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About Our Instructors |
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Pam Walsh, 500 hour E.R.Y.T, owner and operator of "The Spirit of Yoga", has a BS and MS equivalency in Health and Physical Education. Her love for yoga and teaching led her to open The Spirit of Yoga - West Chester in March of 1999 and The Spirit of Yoga Wellness Center - Downingtown in November 2003. She took her first yoga class in 1973 and has been practicing yoga ever since. Pam's dedication to lifelong study and practice has led her to many yoga instructors including Richard Freeman, Beryl Bender Birch, Rodney Yee, Erich Schiffman, David Swenson, and many others. She enjoys teaching yoga and sharing her experiences with students at the West Chester Senior Center, West Chester University, several local corporations, and both Spirit studios. She developed the 200 hour yoga teacher training program and loves introducing her students to the joys of teaching yoga. |
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| Danielle Anastasi started practicing yoga in 1999 at the Spirit of Yoga. It was then that she discovered a passion for the practice. She completed the teacher training program with Pam Walsh. There she studied a variety of yoga including Kripalu, Ashtanga, Baptiste and Iyengar. Danielle looks forward to sharing her love of yoga with others. | |||
| Susan Banks, R.Y.T., registered with the Yoga Alliance having completed her certification with the first class to graduate from The Spirit of Yoga. She has been practicing yoga for 19 years and teaching for 12. She initially took up yoga to compliment her Aerobic teaching, but finds she teaches more yoga classes than fitness these days. She has studied various styles with numerous teachers over the years which she thinks shows in her practice. | |||
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Sarah Beck, E.R.Y.T., discovered her love of yoga while training with Pam Walsh. She has studied a variety of yoga styles since 2000, which she blends into her classes. She is certified in vinyasa flow yoga and has attended workshops and lectures with Beryl Bender Birch and B.K.S. Iyengar, among others. In 2007, she studied Thai Yoga Bodywork with Michael Buck, which she includes in her classes and private sessions. Sarah specializes in prenatal yoga and wellness. She studied to be a Doula through DONA and is also certified by Motherwell as a Maternity Fitness Professional. Sarah has also completed her studies with the School of Shamanic Methods and does a variety of energy work including Reiki and Whole Self Alignment and Integration. |
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Ron Coughenour is a natural teacher with a master’s degree in education, an extensive corporate background and three years of experience as a stay-at-home-dad. Ron uses his diverse personal history to connect with each student. Drawing from his own practice, various readings and inherent love of teaching, he guides his students through a full yoga experience. Ron’s unique style incorporates breathwork, meditation and philosophy into an asana practice that is challenging for students at all levels. | ||
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Judy
Curiel, Ph.D., R.Y.T., began taking yoga classes
at The Spirit of Yoga in 2004 and completed the 2007-2008
Teacher Training Program with Pam Walsh. In May of 2008,
Judy became a Certified Relax and Renew® Trainer after
studying with Dr. Judith Hanson Lasater. In 2007, Judy
attended an Anusara/Restorative Yoga Retreat in Mexico in
with Amy Ippoliti and Jane Fryer and in 2008 attended a
Restorative Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica with Jane Fryer. Judy holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, a M.A. in Bilingual/Bicultural Studies and a doctoral degree in Second Language Acquisition Methodology and has been a teacher for more than thirty years. |
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Leah Lackro, R.Y.T., is honored to receive the title Certified Yoga Instructor. She adds this title to mother, wife and Certified Special Education Teacher. Leah has been teaching in the field of Special Education for seven years and practicing yoga for ten years. Leah is dedicated to her personal growth as a yoga instructor and student. She nurtures her spirit and personal growth with continued education from dedicated yoga instructors and workshops. Leah shares her passion of yoga and knowledge in a warm, caring, secure environment, which promotes patience, acceptance, forgiveness, courage, beauty, and a sense of self. |
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| Mary Powers After several years as a group fitness instructor and a few injuries, curiosity led her to try yoga. The passion for yoga was sparked and the group fitness aspect dwindled. Through teaching yoga, she hopes to share the physical benefits of the asanas and the calming tranquility of the mind that yoga offers. | |||
| Colleen Robinson, R.Y.T., found yoga five years ago egged on by a “come and try it, you’ll never be the same” challenge from a yoga instructor friend. A hardcore fitness professional with 22 years experience teaching a variety of classes at health clubs around the country, Colleen was skeptical that she would ever take up yoga or any other type of mind/body discipline on a regular basis. To her surprise and great satisfaction she now devotes herself exclusively to teaching Hatha yoga, Pilates, meditation, and yoga/pilates fusion. She also recently studied Thai Yoga Bodywork with Michael Buck, a folk art that she incorporates into classes and private sessions. Colleen works as a marketing communications professional with a local corporation, is raising two teenage daughters in Devon, and is devoted to continuing her studies and personal journey in yoga, bodywork, and other healing arts—something that she hopes will become her primary life’s work. | |||
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Sarah Rogers, R.Y.T., first learned about yoga from her mom and began practicing formally 7 years ago. She received her 200 hour Hatha Yoga Certification from The Spirit of Yoga in January 2007 where she learned about various styles including Forrest, Astanga, Kripalu, Baptiste, Iyengar, Kundalini, and Prenatal yoga. Sarah brings a calm, soothing presence to her yoga and meditation classes. She is interested in teaching her students to cultivate not only improved physical health but also an inner stillness and a tranquil spirit through their yoga practice both on and off the mat. |
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Kristin J. Roosevelt, R.Y.T, completed her certification at the Spirit of Yoga during the 2004-2005 Teacher Training Program. She has been practicing yoga since 1998 and has attended Beryl Bender Birch Ashtanga workshops and a retreat at Pura Vida in Costa Rica. She has practiced various styles of Yoga including Ashtanga, Baptiste, Forrest Yoga, and Tri-Yoga. Her foundation is in Ashtanga Yoga, but she does enjoy teaching various styles of Yoga including flow classes. Kristin has been an athlete playing lacrosse and running cross-county and marathons. Her love and practice of yoga has transformed her life physically, mentally, and spiritually and she hopes to share these experiences with her students. | ||
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Christina Smith, R.Y.T., has been studying yoga for nearly 30 years. In addition to being registered through the Yoga Alliance, Christina has practiced the arts of Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga under Manju Jois, the son of world-renowned yoga instructor B.K.S. Iyengar. More and more medical practitioners have realized the health benefits of yoga; and as a result, Christina caters each yoga session to the personal needs of her students. Through Christina’s extensive yoga experience, she is qualified to teach students of all ages and levels, with current students ranging from 9 years old to 90 years young. Moreover, Christina has been a long time horse enthusiast and has turned both her passions for horseback riding and yoga into her business “The Yoga Pony” which incorporates both practices. Come and join Christina’s classes for a safe and gentle way to better health and well-being. Namasté. |
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| Sharon Smith, R.Y.T., has studied a variety of Hatha Yoga styles, including Kripalu, Ashtanga, Baptiste, Forrest and Iyengar. She blends all of those styles into unique yoga classes designed to help you relax, focus, calm your mind and become more flexible. Sharon combines yoga postures, breathing techniques and guided meditations to lead students through their own journey of self discovery. Sharon's daily practice helped her connect with and reveal her true, bright, inner light, an experience that she has come to believe is at the heart of what yoga is all about. She finds teaching yoga to others has been a life transforming experience. Sharon is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and is a member of the International Yoga Association. | |||
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Call The Spirit of Yoga at (610) 429-0920 today! |
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