Suniti Dernovsek is a practitioner of hatha yoga and Tibetan Buddhism. She began studying yoga in 1999 with Iyengar teacher, Janet Lilly. Since moving to Portland in 2004 she has studied a variety of yoga traditions. She completed the Dharma Yoga Teacher Training with Uma Kleppinger at Yoga Pearl in 2006. She is currently studying with Tiffany Cruikshank to become a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Suniti is the artistic director of 'Hot Little Hands' a Portland based dance company. With over 10 years' professional dance experience, Suniti brings her love of movement and creativity into her yoga teaching.

The magic of Yoga started to unfold for Nancy when she moved to Portland, Oregon in 1998. Realizing the powerful effects it was starting to have on her, she has never looked back and has practiced continuously since then. She feels yoga is a blessing and a challenge for anyone who is willing to take it on. Since adding yoga into her daily life, she feels that it has helped keep her grounded in difficult moments and allowed some iron walls to crumble within the psyche. Nancy believes that yoga calls people into it's circle and allows them to find who they really are. It's gates are open to all that need it. Her classes are a sacred space, open to all people regardless of race, gender classification or body type. She encourages non-judgement, laughter, open minds, open hearts and most of all: Not to take ourselves too seriously! Along with yoga, her other obsessions include: Primate studies, multi-cultural music, biking and writing poetry.

Kendall began practicing yoga in the crib. It began with her mother finding her asleep, folded in two, with her head resting upon her feet for a pillow. After years of running and dancing her way through the midwest, yoga made its serendipitous return while living in London in May of 2003. It was there that her true and deep introspective examination of yoga organically unfolded. She completed Level I Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in April of 2005. Kendall has continued to deepen and renew her practice and awareness under the guidance of a number of senior teachers from a variety of yoga traditions. As a perpetual student, life remains a constant sourcebook of knowledge.

Kendall’s goal is to spark a delicious awareness inside souls, hearts, bodies, and minds. Her classes are infused with her passion for anatomy and movement of the body, and she encourages all who cross her path to cultivate a delicate balance between their innate yin and yang energies. Kendall sees her students as her teachers and feels blessed to be a teacher to her students.

Jaime's love of yoga came as the result of witnessing both her parents' beautiful, steady yoga practice throughout her life. With their encouragement, she began to take classes and realized all the undeniable goodness this practice has to offer. She was also struck by how much she loved sharing this goodness with other people,especially those that might never have a chance to experience it otherwise. In this spirit of service, she began teaching for Street Yoga, a local nonprofit offering yoga to youth who are homeless and at-risk of homelessness, in 2007. This wonderful work has led her to a deeper belief in yoga as healing modality; to simplify, she believes that Yoga makes everything better!

Jaime trained with the Samarya Center in 2008. Her classes are rich in intention, love, and creativity, with a strong focus on the breath and finding new ways to experience a pose. Most of all, she hopes that her students feel honesty and joy in their practice. Off the mat, you
might find Jaime enjoying all things culinary, in the woods, or dancing Salsa- just some of the many things she loves.

"It's hard to say exactly how we end up in any one particular place in our lives. Looking back, it often seems a strange convergence of coincidences led us to exactly where we were always meant to be."

Alicia was first introduced to Ashtanga yoga in 1997, since then she has been a devoted practitioner. Her inspirations are many, including her Ashtanga teacher, Tim Miller, whose guidance has transcended the mere physicality of the practice.

Over the years, she has spent time traveling and studying asana, yoga, pranayama, meditation and spiritual philosophy. In 2008, she made her pilgrimage to Mysore, India, to the Ashtanga Yoga Institute where she studied with Sharath the grandson of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. She felt a great sense of honor to meet Guruji and pay homage to the practice that has given and continues to give her so much.

Alicia also gives thanks to many many amazing teachers, including Thich Nhat Hanh, Dr. M.A. Jayashree, Dharma Mittra, Dominic Corigliano, Noah and Kimberley Williams, David Swenson, Rusty Wells, Laura Camp, Tim Thompson and many more.

She is known for her strength building, vinyasa-style classes that incorporate classical Ashtanga yoga principles to create a strong body, an open heart and a quiet mind. All levels are welcome, and there are modifications for the beginning student and variations for the advanced student.

Anna is a 500 (RYT) Yoga Alliance teacher, having completed 200 hr. teacher training with Sri Dharma Mittra in the style of Vinyasa Flow in the Czech Republic & 200hr & 300 hr trainings at Yoga Works in NYC, whose teaching infuses Iyengar alignment with Ashtanga VInyasa and the teachings of Desikachar. Anna has deepened her studies since then with her teacher Alan Finger of the Ishta yoga lineage. Ishta is a Sanskrit word meaning "that which resonates with the individual spirit", as well as an acronym for the Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurvedic Health. Her class is a melting pot of these trainings and it has a strong emphasis on discovering the linkage between the breath, the body and the mind in order to create a moving meditative experience.
As a dancer, Anna came to Yoga for an injury and discovered yoga's power to heal her muscles but to transform her habits. Yoga has shown her how to sincerely open to the Santosha or contentment that every moment brings. Read more at www.annalag.com

Linda is a NASM certified personal trainer http://www.nasm.org and a certified red belt Budokon Yoga Flow and Conditioning Teacher. Incorporating the various dimensions of health and wellness, Linda will support and guide you as you transform physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Linda loves to teach Vinyasa flow yoga classes. The dance of the flow is her favorite part! Linda's training focus is on functional training and core performance specializing in "Budokon Basics!" http://www.budokon.com. Linda is also beginning a new Anusara yoga certification program this year with Amrita Sanctuary for Yoga in Portland, Oregon. Linda loves to learn and teach!

Alix began her study of yoga in 1995 at age fifteen, as an alternative treatment for her scoliosis. Since
then yoga has been a path of healing and an essential part in supporting her active lifestyle and creating balance in her body and mind. When not practicing yoga Alix enjoys playing music, hiking, bicycling, martial arts, and her latest pursuit of rock climbing.
Grounded in alignment and flowing with the breath, her classes present an enjoyable environment for all levels to explore the possibilities of yoga. Alix is registered with the yoga alliance and has studied yoga for back care and scoliosis with iyengar based instructor Elise Miller. Her recent studies in massage therapy have deepened her knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Having experienced the many benefits of yoga firsthand, Alix is excited to assist others in this life enhancing practice.

Aaron Ogden has practiced in the Taoist yin and yang tradition, Ashtanga-based vinyasa and pranayama, and Iyengar alignment styles since 2001. He leads his meditative class based on the many systems of Yoga; all ways of practicing yoga can point toward the same truths!

He is creatively inspired from this science of movement and breath as it brings a new awareness to the mind and heart. Aaron invites every person to come share in this great, connective experience and see what unfolds!

Personal experience include study with Eddie Elner of Yoga Soup Studio in Santa Barbara, CA-- Dharma Yoga Teacher Training with Uma Kleppinger at Yoga Pearl Studio in Portland, OR in 2006-- and the 200hr alliance-certified White Lotus Teacher Training with Ganga White and Tracey Rich in Santa Barbara, CA in 2007. He is licensed to teach you, so come and investigate safely!

Devon trained with and is certified through the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, a traditional school and retreat center founded by Sri Swami Rama in rural Pennsylvania. Her teachers there remain her models in the practice, though she has since studied with and been influenced by great, inspired individuals like Amy Ippoliti, Tias Little and Laurie Blakeney. As a student, Devon relies strongly on the philosophical and meditative traditions in Eastern thought to help her navigate the world – within and without. With the belief that yoga can change the way you move through your life – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – Devon teaches a hands-on, philosophically committed but light-hearted class. She loves to make the spiritual aspects of yoga accessible to beginners, to help people find that they can address their own physical challenges, one pose at a time, and especially, to laugh about what a crazy puzzle we humans have been given.

As a young single mom, Mychelle found it difficult to attend yoga classes until a small martial arts studio began offering $5 yoga classes. She was allowed to bring her daughter to class and knew instantly teaching yoga was her calling. As someone who had suffered from debilitating depression for many years, Mychelle experienced first hand the amazing therapeutic benefits of yoga. It may sound trite, but a regular yoga practice really did change her life! She opened the Peoples Yoga to give back what has been given to her, affordable yoga classes so every member of our community can have access to this wonderful practice!
Mychelle completed the Dharma Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Pearl with Uma Kleppinger in 2006 and is currently attending Anusara training through Amrita: A Sanctuary for Yoga.
She plans to continue her training and specialize in Yoga Therapy, specifically so she can teach to those in recovery and those struggling with mental illness.

Renee has always been an avid movement practitioner. Starting with classical dance and gymnastics at an early age, she began to study somatic therapies at age 13, apprenticing and working closely with dance and movement therapists. Alongside her studies of dance and yoga she continues to study Body Mind Centering and developmental movement.

It is through this lens that she has developed an understanding of the potential for catharsis, healing and transcendence through movement and breath and that she has come to be a student in the practice of yoga. She has studied various styles of yoga asana, pranayama and meditation. Her principle teachers are Richard Freeman, with whom she continues to study yoga asana and philosophy and Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen who is the founder of Body Mind Centering.

Renee's teaching is inspired by a deep awe and respect for the intricacies of the human body. Her classes are based in strong alignment and kinesthetic awareness while encouraging fluidity, organic movement, and good sense of humor.

Jennifer has been practicing yoga and holistic healing since 1991. Over the years she has explored the wisdom of the yoga therapy including the practices of Viniyoga, Shadow, alignment and therapeutics of Iyengar, and the power and breath of Astanga Vinyasa. Under the wisdom and guidance of her primary teacher Tias Little and Prajna Yoga, she has structured her daily mental and asana practice to focus on alignment, restorative healing, conditioning of the nervous system, breath, and the fine line of listening to the body's response of daily emotional and physical awareness. It is from this experience that she bases her teaching with the continual support of her community, students, and inner breath of guidance. Jennifer’s daily practice and teaching style blends the Iyengar therapeutic approach to the use of props, opening the body to proper alignment along with the sequencing and breath of Vinyasa . Her passion is in finding the innate place of healing and life force each individual holds inside of them. Jennifer blends the anatomical transverse pathways of the body with the breath and life of the knowledge of the still mind. Her experience as a food and healing nutritionist, cranial sacral therapist, yoga therapist, and somatic psychology trauma therapist allows her clients and students to create possibilities consciously and lovingly. Jennifer uses these approaches to deepen presence and awareness of our inner being until we are able to know ourselves more fully and out of that knowing we are moved to embrace the opportunity for change, growth and enhanced well-being in the body and spirit. She encourages personal introspection and reflection, believing that what we cultivate on the mat must be brought into our lives. Our life is our yoga practice.

Rachel (RYT*) began practicing yoga at age 2, took a 20ish year break, and rediscovered the joys of a consistent yoga practice over the past 6 years. She received her 200-hour teacher certification in Interdisciplinary Yoga from the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica, and currently practices at Amrita: a Sanctuary for Yoga, in Portland, Oregon. She has studied a variety of yoga styles including Hatha, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Anusara, and Kripalu primarily, and integrates wisdom from all these traditions into each class.

*Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance

Shana Sturtz has been practicing and discovering the benefits of yoga for more than 10 years.

Having a background in athletics, specifically bike racing, Shana has a particular interest in helping athletes ease the stress and strain that can result from endurance sports. Shana also has a passion for teaching teens and at-risk populations. She has taught kids ranging from 11-17, helping them use the tools they learn from yoga to ease the challenges of being a teen. Shana completed a training with Living Yoga, which brings yoga into prisons and rehabilitaton centers.

Shana is known and appreciated by her students for her strong ability to teach varied skill levels, making yoga accessible for all. She is passionate about increasing peoples' understanding of their bodies, nutrition, alignment, breath, and moving consciously through asana practice.

Shana is a Registered Yoga Teacher (200-hour) and continues to train with Tiffany Cruikshank toward her 500-hour certification.

Traci began seeing the positive influences that yoga had to offer through her many years of studying contemporary dance. Throughout college, while pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance at Shenandoah Conservatory, her interest of yoga was peaked from master classes with various visiting teachers. After graduating college, Traci was thrilled to continue her exploration of yoga at Bates Dance Festival and an intensive with Mark Morris Dance. Once Traci moved to New York City in 2000, she had the privilege of studying with top teachers that the city had to offer. In the winter of 2007, she completed her 200-hour certification through New York Yoga where she had managed and studied for five years.


Traci has relocated to Portland in order to immerse herself in the practice, study, and teachings of yoga. Her teaching style has been greatly influenced from her studies in Anusura, Iyengar, Restorative and dance. Now studying under Jody Kurilla, owner of Yoga Shala of Portland, she is immersing herself in the Krishnamacharya lineage.


Infusing her learnings together to allow room for investigation and growth, Traci's classes are based on proper alignment while bringing in thought evoking themes and personalized asana practices. Traci believes that not everything needs to be so serious and that even the most serious of subjects, looked at with a positive attitude can bring openness that might not have occurred without the presence of a smile.