Suzanne Gillespie-Thompson

Suzanne is a certified yoga teacher through Ashville Yoga Center's 230-hour program and a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She’s recently been given the title of “Anusara-inspired teacher”. Her Teaching has been influenced by several styles, mostly Anusara yoga developed by John Friend. She has completed nearly 400 hours of study in this style, and is in the process of certification now. Suzanne had been teaching private lessons and group classes for four years. Using the “Universal Principles of Alignment” of Anusara, she adapts poses to the students and helps them find balance between effort and surrender. Her teaching brings a sense of laid-back playfulness to this deeply spiritual practice.

Suzanne's  suggested readings:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho... life is lived now!

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans...comfort when someone has left this earth

Yoga and the Quest for the True Self  by Stephen Cope...the title says it all

Light on Life by BKS Iyengar...wisdom for our lives and a look into the life of one of the greatest living yoga masters 

 

 

Louise "Ananda"

Louise has been studying yoga for five years. Having scoliosis and back problems for years, she searched for a safe way to stay in shape. After watching Oprah talk about her experiences with yoga, Louise decided to give it a try. Since that time she has been a faithful follower of the practice. Over time it became more than a exercise program. Yoga became a way of life. Being an Italian Catholic, it seemed to fit in with her faith like a glove. Louise has been a Physical Education teacher with the Virginia Beach schools and is working with Virginia Beach public schools to integrate yoga into the physical education curriculum. She has a love for children that is very evident when you meet her. She is a mother of 3 grown children, a proud native of New York and a die hard Yankee fan. She hopes to share her love of yoga with her "kids". Louise is graduated from My Yoga Spirit's teacher training program in 2006 and is now a registered yoga teacher.  Louise owes so much to Lisa for being her teacher and friend, and to her three children for showing her what love is everyday.

Louise's  suggested readings:

OM MA the short life of Anadamayi Ma

I Am That with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Eat Pray Love

 

Debbie Harrell

Debbie approaches her teaching with an emphasis on breathwork, alignment, and compassion. Practicing yoga since 1999 she began teacher training in the Astanga tradition in 2002 with Beryl Bender Birch at Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in New York. She received her 200 hour certification from universal-movement yoga studio. Debbie has developed a special interest in older adults and those with mobility and flexibility challenges. Teaching weekly “Yoga in Chairs” lead her to the opportunity to produce a series of chair based exercise shows that air on Norfolk’s Neighborhood Network TV-48. Debbie also enjoys teaching the fundamentals of yoga to a wide variety of students at Tidewater Community Collage. Many master yoga teachers including  Mukunda Stiles, Judith Lasater, John Friend and Donna Farhi have influenced her teaching style through their writings and workshops. Debbie is a graduate of Old Dominion University and resides in the Ocean View area of Norfolk.

 

Kelly

Kelly found her way to yoga in 1999, stumbling into a six-week series at the local Y.  After changing gyms and realizing that she was only visiting the gym to practice yoga, she made the leap to find a steady Ashtanga practice at a nearby studio.  As her asana practice grew, so did her belief and dedication to the precepts of the yoga scriptures and she made the decision to take her commitment a step further, completing her 200-hour RYT certification in August of 2006.  Kelly is inspired by the teachings of Rolf Gates and Dharma Mittra and incorporates aspects of their teachings into her classes.  She believes in promoting self-acceptance through nurturing each person’s unique experience with yoga.

Kelly's Suggested Readings: 

Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates

Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living by Donna Farhi

Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace and Ultimate Freedom by B.K.S. Iyengar

 

 

Stacie "Narayani" Young

Stacie tried Yoga a few times after college and loved the way it made her feel.  After class she would walk out into the world feeling aligned, happy and at peace.  In the back of her mind she knew one day she would be given the opportunity to help other people feel that same way. After taking a seminar on setting goals and becoming the person you want to be, Stacie found her way into My Yoga Spirit and Lisa's teachings.  Starting out as an assistant in the office with very little knowledge of what Yoga really is, Lisa encouraged Stacie to take the Teacher Training program to gain a deeper understanding of what happens at a Yoga studio.  Now a Register Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Stacie received her 200 hour Certificate from My Yoga Spirit.  Stacie is so very grateful to the Teachers at My Yoga Spirit for their encouragement and support and especially to Lisa for developing a light within her to share with others. Stacie's yogic name Narayani was given to her by Lisa. Narayani was the culmination of the three most powerful godesses of our universe Saraswati, Durga and Laskmi.

 

Johanna “Ambika” Knoblauch

 Johanna has been practicing yoga since she was in the womb (as her yoga teacher mother likes to say!)  From the age of three she went to her mother’s classes, practicing with everyone until falling asleep in Sivasana.  This went well for a few years and then, of course, yoga wasn’t “cool” anymore and she went on her way trying to lead a normal life.  Fifteen years later her mom brought her to My Yoga Spirit and Lisa for the first time, and she has since come to realize yoga IS her normal life!  Since then she has brought yoga into her fiancé’s life as well as the lives of his two beautiful daughters, and seeing her new family embrace wholeheartedly that which brings her so much peace and joy made her want to be a part of bringing yoga into others’ lives as well.  Now an RYT with Yoga Alliance, she received her 200 hour certification from My Yoga Spirit.  She firmly believes that without practice, nothing can be achieved, and promises to continue furthering her yogic education for the rest of her life.  She is overjoyed to help guide her students towards an open heart and calm mind and she humbly offers thanks to all of her teachers over the years, including her mother!

 

Nina “Bhavani” Beatty

 Nina was fortunate to have grown up in Hawai’i, around parents and a community who practiced yoga.  Yoga was never forced upon her, though came naturally to say yes when invited to her first formal class in 2001.  It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time in her life. She had just returned home from college and had the time to reach beyond organized sports and her studies.  She dedicated her free time to yoga and surfing, which she feels compliment each other perfectly.  Within her first couple years of practicing yoga, it became a facet of her daily life. 

 In June of 2007, Nina made the huge move to the Norfolk area from Hawai’i.  My Yoga Spirit’s 200-hour teacher training couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.  The teacher training opened her heart to what yoga brings beyond the physical practice of asana.  She is a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance.  She has come to consider My Yoga Spirit as her home away from home.  Teaching has brought a new light into her life  and she is delighted to share it with her students. She is honored to be a part of the My Yoga Spirit teaching staff.

 

Rebecca "Satya" Fischer

Rebecca grew up playing soccer and other competitive sports, including track and volleyball. She went to her first yoga class more than six years ago hoping it would challenge her physically while also providing her with increased flexibility—something she knew she needed for general ease of movement and protection from injury. Lying in sivasana in that first class, she felt as though she’d come home. Although Rebecca still enjoys the physical benefits of yoga, she’s also discovered over the years that yoga is much more than a physical practice. Increased awareness, clearer thinking, and a more compassionate way of living are just a few of the things that yoga has brought her. It was through yoga that she became a vegetarian, for example, and also discovered Vipassana meditation: two things very important to her. She believes that any reason for beginning a yoga practice is a good one, and she is so excited to be joining the amazing group of teachers at My Yoga Spirit. Rebecca is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. She thanks her teachers, especially Lisa, her best friend Ritu, and Sri S. N. Goenka, for their example, insight, and support.

 

Holly “Dharani” Hill

Holly was introduced to yoga about 4 years ago by taking a simple Hatha yoga class at TCC . Overweight and unhappy, Holly began to realize she was actually not bad at this practice and yearned for more. Over the next 4 years she quit smoking cigarettes (a long 6 year habit), while losing over 100 pounds and gained strength by going to the gym and incorporated yoga 5-6 times a week.  She started to realize how much yoga not only was helping her physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Her friends and family even started to notice a difference. She was brought to My Yoga Spirit by a very best friend and started off in a few beginners classes then immediately threw herself into a Saturday morning Jivamukti class with Lisa “Asha,” who is now her mentor, guide and very good friend J Whenever something in life would become stressful, her mat was where she came and where she continues to come to this very day.  Holly had never met such an accepting, loving and encouraging group of teachers and friends than at MYS . The Jivamukti way of yoga, which is the style she most identifies with, inspired her to become happily vegetarian for almost 3 years and now vegan for 1. In December 2007, Holly graduated from TCC Cum Laude with triple Dean’s List, and an Associates Degree in Graphic Design: Business Arts. In June 2008, Holly graduated from the 200 hour program through Yoga Alliance, and is now a RYT at My Yoga Spirit. She received her spiritual name from Lisa, “Dharani,” who is the goddess of Mother Earth. Holly wants to thank everyone who helped her through the many transitions of her life this past year for all of their kind words, endless love, encouragement and support. She hopes to one day become a Certified Kid’s Yoga teacher, especially for kids with special needs. Holly will also be venturing off to Yogaville in September of 2008 to participate in becoming a Laugh-A-Yoga teacher through IYT. In her spare time she enjoys making hulahoops, following the remaining members of The Grateful Dead, gardening and being eco-concious, meditating, camping and hiking, going to music festivals, visiting Yogaville, blowing bubbles, spending time with her animals and getting the most out of this beautiful life as she possible can. Holly enjoys serving others, making people laugh and smile and spreading the word of Sri Swami Satchidananda everyday of her life that she is constantly grateful for. “One truth, Many paths”

 

May “Amrita” Britton (Amrita:  Nectar of Immortality)

May’s interest in yoga began when she started attending a number of different yoga classes at the local YMCA.  There, she learned the basics of Hatha yoga.  After experiencing Lisa’s Jivamukti classes, May was convinced that she should join Lisa’s 200-hour teacher training program.  She is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance and considers it a sincere privilege to teach.    Also a sculptor, May exhibits her work and has taught art classes at Old Dominion University, d'Art Center, The Hermitage Studio School, and other local institutions.  Prior to her involvement in the arts, she was a marketing director for a Virginia Beach-based construction company.    Originally from Arlington, VA, May moved to Norfolk twenty years ago when her husband, Bruce, was a student at EVMS.  She has a wonderful 13 year old son, Sean, and a very special pooch named Eddie.

Delynda “Laksmi” Woods

 During a stressful restaurant career I found solace with vinyasa style yoga tapes at home. Having an extensive background in dance I had an instant affinity for this style of yoga. In 2005, after 5 years of tapes at home, I braved my first real yoga class. This began my journey of studying with teachers who also had a passion for vinyasa  (Jivamukti/Ashtanga inspired styles). It felt like such a natural fit. I quickly noticed a change in my mental state, being able to calm down, relax, and let things go.   I am so thrilled to be able to honor my beloved teachers by bringing their beautiful and passionate teachings into my own class

 

 

Gillian "Brahmi" Durham   Gillian's first and very short-lived yoga practice took place on the floor of a roach infested room in rural Australia and was comprised of arm lifts and eye exercises learned from a borrowed musty old yoga book.  Amazingly, she returned to the practice eight years later while undertaking graduate studies in linguistics at ODU.  Spending hours hunched over books and computer, in addition to a regularly gym/jogging workout, left her body cramped and imbalanced, so she decided to try something different and stumbled into a Saturday morning MYS Jivamukti class in January of 2004.  She has practiced regularly ever since.  Gillian "Brahmi" Durham is a graduate of the 2008 MYS teacher training program.

 

 

Darby "Vidya" Beckman

Darby's Yoga path began at a young age on a more philosophical and spiritual level with the influence of her mother's reverence for the teachings of the 14th Dalai Lama and Meher Baba. With an admiration for the culture, art, and philosophy of yoga, Darby began her asana (physical) practice at about age 16 at the local YMCA. From there her practice was joyful but sporadic until falling in love with the My Yoga Spirit studio and family in the fall of 2007 where her practice began to become firmly grounded. Around the same time, the MYS Teacher Training was beginning. Although at first skeptical to her abilities as a proper teacher, Darby decided to take the training with encouragement from friends, family, and her mentor, Lisa. The training turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences of her life and teaching has become a most fulfilling profession! In addition to teaching yoga, Darby is also a practicing Nutritional Health Counselor with a diverse range of clients. She received her certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan in June 2007 and is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). In the winter, Darby is returning to ODU to complete her Interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree in Sociology, Anthropology, and Nutritional Sciences.

 

Logan "Nirmala" Kemper

Logan’s calling to teach yoga began to stir in 2003 on an island in Mexico, where a friend and instructor emphasized the balance between yogic philosophy and asana.  This inspired Logan to shift her understanding from a mere physical practice to an integrated life way, where yoga informs our interactions with one another and helps us to view obstacles as opportunities for personal and societal evolution. A very wise man once said, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” and so it was that Logan became certified at the exact right time in her life by her dear teacher, Lisa “Asha” Rapp.

Swami Satchidananda, founder of Integral Yoga, said, “Truth is one, paths are many.”  Whatever your religious, spiritual or philosophical background or beliefs, yoga is a gentle and loving discipline that can help you to grow in your own faith and come to understand the faith of others in our community. Logan feels that every yoga class is an opportunity to grow more peaceful and loving toward others, and a reminder to be kind to ourselves.

Logan is an RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) through Yoga Alliance.  She trained at My Yoga Spirit in Norfolk, where she lives with her husband and young son.

Logan's Suggested Reading:

The Essential Rumi as translated by Coleman Barks This is my constant companion and source of inspiration, much dog-eared, marked up and loved

Bhagavad Gita as translated by Eknath Easwaran Great intellectual commentary on this important conversation between Krishna and Arjuna

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda In his usual warm, logical and intuitive way, Satchidananda guides us through the underlying philosophy of yoga

Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das A profound yet accessible path to wisdom and loving kindness through the classic Buddhist teachings

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz Because we can always benefit from being guided through the process of being kind and open to grace