| Allison is a graduate of the Silver Lotus Training Institute where she studied Svadhyaya yoga. She has been practicing yoga since 1999 and has experience in Iyengar, Kundalini, and Anusare styles of yoga. She encourages students to honor their own yogic path and enjoy a rich, meaningful, and unique yoga experience through self exploration. Allison also has a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a practicing licensed therapist working with children and families. She combines her knowledge of the human experience with her yoga teaching to bring compassion, non-competition, encouragement, and humor to each class. |
| Erin Kelly, director of Ahimsa Yoga Center, has been practicing yoga for nearly 16 years. Her formal training began with Ruthanne Lundeberg of Mama Nirvana Yoga Studio in Easthampton. Erin has continued to practice with Patty Townsend of Center for Yoga and Healing Arts in Amherst where she completed 500 hour teacher training in Embodyoga. She has also completed training in prenatal yoga and yoga for children. She has been teaching since 2000. Erin's love and enthusiasm for yoga is contagious. She values yoga because it has been the key to her personal change and transformation, bringing clarity and joy into her life. She teaches a clear and concise Hatha Yoga class. Her classes balance strength, flexibility, effort and surrender. |
| MEET OUR YOGA INSTRUCTORS |
| ERIN KELLY, RYT |
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| MALIA WERLE, RYT |
| First introduced to basic yoga postures and sun salutations in 2002 as part of an acting movement class that she took in college. After starting the semester barely able to reach past her knees in a forward bend and ending the semester able to reach her toes, she realized that yoga should definitely be a prt of her life. As she continued her yoga journey, she realized that the benefits she was receiving from her practice went much deeper than physical flexibility and strength; she began to find a level of gratitude, self-acceptance and calmness of spirit that she had never experienced before. Justine decided she wanted to share her joy and love of yoga and completed her 200-hr teacher certification at Core Power Yoga in Minniapolis, MN. Justine continues to explore and practice yoga daily with teachers all over the Pioneer Valley. Justine strongly believes in the power of breath to guide movement and release the mind, and her classes have a strong focus on flowing and moving with the rhythm of each inhale and exhale. |
| Malia Werle is a Kripalu Certified Yoga Teacher. She was introduced to yoga and meditation at the tender age of six, and has been practicing ever since. She also has a BFA in 3-D Fine Arts, and a background in dance, and Indonesian Kung Fu. Malia encourages each individual to find their unique and natural way of moving, and brings a spirit of creativity and inspiration into each experience. Exploring the balance between taking care of one's self, and venturing outside of established comfort zones is a major aspect of yoga for Malia, and she aims to make her classes a safe and supportive space for doing so. |
| JUSTINE HUMPHREY, RYT |
| Sara discovered yoga in 2000, studying under Erin Kelly and completed a 200 hour training in embodyoga under Patty Townsend in 2007. She has a love for yoga that bubbles over in her teaching-is in fact why she is teaching. There is a strong desire to share what she has found with others-and she does so in a practice that includes quiet sitting, breath work, and movement. Her hope it that lessons learned on the mat are integrated into life off the mat. She has found that yoga is not something practiced for a set period of time, but a gift to be lived each moment. Sara has been a practicing pediatrician in Chicopee since 1983. She has found that when the opportunity arises, she is able to integrate her yoga teaching into her medical practice, introducing the concept of the breath and relaxation to her young patients and their families. She is grateful for the love of her husband and family, as she has pursued her love of yoga. |
| ALLISON SCHLACHTER, RYT |
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| Ahimsa Yoga Center
Village Commons - 15 College Street - South Hadley 123 Homestead Avenue - Holyoke South Hadley: 413-533-1113 Holyoke: 413-335-2377 ~ E: yogawitherin@aol.com |
| Website Design :: Trees New England :: © 2004-8 Website Created: April 22, 2004 ~ Webpage Updated: December 15, 2008 |
| SARA MULLAN, RYT |
| Shelly is a certified Kripalu Yoga Dance teacher,(also known as "Shake Your Soul" or "Dancekinetics"). She also is a psychotherapist in private practice. As a healing professional, Shelly understands and works with the mind/body connection. She believes in the wisdom of the body to "heal" the soul. So it was natural that Shelly was drawn to Yogadance. As a dancer herself, Yoga dance is the perfect form for Shelly to teach movement that imspires creativity, healing and potentially a spiritual experience. |
| SHELLY GOTTSEGEN, CKYDT |
| Ray immersed himself in the practice of hatha yoga while working at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Strockbridge, MA from 1995-1998. He became a Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in March of 1996, and has been teaching off and on ever since. The principal goal of his classes is to transport his students out of their heads and into their bodies by encouraging them to use their breath and bodily sensations as constant anchors for their minds. His classes are designed to build strength, flexibility, and overall well-being. Ray also works full-time as the Head of Reference at Elms College's Alumnae Library in Chicopee. Ray's beginner Kripalu Yoga class will focus on proper alignment and safety within the various yoga postures, and breathing techniques for both energizing and relaxing the body. Students will be able to incorporate what they learn in class into their lives "off the mat". |
| Dana has been practicing yoga since 1999. Her teaching is informed by Iyengar, Kripalu and Vinyasa yoga traditions. In 2004, she became a certified YogaKids Facilitator. In 2007, she completed a 200 hour teacher training program with Nicky Knoff, senior Iyengar teacher in New Zealand. Dana has taught yoga to a variety of populations including seniors, people with special needs, children, and families. Dana believes in uniting physical alignment with the breath, through compassionate and conscious awareness. She takes great satisfaction in helping the individuals in her class find the focus, joy and inner stillness within. |
| RAY MARCOTTE, CYT |
| DANA ORSMAN, CYT |
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| Ahimsa Yoga Center |
| Practicing yoga to honor our bodies, for total health and well being. |