Amy Pancake, M.A. and eryt-200, was first introduced to yoga in 1992 while studying Vipassana meditation at Wat Suan Mokkh Buddhist monastery in Thailand. She has been practicing yoga daily since 1998, and has taught over 2,000 yoga classes over the last five years and teaches several different styles of yoga.

She completed advanced yoga teacher training with Ana Forrest in July 2006. A Forrest yoga class is designed to awaken and enliven every cell of the body so that fresh energy can flow and old fears and blockages may be released. We do this by learning to direct and actively use the breath, creating space in the joints, moving from the core, and identifying and changing habitual struggle patterns. Learn how to balance the yoga dichotomies of stillness and movement, support and surrender, grace and structural integrity.

Anita is certified to teach hatha yoga in the Shambhava Yoga tradition, a school founded by His Holiness Rishi Maha Mandaleshwar Sri Shambhavanda. The goal of Shambhava yoga is to engage fully in one’s daily life while simultaneously staying connected to the Inner Self. As a teacher, Anita encourages students to cultivate mindfulness, inner focus, and an open heart through their yoga practice. Her classes generally include asana, pranayama, meditation and Sanskrit chants. Her teaching style is also influenced by Anusara yoga, and she has studied with local teachers Charly Pivert and Paige Dunlap since 2002.

Anita is also a psychotherapist, working with children, families, couples and groups since 1993. She is the co-founder of Yoga and Talktm: Therapy Groups for Girls, an innovative approach to group therapy for middle and high school girls that combines yoga with more traditional group therapy techniques. She also offers Yoga and Talktm workshops for parents, including a mom and baby series. These workshops offer parents support, while focusing on self care and mindful parenting from a yogic perspective. Visit her website at www.YogaAndTalk.com for more information.

Becky Ballou began practicing yoga in 1995 to relieve the anxiety of a stressful employment situation, and soon found a lifelong passion. She received her teacher certification from the Living Yoga Program in 2001 and is registered with Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level. She teaches Beginning/Intermediate level Hatha Yoga classes, drawing upon a wide variety of yogic traditions in her teaching, and she is currently working toward her certification in Kundalini Yoga. Becky has a specialization in teaching Yoga for Menopause, and she loves sharing what she knows with these hot (flashing) women! Becky is also passionate about nature and handicrafts, and she loves to find ways that she can combine all these together for creative expression.

Her classes are gentle and fun -- with a few challenging poses thrown in! -- and focus on helping students improve flexibility, posture, strength, balance, concentration, and awareness. Every day she is grateful for the limitless gifts yoga has brought to her life, including her students, who are her constant inspiration, and for the grace and wisdom of all her teachers.

Brandy Arena, RYT experience includes fifteen years in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sector expressing her passion of helping others achieve
wellness and discover the many gifts the ancient art of yoga still offers modern practitioners. Brandy brings a wealth of knowledge to her students
that includes dance,yoga, meditation, movement therapy and the wisdom
of esteemed teachers in these fields. Brandy is registered with the Yoga Alliance, is an ongoing student of eastern philosophy and of Waldorf School Teacher Training.

Caroline has been practicing yoga for eight years. She began studying Ashtanga yoga with Sharon Moon and Juan Anguiano, and then trained in Iyengar yoga under Gabriella Giubillaro in Florence, Italy. Since then, Caroline has kept up a varied practice, exploring vinyasa and anusara, as well as the subtler elements of pranayama and meditation. She finished a 300-hour teacher certification with Castle Hill Specialized Fitness in May, 2007, and is excited to begin sharing her exploration and love of yoga with others.

Connie Hausman-Nishimura, director and founder of CAN DO YOGA™ in Redwood City , California , has studied and taught Iyengar Yoga for over fifteen years. She began her teacher-training in the two-year Advanced Studies Program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco. Thereafter, Connie apprenticed for five years under internationally acclaimed Iyengar instructor Yelena Fedotova. In the spring of 2001, she had the honor of working with Geeta Iyengar, BKS Iyengar's daughter, and in 2003, Connie traveled to Pune , India to study with the Iyengar family. For the last ten years she has apprenticed and studied with world-renowned senior Iyengar instructor Manouso Manos.

Connie teaches orthodox Iyengar Yoga in a systematic, professional manner. Her classes build a strong foundation in the poses. Like constructing building blocks, the poses become more refined as methodically new details are added. Her enthusiasm and love of Iyengar Yoga is obvious in all her classes. Connie's ultimate objective is to impart how Yoga creates choice--a choice for greater physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being.

Connie is a certified Iyengar teacher and holds a BA in psychology and English from the University of Texas . She has practiced massage therapy for over fifteen years, and is the mother of three beautiful children.

Dido is a 500RYT certified yoga teacher. She has been practicing for 8 years and completed her training in ISHTA (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantric and Ayurveda) in New York City in 2003 under the direction of Alan Finger.
She was also certified as a "Relax and Renew" Restorative instructor by Judith Lasater in 2005. Dido continues to study with teachers that emphasize the connection between mind, body and spirit. Her classes include physical postures, breathwork, meditation and philosophy to create a state of well-being.

Eileen is one of the founders of Kula Yoga. She has been studying meditation since 1990 and yoga since 1993. In addition to her 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification, Eileen is certified in Prenatal Yoga through OmMama, is a Relax and Renew Trainer certified by Judith Lasater, and has an MS in Linguistics and Education.

Yoga has helped her find balance and joy in life, and she continues to practice because it is the most effective way to find stillness within. She believes that marriage, pregnancy, birth, parenting, injuries and anything else life brings to her can be made more graceful with a consistent yoga practice.

Eileen is grateful to her many teachers. She draws much of her teaching style from the Iyengar tradition, but has also been influenced by Vanda Scaravelli, Donna Farhi, Mirka Kraftsow, Jessica Montgomery and Judith Lasater. Her most influential teachers are her own practice and her students, who teach her something new with every class.

Eileen enjoys helping students of all levels build a safe, challenging practice by holding poses for longer periods of time and paying close attention to the alignment of the body and the movement of the breath. She integrates anatomical awareness, injury prevention and postures to counteract the stresses daily activities such as driving, computer use and

"Wisdom is knowing which pain is to be endured and which is not."
Judith Lasater

Traditionally trained at the Sivananda ashrams in New York and the Bahamas, Instructor Elias holds a master of yoga (Yoga Acharya) certification that is recognized internationally. In addition to his certifications, Elias has performed intensive yoga sadhana at the Sivananda ashram in Netala Uttara Kashi, Himalayas, India.

For more information, contact Elias Guerrero at 512-619-2085, or via e-mail: yogashowstheway@earthlink.net

Elizabeth began practicing yoga in New York City in 1995 when she was introduced to ISHTA Yoga as taught by Alan Finger. She received a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification through Be Yoga studios and continues to study closely with Alan. Her practice and teaching has also been enhanced through the study of Anusara Yoga. She received a second Yoga Alliance certificate focusing on Anusara from Lois Nesbitt in March of 2003 and has completed Level 1 & 2 Teacher Trainings as well as Therapeutics Training with John Friend, the creator of Anusara. Elizabeth is also Pilates mat certified and has studied Yoga Therapeutics and Kinetic Awareness to further her knowledge of injury management and the healing aspects of yoga. She enjoys teaching group classes and private clients to assist students in exploring their own potential and reaching their own inner goodness.

HARI OM, OM TAT SAT: "Immerse yourself in unconditional love and saturate yourself in unlimited consciousness." This is how my teacher Alan Finger always ends his classes and I enjoy using it in closing mine as well.

Recommended by Elizabeth C:

Beyond Power Yoga by Beryl Bender Birch This is a great book that includes asana, pranayama, yoga philosophy and meditation in a down to-earth, accessible way. It was a great tool to use in my beginner series teaching because it is set up chapter by chapter with the 8 limbs of yoga and the chakras.

Jessica Montgomery studies, practices, and teaches the Iyengar method of yoga and also has several years experience practicing and teaching Ashtanga yoga and Restorative yoga. These methods are precise and disciplined systems, emphasizing proper alignment, the balance of strength and surrender, and soulful intention. She completed three years of study at the Iyengar Institute of San Francisco in the rigorous Advanced Studies Program, and completed Iyengar Certification in 2005. Jessica, after extensive training in applied anatomy, restorative, and prenatal yoga techniques, is also certified as a Relax and Renew Trainer. She has been quoted in Oxygen and in Shape magazines. Jessica continues to deepen her study of yoga with Senior teachers. She likes to infuse mindful work with humor and attention.

Joanna Williamson, MS, RYT is a Registered Yoga teacher, American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Specialist and triathlon age-grouper. Joanna has been teaching yoga since 2002 and is a former fitness director. She has taught athletes of all ages and fitness levels (from Cardiac Rehab to NCAA athletes) since 1992. Joanna blends yogic practice and philosophy into challenging sports-specific sequences that assist in injury prevention and recovery. Her inspirations are David Swenson, Shiva Rea, Sharon Moonand Bella Lajuzan, Baron Baptiste, Sri Pattabhi Jois, Manju Jois, MarkVerstegen, and Jim and Phil Wharton.

John Scott, RYT, has been practicing hatha yoga since 2003. He began practicing to alleviate aches and pains associated with two decades of running and to relieve stress. He particularly enjoys the meditative and spiritual aspects of yoga, and has completed workshops with Donna Farhi and Gary Kraftsow. He has a master's degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and is a project management consultant for the Department of State Health Services.

Julie is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She completed her Hatha teacher training at Yoga Yoga and Ashtanga teacher training (Primary series) with David Swenson. Julie appreciates the strength, balance and flexibility that yoga has brought to her both physically and mentally and loves sharing this with her students. She is grateful to her teacher, Annick Sebbane, who has taught her that a strong, steady breath should be the main focus of any asana practice.

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive!"
Eleonora Duse

Kimberly L. Jones has been teaching yoga since 2002, after receiving her 200-hour certification through Yoga Yoga Teacher Training. Since then, she has had the privilege of taking workshops with teachers such as John Friend, David Swenson, and Donna Farhi. While remaining ever- eclectic in her explorations toward the full expression of yoga, Kimberly has increasingly turned to and been inspired by the heart-centered approach of Anusara yoga, a path she plans to continue pursuing in her practice and teaching. She further holds great respect for the traditions of Iyengar and Viniyoga. From her previous dance training, Kimberly naturally inclines her practice toward a fluid flow of postures. As such, her classes nearly always include a vinyasa component, to varying degrees.

All in all, Kimberly strives to make her classes mirror life: at times tough, at times comfortably rhythmic; at times completely personal and inwardly tuned while at other times reaffirming the shared exploration of the class community. Among its many benefits, yoga encourages the balance between effort and acceptance, that which remains for many of us the ballad of life.

Leigh Fisher is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level with yoga alliance. Leigh has been practicing yoga since 1998 and teaching since 2004. She leads fun, high-energy classes that strike a balance between fast paced vinyasa flow and strong posture alignment. Although her classes are physically challenging, she invites any student with a sense of humor and an awareness of his or her own limitations to come play with her. Leigh strives to create a joyful and safe atmosphere, offering modifications to suit many levels of practice. Leigh teaches yoga because she hopes to share the peace and bliss that she has found through her personal practice with as many people as she can. Leigh also teaches children's yoga and is an inter-disciplinary theatre artist and vocalist.

Being dedicated to yoga for almost six years now has opened Malia’s eyes and ears to the flow of life, on and off the mat. Malia first discovered Bikram yoga, while seeking her BFA in Design at the University of Texas. What she thought was just a physical practice became a much deeper, mind, body, and spiritual practice. A dear teacher, friend, and mentor, Vanessa Fiola, introduced Malia to Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga in 2004. Thus, she attended one of Baron Baptiste’s Power Revolution Weekends. Baron’s teaches you to live from authentic truth and thus, she decided it was time to do just that. Malia has attended Baptiste Power Yoga Institiute’s Level 1 and 2 trainings, along with various trainings and workshops with Shiva Rae and Ana Forrest. She enjoys teaching various styles of vinyasa flow, along with pre/post-natal, kids, and corporate yoga.

Malia is currently working on her 500 hour registered yoga certification through Yoga Alliance and teaches group classes at various studios and private lessons in Austin, Texas. Visit www.yogawithmalia.com for more information.

Meg is one of the founders of Austin Kula Yoga. She has a 20 year background in movement and dance. When she turned to yoga to help recuperate from a back injury, she discovered a new love. She became certified six years ago in Hatha Yoga through Living Yoga and continues to learn from her teachers and students. Meg is also certified in Children's Yoga and Prenatal Yoga.

Meg has a deep interest in pregnancy and loves to share how yoga can help women through the transitions of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Meg flows through the postures and looks to her students in class to direct her to their needs, so each class creates a relevant experience for each student. As a result, her classes are warmhearted, fun and often times spontaneous! Meg loves teaching yoga and is grateful to all of her students and teachers for their kindness, inspiration and wisdom.

Michelle Gatto has been studying Yoga for 9 years. In her teaching, Michelle brings together Kundalini and Hatha Yoga, Buddhist meditation, and other practices to create a soothing environment for opening the heart and restoring the body.

Monica Paredes has recently moved to Austin from Hoboken, NJ, but lived most of her life in Connecticut. It was her first struggles with downward dog and the patience of teacher Ann Gorjanc that would change the direction of her life. Almost ten years later, one Kripalu teaching certification, several years of study with yoga masters like Anusara’s Desiree Rumbaugh and founder John Friend, moving four times across the US, and naturally birthing one beautiful son, yoga still invokes those same feelings of challenge and acceptance.

Much of Monica’s teaching time has been spent in developing a special program for expectant moms, one in which they can feel a balance of empowerment and trust in themselves and in their growing babies. Through the use of breath work, chanting, meditation as well as gentle yoga movements, moms are encouraged to be joyfully present throughout all stages of their pregnancy. Since the birth of her son in 2005, Monica now enjoys teaching the tiniest students, helping them continue to connect with their moms, dads and caregivers in a playful and supportive environment.

Monica has taught classes and workshops across the US and in Italy, and has been featured in various television news programs and magazines touting the benefits of prenatal and mom and child yoga. She is the author of The Art of the Yamas and Niyas, an inspirational guide to using the principles of yoga in our daily lives. When she’s not teaching or singing silly songs with her son, Monica immerses herself in portraiture and documentary photography. You can see some of her work at triumbra.com.

Visit Monica’s blog http://peasandpearls.blogspot.com

Quen is certified through Yoga Alliance for both children and adults. She taught pre kindergarten for seven years before making the very happy decision to teach children's yoga full time. In addition to teaching at Kula she has an in home children's yoga studio called "Om on the Range".

Her classes focus on developing a healthy body and mind through hatha yoga. Children will learn yoga postures, relaxation and how to focus on their breath. Quen focuses on safety, fun and loving compassion. She believes that yoga is a wonderful way for childrento learn how to control their bodies and emotions through fun and challenging physical postures. Yoga is a gift they will be able to carry with them for their entire lives!

Sharon came to yoga as a means to manage stress while living in New York City. She used yoga through her two pregnancies and births, and yogic philosophy has become an important guide on her parenting journey. Inspired by the connections between Hatha yoga and Buddhist philosophy, Sharon sees yoga as a means for developing awareness of the relationship between body and mind. Her classes usually include both asana practice that challenges the body, and space to observe the mind and breath. She helps students of all levels use asana, breath, and meditation to develop ease in their bodies and find a source of inner strength and wisdom. Sharon is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance.