane Corn. Over the last nine years of teaching, Dara has learned more about life and people through the giving and recieving of this practice than any book, teacher or formal education could  ever provide. It has been a strong, continuous thread that has weaved itself into her life and connected her to others...and for this, she is thankful for yoga. Email Dara

 

 

   

Adriana Freiberger's yoga teaching style is direct, encouraging and challenging. Certified in the 200 hour Yoga Works teaching method, she utilizes and applies Iyengar, Ashtanga and Viniyoga to all her classses. Adriana weaves the concept of breath, introspection and body awareness as she inspires her students to use their bodies in new ways. She is experienced in teaching beginners and more advanced practioners and can individually tailor every class to fit the needs of her students. Adriana has been dedicated pratctitioner of Hatha Yogasince 2003.Before coming to Triangle Yoga she taught Power Flow for the Yoga District

 

at George Washington University, and for.the Yoga Activist in Washington DC. Aside from practicing Yoga, Adriana has also been training in Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art for six  years, and has been teaching it to middle school and high school students for the past two years. This art form combines dance, acrobatics, martial arts movement and music. Email Adriana

 

Amy Godfrey is a Children’s Librarian by day and Aerialist by night (and sometimes afternoon). She took up Aerial Dance in early 2010 and has been hooked ever since. She found that Aerial Dance put her background in bellydance and bouldering to good use. She feels that Aerial Arts are a great way for people to push and explore their limits and it has helped her conquer her fear of heights. Amy has been teaching beginning Aerial silks classes to adults and children since January 2011. She is an active member of Flying Night Aerial Troupe.

Email Amy

  

 

Kaity Granda, professional dancer, yoga teacher and aerialist, started dancing at the age of five and hasn’t ever really stopped. After college she moved to Philadelphia where she danced and choreographed both as an independent artist and also with several modern dance companies.  It is during this time that she started studying and teaching yoga. With the help of a choreographic grant from the American Dance Festival, she moved to the triangle in 1996. She began teaching dance at Ninth Street Dance and the Durham Arts Council and yoga at Triangle Yoga. During this time she began preparing to become a Physician Assistant, (PA) and became certified at Philadelphia University in 2000. Currently she works as a PA in Durham caring for low income and uninsured families. She began studying Aerial dance with Rebecca Drake in 2009, and is excited to be bringing her choreographic skills to the fabrics. Email Kaity

 

 

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Allegra Gulino began her Yoga studies in 1995 to help ease lower back pain. This search

for therapeutic exercises took on greater significance as the philosophies,  breath work and

atmosphere of the yoga studio seeped in.  Her personal transformation continues in the

blessed and challenging journey to shed obstacles and develop insight and self-care, that is her

Yogic path Allegra joyfully shares with others the nourishing, holistic and empowering aspects of

this journey by facilitating a gradual shedding of physical/emotional/mental restrictions, in order to

usher in new freedom. Her teaching style is open minded, intuitive, and fun.  To design her classes

to meet the needs of students, she uses the combined framework of Vinyasa (flow) and alignment,

with an emphasis on how to use the breath for support. Allegra has been teaching since 2001. 

She earned a 300 hour certification from Sun & Moon Yoga Studios in Arlington, Virginia; is certified

as 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (R.Y.T.) with the Yoga Alliance; and has achieved a Basic

Authentic Yoga Teacher certification under Neel Kulkarni, founder of Saee Tech Authentic Yoga

School. While her Yoga studies are ongoing, she is also a student of Shamanism in Alberto

Villoldo'sHealing the Light Body School.  Other activities and passions include: writing, studying

Bellydance (Raqs Sharqi) and getting to know her new Chapel Hill environs.  Allegra is grateful for

the continued inspiration andguidance from:  Alberto Villoldo; Neel Kulkarni; the Desikachar lineage;

Anodea Judith; Erich Schiffman; Rodney Yee; her students and spiritual guides.  Email Allegra

 

 

Deborah Klinger, M.A., LMFT, CEDS, began studying yoga in Los Angeles

in 1985 with Billy Porter. Around the same time, she apprenticed with

Bess Gatewood, creator of a stretch and alignment technique based on

the premise that the body holds different emotional issues in specific muscle

groups. After Billy's death in 1988, Deborah focused on teaching the stretch

technique. She also went on to become a licensed psychotherapist and was

additionally certified as an eating disorders specialist. Deborah has studied

a variety of disciplines with many teachers including teachers including

Gurutej Khalsa, Brian Kest, Chuck Miller & Maty Ezraty, Rod Stryker, Todd Norian,

and Tracy Bogart,all of whom inform her eclectic teaching style. A firm believer

in the body-mind emotion-spirit connection, she is a certified Phoenix Rising

Yoga Therapy practitioner and a psychotherapist, who has also completed

a Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teaching Certificate Program through the

Trauma Center at JRI in Boston, MA. Deborah is also a certified Eating

Disorders Specialist and goodtherapy.org Eating and Food Isssues

Topic Expert. Check out Deborah's Trauma Sensitive Yoga and Body

Image Concerns Classes at Triangle Yoga and Email Deborah

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Danielle Koppel has dedicated the majority of her life to the study of the performing, fine, and healing arts. She focuses her yoga practice on the cultivation of creativity, vitality, and inspiration. Danielle was introduced to Hatha Yoga in 6th grade by her very wise mother, and continued to study yoga, Tai Chi, music, drama, gymnastics, and dance throughout high school and college. Danielle most recently underwent a formal teacher training program in Anusara with Sommer and Paul Sobin in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has also studied with Gabriel Halpern, Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Saul David Raye, John Friend, Sarah Powers, and Andrey Lappa. She began teaching yoga in 2002, and considers herself to be a perpetual student as well. Danielle is grateful to all of her teachers of yoga, both formal and informal.She believes there are many windows into the temple that is yoga, and that they all contribute something to the yogic experience. Her practice has been heavily influenced by many limbs of the yoga tree including Hatha, Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga,Yin,

Anusara, and Restorative.

Her classes are also noteworthy in that they incorporate chanting, guided meditation, and extended relaxation techniques in addition to traditional asana instruction. Danielle is also a classically trained stage actor, opera singer, and visual artist. She received her degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts where she studied Theater and Opera. Recently, she completed her first album as a singer/song writer, entitled "Looking through Illusion" with her Chapel Hill band Buddhacat. She also sings kirtan, a form of meditative devotional chanting. As a healing artist, Danielle's primary focus is Reiki, a gratitude-based meditation that promotes stress reduction and healing. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher, and provides both Reiki treatments and attunements. Email Danielle

 

 

 

 

  

 

Kelsey LaPoint considers yoga a path and practice integral to her optimal

wellbeing. She began seriously studying yoga in 2004 while living in St. Louis.  At that time, she was still in the process of recovering from an earlier illness,  from years of not honoring the physical body. She clearly received the message that yoga could offer a way to better maintain health on all levels,if practiced on a daily basis. In 2007 she completed a 200-hour teacher training, as well as attended trainings with Sarah Powers and Rod Stryker. She has experienced many teachers and styles of practice along the way, including Kundalini Yoga, Meditation practices, and the Bhakti Yoga of Kirtan For herself, she considers the practice of meditation to be as integral asthe practice of asana. In 2009, she moved back to her hometown of Chapel Hill, and began practicing Anusara yoga. She felt such a profound shift after just one class, and over time continues to experience an ongoing transformation. The techniques and cues to align the body and the awareness have allowed her to radically expand her practice and strengthen her body.Kelsey has completed the Anusara Immersion program and is participating of the 200-hour teacher training of the Triangle Anusara YogaInstitute. Kelsey's teaching is influenced by Master Teachers John Friend and Desirée Rumbaugh andthe principles of alignment. She aspires to offer the tools of transformation and wisdomshe has gained from years of seeking greater clarity, wellbeing, and alignment with the Universe.

Email Kelsey

 

 

Nicole Mark took her first yoga class in 1999 at a YMCA in Towson, MD.  As a student of ballet and modern dance, she was immediately drawn to the physical part of the practice but really struggled with sitting still for meditation and breathwork.  Over the next few years, she practiced various styles of hatha yoga sporadically until she met a Kripalu Yoga teacher, Lorraine Treger, whose classes inspired her and helped her appreciate stillness more.  In fact, she was the first person who suggested that Nicole should consider teaching yoga, which at the time sounded like a crazy idea. Since those classes in the early '00s with Lorraine, Nicole has continued her study and practice of yoga.  Most recently she completed a 230-hour Veda Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training at Open Heart Yoga School.

   

In 2004 she completed an Anusara Yoga Immersion and Level 1 Teacher Training with Mona DeFrawi at Quantum Yoga and Wellness in Baltimore. Nicole continues to be challenged and influenced by a variety of approaches to yoga, particularly Jivamukti Yoga and Kripalu Yoga, and by the many wonderful teachers she's been blessed to study with, including Sharon Gannon, John Friend, Stephanie Keach, Ti Harmony and Allison Dennis.  In her Hatha Yoga classes, students can expect a mindful practice with emphasis on alignment.  Her Vinyasa Flow classes are a more rigorous practice of creative sequences linking breath and movement. Email Nicole   

 

 

Jill Menard studied jazz, ballet and modern dance at the University of Arizona before relocating to New Zealand in 2000. She attended the Wellington Performing Arts Center for two years, graduating with a NZ Diploma in Dance. Jill opened her own dance studio, offering various styles of dance for ages 3yrs to adult. She also founded the FERN DANCE THEATRE, a non-profit professional dance company in New Zealand for which she choreographed and directed five full-length dance/theater shows. Jill began her Aerial training with the Wellington Circus Trust in NZ and relocated to Asheville, NC in 2008 to train and perform with the Asheville Aerial Arts.  

   

 

  

She has completed both the Trapeze Teacher Training and Fabric Teacher Training courses at the New England Center for Circus Arts, as well as attended the International Aerial Dance Festival in Boulder, Colorado   Jill now lives in Carrboro and teaches locally. Email Jill

 

 

 

    Kate Millen RYT, has been committed to health and fitness as both a fitness instructor and student for more than fifteen years. She has many western certifications including Pilates, fitness instruction, personal training, nutrition, and a B.S. in chemistry. She received her 200-hour certification in 2005 and completed an advanced teacher training with Ana Forrest, most recently she completed the 500-hour TT certification. Kate was a member of the Center for Integrated Yoga Therapeutics (CIYT) practicing yoga therapy, and taught restorative yoga to oncology patients at Emerson Hospital. Upon joining the Elemental Yoga 500-hour Teacher Training Program in 2007, Kate turned the focus of her own practice to the Elemental Yoga alignment-based style of slow vinyasa that systematically heals the mind and body. With an emphasis on alignment, transitions, and mindfulness, she has been able to heal injuries and imbalances in her own body and mind; these personal experiences have been instrumental in framing her teaching in both group and private settings. Kate's passion is to empower people with the ability to heal themselves through focus, alignment and the physical practice of yoga. For private sessions, Kate's specialties are: performance enhancement, spinal anomalies, hyper mobility, anxiety, insomnia, depression, cancer therapeutics, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, arthritis, and immune disorders. Email Kate

 

 

 

Becca Moss Kratky, RYT discovered the practice of yoga in 1997 and began teaching in 2002. Since that first day on the mat she has been interested and curious as to how this practice can support and open the physical body, how the mind can be trained to slow down, and how the spirit can be nourished. This ancient system is a valuable tool for health & happiness that begins with the simplicity of the breath. Becca has completed a 200hour teacher training with Lisa Clark & David Beadle based on the Body-Mind Centering and embodiment principles of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as well as a 48hour Vinyasa Flow teacher training with Shiva Rea. She is grateful for her first teacher, Ti Harmony and would also like to thank the following teachers for their positive influences over the years: Erich Shiffman, Donna Farhi, Gabriel Halpern, Shiva Rea, Patty Townsend, Angela Farmer, and Victor van Kooten. After practicing massage therapy for close to a decade, Becca is now exploring the joys & challenges of motherhood as well as sharing this precious gift of yoga with others. Email Becca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was Martha Najera's love for Rebecca Drake’s yoga classes and teaching style that inspired her to sign up for her first Aerial Dance class.  It proved to be a wonderful challenge and exhilarating experience. Through classes, workshops, and her own exploration, she discovered the many benefits that aerial dance offers. It cultivates strength, flexibility, flow, and focus. Martha has been fortunate to learn and dance alongside many talented and gifted aerialists in the local area.

Martha‘s movement history includes long distance running, cycling, swimming, yoga, and hoopdance. She has taught dance aerobics and cycle/yoga classes. She recently completed Jill Menard’s Aerial Teacher Training Basics workshop and looks forward to guiding and supporting students on their first Aerial Dance adventure! Email Martha

 

 

 

 

 

Jaime Danielle Powell has spent the last twelve years studying yoga, personal fitness training and life coaching. She struggled for years with her own forms of eating disorder, addiction, "learning disability" and general misery. Because of her journey into those dark places, and emergence from them, she has become a present and rock-steady ally for children, teens and adults as they remember their inherent goodness, health and beauty. She is grateful for the gift of five years at Balanced Physical Therapy and Movement Studio, learning therapeutic techniques for rehabilitation, which she skillfully weaves into her yoga classes. Her daily practice includes using yoga as a vehicle for artistic self expression and the creation of equal conscious relationships in the family and the larger community. Interdependence, community and connection are integral to Jaime's yogic lifestyle, so she bows to local teachers Ti Harmony, David Beadle and Lisa Clark for their help.

As for Ahimsa (non-violence) Jaime honors her dear friends, Catherine Cadden and Jesse Wiens, local Non-Violent Communication Certified Trainers for walking the path of shared power, and is grateful for the guidance from Master Teachers Angela Farmer, Victor van Kooten and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Jaime is also a writer, speaker, singer-songwriter and is a puppeteer for the Paperhand Puppet Troupe. She has shared her talents with Girls On the Run, Girls Rock NC, Clapping Hands Farm, Chapel of the Cross, Just Right Academy, Durham Arts Council and the Friend's School. Email Jaime and visit her website!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Reeve's life passion is to share the radically transformative, life-changing power of yoga as she has experienced in her own evolving yoga practice. After 8 years of frightening and debilitating symptoms from a mind/body condition considered untreatable by Western medicine, Susan began Karma Yoga service in '02 at Integral Yoga Institute, NYC, founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda. The yoga classes, body work and therapy she received there set the ground for deep cleansing and healing that continues to this day. By '07 Susan delved into formal teaching instruction at the North Carolina School of Yoga. Committed to deepening her knowledge and experience, Susan regularly attends Workshops and Immersions led by nationally and internationally renowned teachers such as John Friend, Gary Kraftsow, and Edward Clark. She is focusing currently on Immersions steeped in the Anusara principles of heart-centered living and anatomically-based alignment that allows energy to flow smoothly and evenly through the body, unlocking, healing, and integrating all levels of the body/mind. There is no limit to the light that may be brought into a life lived in the deepening awareness Yoga brings. Email Susan and visit her website.

 

 
Natalie Sablina is our in-house Massage Therapist! She has spent most of her adult life serving the community with her healing work (energy work and massage therapy), life coaching, volunteering with local ambulance shifts, and disseminating the ancient knowledge of how to achieve radiant health and spiritual development through the classical system of Yoga. Natalie was born and raised in Russia where she started her path of “unity”. Her asana practice is inspired by master Yin and Yang yoga teachersPaul Grilley and Andrey Lappa. The importance of teaching the Yamas and Niyamas were emphasized and prioritized by Sri Dharma Mittra with whom Natalie trained to get her yoga certification.

   

 

 

 

 

Natalie’s asana classes at Triangle Yoga are dynamic, fun, accessible to most people, beginning with a short informative dharma talk, emphasizing the teachings of traditional yoga. Every class is different and inspired by her students. Visit Natalie's website and email her with questions.

Visit Sommer & Paul's Web Site.Visit the Anusara Yoga Practice Gallery.

Read all about our Anusara Yoga Classes.

 

Sommer and Paul Sobin are both Certified Anusara Yoga Instructors having trained extensively with founder of Anusara Yoga, John Friend. Their teaching is an invitation to awaken to the goodness of life through the exquisite practice of Anusara Yoga that also encompasses the study of philosophy, meditation and breath work. Sommer and Paul also bring insight and experience from years of energetic healing work into their classrooms and private sessions. Their precise eye for dynamic alignment and with the vision of honoring the sacred in each person creates a supportive atmosphere for students of all levels and all walks of life to feel welcome to the gift of yoga.
Their classes and workshops are spiced with challenge, creativity and inspiration. They are co-directors of the Triangle Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Institute, they co- lead Immersions Programs, Workshops, Retreats and lead Yoga Teacher Trainings locally and nationally. When not on the mat Sommer and Paul enjoy traveling the world, spending time at the beach whenever possible and indulging in fine teas and chocolates with friends and family! Email Sommer & Paul

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Olynda Smith's fluid teaching style blends life-affirming Tantric philosophy, precise physical alignment, and playfulness to encourage a deepening of self-awareness, a deeper connection to the heart and an ability to move beyond perceived limitations. Olynda creates a nurturing and empowering space in which you will discover and celebrate your strength, wisdom and beauty. After many years of studying dance and capoeira, Olynda came to yoga

 

 

 

 

and fell in love! She is currently an Anusara Yoga certified teacher, with 8 years of yoga teaching experience. She feels blessed to have completed her level 1 and 2 teacher trainings with John Friend. She has also completed Therapy Training with John Friend in 2007 and again in 2010. Anusara Yoga trainings are exhaustively extensive and define a highly trained yoga instructor...only 300 other teachers in the world have achieved this honor! Olynda gives thanks to all her teachers: John Friend, Jonathan Goldman, Elena Bower, Zhenja la Rosa and especially Sommer and Paul Sobin (who introduced her to the elegant and clear system of Anusara). After years of living in New York City, and Maui, Olynda is delighted to be back home with her NC kula. You can see her class schedule here, and feel free to Email Olynda with any questions.

Faith Towner's life passion is tr began her Aerial Silks practice several years ago under the tutelage of Rebecca Drake at Triangle Yoga. Once she learned the basic skills needed to climb the fabric, she never looked back (or down!).  Faith has been fortunate to have studied with a number of local instructors, and attends every workshop her schedule allows. She completed her Aerial Silks Teacher Training with Jill Menard in 2011 and is excited to share her love for aerial with everyone! Email Faith

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Wofford has been a student of yoga since 1999, but just recently completed her 200 Teacher's Training with YogaWorks at Triangle Yoga .One thing never changed over the years...she considers yoga an integrative practice of mind, body, and spirit. While asanas and mudras are essential to her path, Amy honors all eight limbs of yoga. In particular, Amy mindfully integrates the practice of pranayama and meditation into her asana practice. She is drawn to any style of practice that allows focus on the heart. To that end, she became a Certified Instructor of Hearth Rhythm Meditation® (HRM) and enjoys sharing this practice with the community.  In 2000,  Amy was certified by the co-founders of HRM, Puran and Susanna Bair, of the Institute of Applied Meditation (IAM). HRM is especially designed to be practical in everyday life. Whereas most meditations are a relief from the stress of life, HRM is a rehearsal for life, the way you'd like to live it. HRM actually increases your ability to handle stress by focusing on the relationship between the heart and the breath. HRM teaches you to synchronize your heartbeat with your breath, actually bringing your Heart Rate into a calm sinusoid rhythm, a rhythm proven beneficial to the health of your entire system. HRM is a direct teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan, the teacher who brought Sufism to the West. His message resonates deeply with Amy because of its inclusiveness and focus on unity through Love.  In his words, “The message of the heart integrates the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of self; the heart is the regulator of the body, the seat of emotions and the temple of the soul.” In addition to HRM, Amy also brings years of meditating in the Vipassana tradition of the Theravada Forest Monks. email Amy

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Anne Wright grew up moving every few years from Berkeley to Philadelphia, Kansas City to Chicago, New York to Toronto. She studied Art History and Educational Psychology at R.M.W.C in Virginia and was the first female student to attend Washington & Lee University. She received her M.Ed. in Counseling from Duke University and began work on her doctorate in Education before realizing she really belonged in design school! Anne taught grades 3-5 and oversaw the Homebound Program for Durham County. She also taught Visual Arts in middle school for many years. Today she is a professional painter. She loves color and lives for light.

Diagnosed with Premature Osteoporosis and instable joints, at a young age, she credits yoga and Pilates with allowing her to toss aside her handicapped placard and live pain-free. A  series of injuries led her ultimately to yoga. In recent years she has studied with Master Teachers Gabriel Halpern, Paul & Suzee Grilley, Doug Keller and Ray Long.

Philosophically, Anne finds that yoga resonates with the beauty she sees in the world and the goodness in each of us. Yoga teaches us to pay attention, to be awake/aware for each moment, and to live our lives to the fullest. This helps foster a sense of well-being, relaxation and calm even in a stressful and competitive world.  Anne believes that though we come to our mats for physical reasons, we are gifted with much more. Through simple being, attention, acceptance and love, we meet ourselves there and learn how to live.

Email Anne
 
 

 


Morris Arthur, creator of Triangle Yoga's database, 'Mula Bandha'.

'Mula Bandha' The application of Mula Bandha means drawing up the muscles of the perineum. Although difficult, one practices contracting and relaxing the whole of the pelvic floor until muscle tone is gained. The importance of Mula Bandha is the foundation for core strength in the body. On a psychic level, the contraction of Mula Bandha also activates the base chakra, muladhara. This is the chakra for spiritual awakening and earth energy, and its activation can lead to rapid progress in the spiritual

aspects of yoga when the energy released is channelled in the right direction.