Back Bay Yoga Studio

Lynne Begier has been a dedicated yoga student since 1991, a full-time teacher since 2001 and opened Back Bay Yoga Studio in January of 2002. Lynne graduated from the Agnes Irwin School in Pennsylvania and went on to Georgetown to complete her degree in Languages and Linguistics where her interest in foreign cultures, philosophy, theology and intense struggles with depression and eating disorders led her to yoga. She went on to study very extensively in many styles of yoga including Kripalu, Ashtanga, Forrest, Vinyasa, Restorative, Iyengar, Yin and Anusara. In 2002 she opened Back Bay Yoga in a small unfinished space above Little Stevie's House of Pizza with the simple desire to create a space for teachers to do what they love. That mission has not changed and BBY remains one of the premier studios in Boston and home to many of the city's best teachers. In her classes students can expect to peel away layers of habitual behavior, learn about their own anatomy and delve deep into their authentic selves. Her Vinyasa classes are steeped in healthy alignment, careful sequencing and balancing stability with mobility for the long term health of the mind and body. In Hip Hop Yoga, Lynne encourages transformation through shedding the unimportant and embracing challenges - all set to an upbeat playlist for all levels and ages to enjoy. In addition to being director, founder and a teacher at Back Bay Yoga, Lynne continues to train and draw inspiration from her many teachers and mentors. She credits Ana Forrest for many years of training and mentorship both on off the mat. Her current practice and teaching is inspired by the anatomy wisdom of Judith Lasater, the informed sequencing of Forrest Yoga and the body awareness of Iyengar/Alignment Based Yoga. She honors the Kripalu Center for inspiring her to open BBY and also to her BBY teachers who require her to stay on the path every day. Lynne is a leader in the Boston yoga community and inspires her students to be strong, have fun and find their own flow on the mat and on the street.

Bonnie Argo is a certified AcroYoga Teacher, Prana Flow Teacher and powerful Bodyworker.

She has completed AcroYoga Teacher Training with Jason Nemer & Jenny Saur-Klein, and assists them at conferences and workshops.

Bonnie has completed 500 hours with Shiva Rea, and travels to assist workshops, trainings and retreats for Shiva. Bonnie is also a Mentor in Shiva Rea's Teacher Training Programme guided new students through the training process.

Bonnie practices Shiatsu Anma, Thai Massage, Thai Foot Massage, Craniosacral Therapy and Reiki. She works with deep intuition and honoring the physical, spiritual and energy body.

I grew up in New Hampshire with a life full of family, friends, and lots of love. After 15 years combined of gymnastics and ballet, I needed to rest my body due to hip and back injuries. I first came on to my yoga mat in April 2003 and knew after my first class that this was the movement practice I needed and wanted in my life and that I wanted to be a yoga teacher one day. I spent a semester in India studying the spiritual parts of the practice, as well as the asana every day. In February 2010 I completed my 200-hr teacher training through YogaWorks with Natasha Rizopoulus at Back Bay Yoga Studio in Boston. I owe many thanks to Natasha Rizopoulus, Julia Tirabassi, Georgia Reath, Kevin Courtney and Lynne Begier for being inspiring teachers in my life.

I infuse my classes with smart sequences as well as love and kindness for your body, heart and mind. I strongly believe that there is a yoga practice for anyone who wants one. You will be able to challenge yourself, take care of yourself, and get to understand your body through your practice in my classes. We will breathe, stretch, flow and smile. Om Shanti. May all beings be happy and free.

In transit throughout most of her twenties, a life of travel, moving and change necessitated that Cara seek out a practice through which she could maintain a sense of continuity and stability. Already an enthusiastic student of yoga, Cara took her first Ashtanga yoga class with Karen Breneman while living abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. On the wood floor of St. Mary's on Broughton Street, Karen taught Cara the first half of the Primary Series. Memorizing the series meant it would travel well, and Cara had the good fortune to learn from many Ashtanga practitioners over the years. Still linked by her practice to this greater yoga community, she is happy to have finally found a home in Boston.

In her own daily yoga practice, Cara seeks to remain present in the moment, and to carry this focus and surrender into her everyday life as well as her teaching. The discipline and structure of the Ashtanga yoga system provides a solid foundation from which she finds great freedom in her creative work as an artist and photographer.

Cara trained as a teacher with Patty Townsend, and continues to study with Kate ODonnell, an authorized teacher by the K Patthabi Jois Institute of Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore. She feels much gratitude to continue the yoga tradition through her own practice and teaching.

Aaron Cantor is a embodiment teacher who uses ancient and contemporary practices to awaken physical intelligence. He began practicing yoga with his father when he was three and has dedicated his life studying body-mind arts in Japan, Brazil, India, Thailand, and the US. The material he presents in his classes and workshops are gathered from yoga, circus, martial training, capoeira, dance, body-work, meditative practices, athletics, and developmental movement. Aaron is known for his playful, inquiry based approach to teaching awareness through movement. He is mentored by Dr. Tom Alden, a chiropractor, and Yasuhiko Kimura, a philosopher. He teaches internationally and lives in Boston with his sons Bodhi and Jasper.

Recently transplanted from LA, Nicole Clark taught at the Forrest Yoga Circle/Institute for five years having completed the Forrest Yoga Foundation Teacher Training Course in 2002. Since then she has taught group classes in and around Los Angeles and worked with private clients locally and internationally. Additionally, She has assisted Ana in workshops and teacher training's. Nicole's classes embody the principles of Forrest Yoga (breath, strength, integrity and spirit) by focusing on strengthening the core, and working with the breath while maintaining a mind body connection throughout practice. She has expertise working with cancer patients, endometriosis, sciatica, back pain, and shoulder injuries. Her hands on assists are compassionate, intuitive, and soothing.

In addition to her yoga training. Nicole is a highly-trained craniosacral therapist. She has also worked extensively with Hugh & Giorgia Milne at the Milne Institute - combining the analytic and intuitive approaches to craniosacral work in a meditative setting. Craniosacral is the high art of healing touch -- an exquisitely sensitive, subtle and gentle approach to working with the cranium and sacral waves. Nicole applies these skills in her classes to make her classes a space for healing, compassion and depth.

A bad break-up with a boyfriend on New Year's Eve, 1986, in the jungles of Thailand, led Wendy to a Buddhist forest monastery for a 10-day silent meditation and yoga retreat, an experience that set her life's course. Already with a background in nursing, massage therapy and tai chi, she pursued studies in Buddhism, meditation and yoga.

Experiencing a debilitating repetitive stress injury in 1997, Wendy dived more deeply into the transformative and healing effects of yoga, pranayama and meditation. She completed a Yoga Works teacher training in Santa Monica, CA in 2001 with Maty Ezraty and Lisa Walford and has done more than 800 hours of continuing yoga studies with, among others, Sharon Cardamone, Sarah Powers, Paul Grilley, Richard Freeman, Patricia Walden, Gary Kraftsow, TKV Desikachar and Tias Little, exploring yoga in the Krishnmacharya, Iynegar, Ashtanga, Yin and Vinyasa systems.

"When I teach yoga I start from a recognition that every person, day and practice is unique, that the mind has infinite potential for love, wisdom and skillful power, and that essentially everyone wishes to be happy. In our western culture we tend to be incredibly hard on ourselves, competitive and obsessed with doing and achieving. So when we come to the mat to breathe, move, and make shapes with our body, it is indispensible to have an attitude of great friendliness toward ourselves.

"Of primary importance in yoga practice is one's intention and inner experience; the external pose/form is secondary. Yes, we must understand the principles of alignment while, simultaneously, not becoming hemmed in by yoga rules and regulations. Have fun! listen keenly, cultivate a beginner’s mind, be creative and invite contentment onto the mat. Practice more from a place of being than doing."

And in addition...

She was the Director of the Kurukukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies in Medford for six years until 2008 and has traveled extensively in India and Nepal on more than five occasions. She has studied with His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the last 25 years, attending over 300 hours of teachings and talks, and organized an historic event with him in Medford in 2003.

In 2012 she completes a 1600 hour program in the Alexander Technique, a mind-body exploration designed to bring oneself into a more organic integration with our innate birthright design. The Alexander Technique, though somewhat different in its approach, dovetails beautifully with yoga as both practices result in more awareness of the interplay of the neuro-fascial-muscular-skeletal-soulful-mindful dance.

Peter has practiced yoga since 2002 when he took his first class at the newly opened Back Bay Yoga Studio. His classes incorporate ten years of yoga training in Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Forrest yoga systems.

Peter has a reputation for teaching dynamic, powerful yoga sequences that include inversions and arm balances and techniques for accessing the inert strength to achieve these poses. On the flipside, Peter offers an opportunity to slow down and feel the effect of an embodied practice that pursues safety and alignment as much as strength and sweat. While his classes are a physical workout, Peter encourages inquiry into deeper aspects of a meditative practice that nurtures introspection and self-discovery in a non-competitive environment. Peter’s classes address practitioners of all-levels. His sequences cultivate strength and flexibility yet set strong roots for a safe and lifelong practice.

As a child and young adult Peter led a fairly sedentary life and struggled with eating disorders as well as other addictive behavior. Having built up these coping mechanisms to endure severe depression and the abusive and fearful environment in which he was growing up, Peter entered his twenties with emotional and physical pain.

Peter believes that his yoga practice began years before he ever stepped on the mat when he discovered the power of ecstatic movement through dance. Immersed in club culture throughout his college years, Peter found physical and emotional FREEDOM when surrounded by high-energy music and crowds of dancing bodies. This FREEDOM to move and transcend the stuck and sedentary provided a path of healing where Peter could strip away layers of physical and emotional shielding and discover the first glimpses of profound JOY.

A few years later, Peter attended his first Vinyasa yoga class at the recommendation of a dear friend. Peter grew physically strong and spent a year practicing Baptiste Power Vinyasa and Ashtanga Primary Series. In 2003, he moved to San Francisco to participate in a 200-hour Ashtanga Yoga teacher training with Larry Schultz of It’s Yoga and began teaching later that year.

Following a neck and shoulder injury brought on by habitual patterns of holding stress and tension, Peter discovered Forrest Yoga in 2004. He embarked on a four year process of physical and emotional healing that helped him confront both his shoulder injury as well as his compulsive and addictive behavior. Ultimately, this led to his participation in the Forrest Yoga Foundational and Advanced Teacher Trainings with Ana Forrest. In 2008, Peter left the field of architecture to pursue a full-time career teaching Forrest Yoga and Core Vinyasa.

In 2009, Peter fused elements of an embodied and celebratory yoga practice with the ecstatic dance and music that inspired him ten years earlier to create Freedom Joy Yoga (FJY). FJY promotes the serious pursuit of fun and is the “ultimate exercise in letting go”. Peter offers FJY on Friday nights at Back Bay Yoga to help others let loose and discover, through fluid yoga and non-choreographed dance, true FREEDOM and profound JOY.

Grateful for the authenticity and discipline of his mentors, Peter’s approach has been non-linear. He encourages exploration, practices humility, teaches authentically and dances the stress away every week at Back Bay Yoga. Apart from yoga, Peter is training with the Upledger Institute and offers Cranio-Sacral Therapy to his private clients.

Ryan was introduced to yoga practice when a friend suggested that it might help his tendinitis; which had developed from years of playing woodwind instruments. From that point on he has been fascinated with both the physical and mental aspects of the practice. Over the years Ryan has been fortunate enough to study with some truly inspiring teachers, including Barbara Benagh, Ginny Nadler, Cyndi Lee and Judith Lasater. A year of more intense study led him to OM yoga's 200hr teacher training as taught by Sarah Trelease and Joe Miller at Evolution Yoga in Cleveland, Ohio. One of the most potent teachings that Ryan took away from that first training was the practice of meditation, which he continues to practice and refine on a daily basis inspired predominately by the teachings of the Shambhala lineage.

As a teacher, he strives to meld a strong physical practice, with precise alignment cues, and middle path thinking. Ryan also stresses the importance of a restorative practice. He completed Judith Lasater's Relax and Renew training in 2009, and often integrates this work into his classes. Since moving to Boston he has also been fortunate enough to complete both his 500hr certification through OM yoga in NYC and his Masters of Music in Jazz Composition from New England Conservatory. Ryan now serves as the Manager of Back Bay Yoga studio and is grateful to support the BBY community both in the classroom and behind the scenes.

When not at BBY, Ryan conducts the Ryan Cunningham Jazz Orchestra which presents two concerts of original music each year in the Boston area.

Christine strives to help students at all levels of practice connect the mind, body, and spirit through a steady sequence that's balanced with meditative breath, cathartic sweat, and rooted in Forrest Yoga. She started studying yoga when her life was in need of grounding, and Forrest Yoga helped her find strength, space, and connection in her body that translated into finding vitality and peace off the mat. She completed the 200 hour Forrest Yoga Teacher Training with Ana Forrest, the Body Awakening, a 500 hour yoga and myo-fascial yoga therapy with David Vendetti, and Cranio Sacral I at the Upledger Institute. Christine received her Master's in Divinity from Harvard while studying religion and the body. She currently works with yogaHOPE, a non-profit yoga outreach program dedicated to bringing the practice of yoga to underserved women in life transition as well as with the chaplaincy at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

In Memorial

I was drawn to Yoga because it gets you connected to the teacher within yourself, you learn by doing and exploring, feeling and breathing. I love to teach because there is nothing more wonderful than watching someone surprise themselves as doors open and freedom emerges.

Yoga gives me the opportunity to breathe deeply, feel fully and connect with the innate wisdom of my body. There are times for grace and ease, strength and grounding, times for ecstatic rapture and expressive movement as well as times for restoration and stillness. I create space for all of this, by drawing upon the steady strength of Forrest, the fluidity of Vinyasa, the explosive movement of Budokon, the insight of Yin and the healing of Restorative practices. My classes are a dynamic flow between postures, breath, and meditation infused with music, movement and playfulness. Using anatomical alignment, visual and auditory cues as well as hands on adjustments, I create Yoga flows that foster healing while cultivating strength and flexibility. Come join me on a journey, an exploration of your strengths, your weaknesses, your heart and life; get connected, turn on your breath and tune into your body.

I am grateful for my teachers, who continue to inspire me and my students who I am constantly learning from. My practice has deepened and expanded through teacher trainings with David Vendetti, Ana Forrest, Paulie Zink, Kripalu and Budokon.

I also find joy off the mat, offering private massage & bodywork sessions, practicing Chi Gung and performing with the Grasshopper Collective.

Kristina discovered yoga nearly a decade ago and finds her mat to be a wonderfully quiet space in the midst of city life. She has since explored several types of yoga but keeps coming back to vinyasa, which focuses on linking breath with movement. Her yoga/meditation practice is a constant during life's ups and downs. After navigating through struggles with addiction and depression in her early twenties, Kristina was able to dive deeper into each asana with strength, clarity, and mindfulness. The leaps of faith it took to balance, go upside down, and float in the studio helped fuel the courage go back to graduate school, move to Boston, expand horizons, and become a teacher. She is forever grateful for life's lessons and experiences which help her on and off the mat.

Kristina completed her 200-hour teacher training at Tranquil Space in Washington DC and is a registered teacher with yoga alliance. In teaching yoga, her goal is to empower students to meet their goals while cultivating a mind-body connection. Kristina's teaching philosophy is to infuse creativity, encouragement, and mindfulness while allowing students a safe space to find their "edge" in each asana. She loves to motivate her students through fun and stimulating sequences in an empowering environment. Continuing education and cultivation are very important to Kristina and she is grateful to call Kimberly Wilson, Kevin Waldorf-Cruz, and Ame Wren among her teachers. In addition, she recently began working towards her Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga Certification with Sadie Nardini.

In her other life she studies medical anthropology and hopes to make a contribution through qualitative research that explores cross-cultural communication between refugees/asylum seekers and their healthcare providers at Boston Medical Center. Outside the studio you can find Kristina wandering the streets of Cambridge, running on the Esplanade, searching for a new recipe to try, and of course chipping away at her thesis.

Yoga has been an integral part of Emily's life since 1994. Her yoga journey began while abroad, weaving together the physical and the spiritual elements of this ancient practice. It has continued to be a simultaneously personal and universal gesture of breath, body and consciousness and has supported her through various life stages and transitions. She began teaching Yin yoga eight years ago after studying with Josh Summers and Sarah Powers. Additionally she was certified as a vinyasa teacher at White Lotus Institute with Ganga White and Tracey Rich. She has studied with many masterful teachers here and abroad and maintains a personal practice that includes Yin and Yang styles, creating a sense of balance and wholeness. She especially enjoys offering the quiet and internal experience of Yin, inviting others to cultivate an awareness and acceptance of each moment just as it is and to let go of judgment or expectations. Off the mat, Emily shares similar ideas as a psychotherapist, encouraging individuals to practice patience and compassion with themselves. Both of these expressions are deeply rooted in Emily's personal experience and journey and she is honored to share them with others.

Caitlyn first stepped onto the mat in 2005 and found it was the only time when she truly felt at "home" in her body. She continues to practice and study yoga because it constanly challenges her to be better mentally, physically and spiritually and simply because she loves it. In 2009 she completed YogaWorks 200 hr training program and has been teaching full time ever since. Her classes continue to be influenced by the YogaWorks method; blending together Ashtanga, Hatha, and Viniyoga to create a challenging flow with a strong focus on alignment, sprinkled with arm balances and inversions. Caitlyn believes yoga is the opening of new possibilities; it is the opportunity to create a healthier body, clearer mind and sense of peace that translates to the outside world. Her goal as a teacher is to share the joy of yoga and create a fun, safe and challenging environment for students to grow their practice.

Kate Greer (Hanspal Kaur) began teaching yoga in NYC after completing a 200hr Vinyasa certification at Sonic Yoga. At that time, her personal practice and teaching were informed by her study at Kula Yoga Project and with Sri Dharma Mittra. Following an injury, Kate was led to the alignment based practice of Anusara, and the teachers Elana Brower and at Vira Yoga. Kate later became Anusara-Inspired, going on to study with Amy Ippoliti, Darren Rhodes, Noah Maze, and John Friend, and she continues to honor aspects of the Anusara system in her teaching today.

Anusara taught Kate not only about healing injury through asana but also introduced her to Tantric philosophy. This piqued an interest that led Kate into further study and the practice of Kundalini, which she studied with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa and Hari Kaur Khalsa at Golden Bridge Yoga. Kate completed her Level I teacher training at Yogi Bajan's Ranch in Espanola, NM, and currently assists Level I trainings with Guruatma Singh and Prem Pyar Khalsa of Franklin Yoga.

She is currently pursuing the teachings of Shadow Yoga through her teachers Scott Blossom, Chandra Easton, and Matt Pesendian.

Kate lives in the Boston area with her husband, Richmond Dickson, and their son, Kahlil. She teaches public yoga classes and workshops at studios in and around the city, and she is a Director of Back Bay Yoga's 200hr and 500hr Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Trainings.

In 2009, Kate and Richmond founded Open Hearts Yoga School and began offering retreats and teacher trainings in Florida, New England and abroad. Their mission is to provide a safe and sacred space where teachers and students can interact, grow, heal and learn from each other about the open-hearted nature of all human beings.

Kate Heffernan attended Emerson College earning a degree in both Acting and Theatre Education. After graduation, longing to reconnect to her body the way she had during her acting training - she wandered into her first yoga class. Like many students, Kate came to the mat for its physical benefits, not long after, yoga had begun to seep into every part of her life. Within six months of beginning her practice, she started on her path to become a yoga instructor. In February 2010 Kate completed her 200-hour training through YogaWorks under the instruction of Natasha Rizopoulos. Less than a year after starting teaching, she left her office job and began teaching yoga full-time. As an instructor, Kate is dedicated to providing students with a space to discover their own practice and to respect their needs whether that be a sweaty Vinyasa Flow or a more calming Yin sequence. Kate is known for blending together many styles of yoga to form a dynamic and thoughtful sequence that brings each student to a place of both strength and comfort within their own bodies. In her own practice, Kate is continually drawn to many different teachers and styles of yoga. Currently her most notable influences are Ame Wren, Lynne Begier, Natasha Rizopoulos, and Sadie Nardini. Kate is planning on continuing her yoga training education to eventually complete a 500-hour certification. Kate is beyond grateful to have found yoga as her path, and is continually humbled and inspired by her students and fellow teachers.

An athlete most of her life, Goldie has always found herself through forms of expressive body movement. After a severe rock-climbing accident, and a few marathons' worth of wear, Goldie accepted her sister's invitation to a yoga class. Little did Goldie know it would be the first step of a most wondrous personal adventure! One week after moving to San Francisco to further her career in medicine, Goldie found what she likes to call her first "spiritual epiphany." Child's pose and Les Leventhal's teachings were all it took to divert Goldie from the path she thought, to the path she felt. Goldie received her 200hr certification in 2008 from Yoga Tree San Francisco, and credits her teaching inspiration to the influences of Les Leventhal, Janet Stone, Lynne Begier, and David Regelin. Goldie's vinyasa classes are known to be challenging but playful. She strives to inspire her students to know themselves better by moving past their comfort zone, in order to move ever more gracefully when walking off their mat and into this beautiful, crazy world. Cultivating a strong and flexible physical and mental foundation, with a combination of vinyasa flow, funky-fresh beats and lots of heart, will allow you to show up not only for your own well-being, but for those around you. Goldie's class will give you the opportunity to stretch the barriers of what you thought possible.

Cyndi's first introduction to yoga was back in 2007 when she went to a small backyard Ashtanga class in her native state of Florida. She in without expectation, and got an hour and a half crash course of vigorous flowing movements, challenging postures, and a style of breathing that required more concentration than some of the classes she was taking in school. She'd never had to use her mind and body in such unison before. It was exhausting and invigorating - she was hooked.

After moving to Boston in 2009, Cyndi began to seek out yoga again. In addition to Ashtanga, she also enjoyed Forrest and Vinyasa styles, even earning her 200 Hour Certification from Open Hearts Yoga School in the latter in 2010. Cyndi's truest connection, however, is with Ashtanga Yoga. Whether she is on the mat herself or leading others through the practice, Cyndi tries to bring humor and humility to every session. She feels incredibly lucky to continue to study under the guidance of Kate ODonnell and practice among all of the dedicated and vibrant ashtangis here at Back Bay Yoga.

Roberto is a lover and devotee of flow in all forms. He is a student and teacher of Prana Flow® yoga because the style deeply resonates within him through its synthesis of the breath and movement, its roots in the arts and traditions of yoga, Bhakti, Tantra and Ayurveda, and its incorporation of other forms of movement and music to facilitate the great evolutionary process of yoga.

Roberto is deeply grateful to Shiva Rea who is a constant source of inspiration and taught him to "follow the path of the Radiant Life Force," and to his other teacher Paul Muller Ortega with whom he studies the non-dual Tantra of Kashmir Shaivism and the practice of Neelakantha Meditation.

"I believe that love is universal and you can learn something from anyone as long as you are open to this universal principle. The beauty of yoga is: the experience of transcending one's limited view of self; presence, a state of mind, body, and spirit union; and Oneness, connection with all beings and the Great Flow of Consciousness."

Cindy Matheison began practicing yoga in 1999 after the birth of her second son. She developed a passion for the Ashtanga tradition - both practice and teaching. In 2005, she intensified her Ashtanga practice and completed teacher training in March 2006 with Michael Hamilton who is authorized by Pattabhi Jois to teach Ashtanga yoga as it is taught in Mysore, India. She continues to study and practice with authorized Ashtanga instructors. Cindy finds inspiration for her practice in the Yoga Sutras and values the balance and equanimity a regular practice brings to the life of a mom and householder. Cindy is long standing student of Ashtanga and BBY and we are thrilled to have her here.

Brenna teaches from a space that is free of judgement and full of joy and playfulness. She loves the physicality that yoga offers, but is more inspired by how the practice is laced in every interaction we have with ourselves and others each day.

The younger years of Brenna's life were filled with intense sports and competition. Having played division 1 college soccer, completing half and full marathons, and a being part of a family of athletes, she turned to yoga for both mental and physical relief. The practice has helped her cultivate great love and respect for all beings, including herself.

Her classes are movement based with emphasis on self awareness and acceptance. She looks to promote freedom of breath and comfort in the body through meaningful touch and sequencing. Brenna has trained with Nicole Clark, Kate Greer, and Lynne Begier, and is greatly influenced and has studied extensively with Ame Wren. She feels blessed to be surrounded by amazing teachers and students in the Boston yoga community every day.

Vanessa first came to yoga to build confidence as a performer. The focus on the breath was a great practice for voice and piano performance. She started with Iyengar after a close friend introduced her to a studio out in Davis Square in the mid-90s. From there she connected to an Ashtanga teacher at her local gym who introduced to Back Bay Yoga. At Back Bay Yoga, Vanessa wandered into a style of yoga she had never heard of: Forrest. The intensity of the practice and focus on core strength was both challenging and inspiring. Vanessa completed the Forrest Yoga Foundation Training in 2006 and began teaching in 2007. She completed the Forrest Advanced Teacher Training in 2008. Vanessa teaches with a mellow intensity: enjoying a slower paced vinyasa flow, which builds strength and leaves students feeling grounded and relaxed.

Kate ODonnell began yoga by accident in South India at age 20. Nine extended trips to India, and over a decade of studying yoga and the wisdom traditions of India support Kate's Kripalu certification as an Ayurvedic Consultant and Yoga Specialist. She is authorized as a teacher of Ashtanga Yoga. Her personal healing with a doctor in Mysore, India led to a love for the ancient healing system and inspires her continued study and teaching in the greater Boston area. Her Ayurvedic lifestyle intensives, diet, and yoga workshops aim to help others come closer to their true nature. Illuminating self-knowledge through Ayurveda, Yoga, and community keeps Kate inspired.

Kate has completed 4, 200-hour trainings on Maui, and a Level-2 training at the Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore. She has been directing the Ashtanga program at Back Bay for 6 years. Her intention in offering Teacher Trainings at Back Bay Yoga is to provide a safe, strong, and hilarious container for transformation. AND she will happily teach you how to use a neti pot and wrap a sari!

Georgia received her 200-hour certification at Sonic Yoga in New York City where she studied under Jonathan Fields, columnist for YogaFit, and Lauren Hanna, assistant to Shiva Rea. Soon after, she found Schuyler Grant, developer of Kula Yoga and co-creator of Wanderlust, at Kula Yoga Project, where she is currently working towards her 500-hour certification. She has also studied with David Life, Sharon Gannon, Shiva Rea, Tias Little, Richard Freeman, Ana Forrest, Glenn Black, Elena Brower, and Desiree Rumbaugh. Upon completing her teacher training, Georgia taught at Sonic Yoga until she relocated from New York City to Boston in 2008.

Georgia teaches flow classes with a strong emphasis on alignment. She is known for her smart, creative and authentic sequences that are challenging yet accessible. Through the use of repetition, pranayama (or control of the breath), bandhas (or internal locks), groovy tunes, and with a deep respect for the cleansing power of sweat, her classes are designed to ease her students into a transformative space where she lovingly encourages and guides them across boundaries into unknown territory. Georgia tries hard to acknowledge and honor all transitions that occur in her classes, whether in physical poses, state of minds, or state of beings. Her intention is for students to learn and find inspiration in every class.

In addition to being a certified yoga teacher, Georgia is a Columbia University trained mental health counselor, an adoring wife, and an ever-loving and ever-grateful mama.

A lifelong health and wellness enthusiast, Sarah Sturges has over ten years of experience teaching group and private fitness classes. Her first taste of moving meditation was through running and she went on to finish four marathons. Subsequently, to balance the physical rigors of high impact exercise, Sarah began a regular Pilates and yoga practice. But it was in 2005 that the mind breath and body connection became clearer for her and, as a result, began to direct her yoga practice towards Vinyasa. For the past five years she has been teaching various forms of mind body exercise throughout the Boston area and has taught yoga internationally at Ashiyana Yoga Retreat Centre in Goa, India. Sarah attributes her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certified Training to Rolf Gates. She has recently begun study towards her 500 hour training at Prajna Yoga with Tias and Surya Little.

After a long athletic career that included competing as a Division I two sport athlete, running half marathons and working in the wellness industry, Kathy took her first Forrest yoga class as a way to enhance her fitness level and core strength. She has since resigned from her athletic endeavors and developed a strong yoga practice which include the many important components of Forrest yoga: core strength, speaking oneʼs truth and feeling within. After years of intensive practices, and completing the Forrest Yoga teacher training, she has found a body that no longer aches, an improved overall strength and a new sense of being grounded.

Kathy began her training in anatomy and physiology at Brown University and extended her knowledge base by studying Anatomy Trains with Eli Thompson, Functional Anatomy for Yoga Instructors with Ellen Heed and Visionary Craniosacral with Hugh Milne. She utilizes her background to create dynamic classes that are safe, engaging, and challenging. Kathy looks forward to sharing her practice with all her students in hopes that they too develop a love for yoga that will change their bodies and lives.

Based in Boston, Ame is a self-proclaimed "yoga mutt." Her teaching is a hybrid of many styles of yoga and heavily influenced by her own practice and teachers. She is known for lacing her classes with humor and wisdom while instilling the importance of proper alignment and smart transitioning to craft a long-term, safe asana practice. Continually humbled by the practice and its devotees, Ame hopes to aid students in finding their own quiet space on their mat. She is greatly indebted to all of her teachers past and present and is continually inspired by her NYC home away from home, Kula Yoga Project. Ame was recently named Best Yoga Instructor in the 2010 Boston magazine "Best of Boston" awards. She leads teacher trainings and retreats nationally and internationally and is a featured teacher at Wanderlust Festival.