Instructors
Alexsey
Alexsey fell in love with yoga with his first class at 4th Avenue Yoga, and hasn’t stopped going since. After six years of consistent practice, he went and received his 200 hour teacher training from the Devotional School of Yoga, Belize, under the tutelage of Kali Kennedy. Interested in active meditation through a powerful asana practice, he is excited to help others build strength both externally and internally!
Alice
Alice is a “yoga addict” and has been practicing as much as possible since her first exposure in 2003! She completed her 200 RYT Training through Jonny Kest’s Center for Yoga in Detroit, Michigan. Alice’s daily Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga practice, as well as her extensive background in ballet, are reflected in her instruction. Yogis will experience a sense of empowerment and self-expression through a combination of traditional poses and creative flows. Alice teaches first grade in TUSD.
Amanda
Amanda was first introduced to the world of yoga in 2014 and never stopped exploring! The practice as a whole was life changing and allowed her to cultivate self-love. Her compassion grew exponentially after finishing her 200-hour teacher training from the Devotional School of Yoga, in Belize, under Kali Kennedy. Restorative has a place in her heart because of its surrendering quality. She finds that letting go and allowing your body to restore its natural energy is beautiful. She has personally grown from yoga and hopes you will join her in finding what calls to you!
Brandy
Brandy found yoga by accident; 11 years ago, she joined a friend for class and fell in love with the practice! A light came on that just continued to grow brighter every time she came to the mat. What began as solely a physical practice has blossomed into a deeper awareness of mind and spirit. She is an E-RYT 500 teacher inspired by ashtanga, power, and vinyasa teachings.
Student first, teacher second: expect to be challenged mentally and physically in Brandy’s classes. She believes strongly in the power of “possibility;” we don’t know until we try! “Only by passing through resistance do we become stronger,” a quote by Sri Swami Satchidananda that she often shares and teaches from. Her classes offer a strong breath connection with powerful flows to tap into our internal strength!
Casey
Casey Shaw is passionate about helping others discover true soul alignment and embodied bliss. She has formally studied over 700 hours of ancient and modern Yoga philosophy, mindfulness based stress reduction, healing modalities in India and beyond. She is a trained Life Coach and Spiritual Teacher. Casey has over 9 years of experience supporting others to relax, get unstuck, understand and befriend their inner critic, set boundaries and keep them, find ease in their bodies, be kind to themselves, and have more fun.
Connie
Connie began practicing yoga in 2009 and immediately fell in love with the practice. She completed the 200 hour certification from the renowned school of Yoga Medicine under the guidance of Tiffany Cruikshank. Being a registered nurse, she has a great love of anatomy and biomechanics of the body but feels this is just the beginning of yoga. Personally, Connie knows that yoga helps you get stronger and more flexible but more importantly, helps us connect to our true selves. She loves to teach with creative sequencing, a spirit of playfulness and a dose of inspiration to help students deepen their practice.
Geneva
Geneva Dawn was first introduced to Tai Shi and Chi Gung in 2002. For many years she focused on her Chi Gung practice, and in the last two years has focused more intensely on learning Chen style Tai Chi. Though she feels like a beginner herself in this life-long practice, Geneva is a competent and insightful guide of this class for beginning to intermediate students, focusing on foundational exercises as well as practicing the Chen style form in its entirety. She is thrilled to share this ancient practice and its plethora of health benefits known to millions of people worldwide. In addition to her passion for tai chi, Geneva teaches Spanish, traditional hide-tanning, and fire-by-friction. She also grows native heirloom foods, is a musician, and plays word games whenever possible.
Grace
Grace (RYT-200) has a passion for yoga that stems from the ways it has helped and changed her life since she began practicing in 2005. She has shared yoga in her hometown of Tucson, while traveling in East Africa, and during her studies in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has led yoga in a variety of settings and loves to practice outdoors. Grace began her yoga journey practicing Ashtanga yoga and completed her teacher training in Hatha yoga. Her classes incorporate both styles and seek to find a balance between active flow and calm relaxation. Her other interests include travel, cycling, and craft beer.
Hope
Hope completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2017 with Kali Kennedy at the Devotional School of Yoga. She teaches a variety of flow classes, making her classes accessible to everyone and every body. Through her classes, she hopes to bring awareness to the body and the self. Hope believes that through the physical practice of yoga, yogis can delve deeper into their mind, body, and spirit. Along with yoga, Hope enjoys painting, running, and writing.
Jessica
Johnny
Johnny received a 250 hour Government of India certification in Hatha over the summer of 2010 at the Yoga Vidya Gurukul, a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2011, and a YogaHour* certification from Darren Rhodes during 2012. During his undergraduate honors thesis he conducted an experiment examining a yogic breathing technique, which led to being hired as a Faculty Research Associate in the Psychophysiology department at UofA following graduation. His classes are a synthesis of the knowledge pertaining to meditation and physiology he has been exposed to, coupled with the various Western and Eastern traditions he has encountered throughout his yogic studies. Students that frequent his class tend to be anyone looking to have a good time while spending a little extra time on foundation alignment, regardless of whether they practice often or never have before.
Josh
Josh first practiced yoga when he was 18 in 2013, but it was in 2014 when he began to make yoga apart of his daily life. Josh enjoys teaching because he gets to share the experience of a mind and body connection with folks that may have never had that. In his classes, you will be challenged both mentally and physically. Yoga is his passion and loves having the opportunity to teach at a studio that has given him so much.
Kali
My life changed when I discovered the power of yoga at seventeen. The practice has enriched all areas of my life physically, mentally, and spiritually as I found an immediate vocation to teach. I have primarily been teaching Vinyasa classes since 2010 in the Tucson community but I deeply enjoy, respect, and hold space for all styles of yoga. More recently my practice has shifted to understand more therapeutic approaches to yoga and encourage mindful healing to accommodate those bodies with injuries or chronic pain. In an effort to revolutionize yoga education, I founded The Devotional School of Yoga, a destination training and retreat school. I have since trained several people in the art of teaching yoga, including many 4th Avenue Yoga teachers. I encourage an open-minded and openhearted perspective as we move through yoga practice, and ultimately life.
Leah
When you show up to practice, the practice shows up for you. I discovered the balancing effects of yoga asana from the first time I stepped on my mat in 2009. My practice helped me heal and cultivate inner and outer strength as I went through a very challenging time in my life. My asana practice culminated with heart-centered meditation, which resulted in a complete transformation of how I thought of myself and lived my life. What was once a time of pain is now realized and rejoiced as the catalyst of my personal renewal. I believe we each have the capacity and capability to continually recreate ourselves. Through the times of growth, through every experience of triumph and surrender, your practice will be there to support the infinite you, every breath of the way.
Lily
A 200 hour teacher training through the Devotional School of Yoga opened me up to the abundant power of healing, accomplished through intention and breathing with meaning believing that we are all yielding an essence so true, so light and so bright we deserve to be beaming. Passionate beings in-tune with your true being and seeing what you intentionally seek out to see. Through mindful flow of letting go we can divulge into the unknown; finding comforts in places we didn’t even know. From head to toe we’ll release samskaras and that of which does not serve us anymore. Guiding you through your intentions relaxing into new inventions of self redemption by choosing to learn alongside acceptance.
Naveena
Born and currently located in Tucson, AZ, I was raised in New Jersey in a traditional Hindu household. During my childhood, I was introduced to the spiritual concepts of yoga by my parents who regularly read Hindu scriptures and integrated the practices of the eight limbs of yoga into their lifestyles. At the age of thirteen, I sustained a chronic injury. In an effort to strengthen and restore mobility, I began a daily yoga practice. With time and commitment, my spirit, soul, and body gained strength and mobility returned.
In 2015, I received my RYT 200 in traditional Hatha and Vinyasa style flow. I believe that every form of yoga presents its own benefits to students depending upon their varied needs. I have since obtained certifications to teach Childrens, Yin, and Yoga Nidra and have gained thorough experience teaching a wide variety of styles with diverse populations and bodies. I strive to bring an equal balance of awareness and tranquility to my students and classes. My classes aim to infuse alignment based, intuitive, and joyful movement with reverence for our bodies and the eight limbs.
Nychole
Nychole found appreciation for yoga a few years back after sustaining a running injury. She practiced yoga consistently and was able to be restored both physically and to her discovery, spiritually. She decided to deepen her appreciation for yoga by completing the RYT 200 certification through Session School of Yoga in 2014 and is now a registered member of the Yoga Alliance. At the end of RYT certification Nychole left corporate life to follow her passion and to help others through the power of yoga. Her classes are designed to help fellow students explore their own potential by guiding them through powerful, playful, and mindful sequences. Nothing makes Nychole happier than seeing a class full of sweaty and smiling yogis.
Pam
Pam Ronstadt began studying yoga at the suggestion of her doctor and began to immediately see the benefits of a regular yoga practice to her overall health and well-being. The impact of a regular yoga practice led Pam to take her 200-hour teacher training at the Yoga Connection in Tucson. Pam practices and teaches Hatha Yoga in it’s many forms as well as Yin Yoga. She strives to bring a level of joy, peace and fun into each of her classes.
Phoebe
Phoebe, RYT200, has been practicing yoga since being a baby with her mama. Passionate about wellness, she is also a Health Coach, fitness instructor and Licensed Massage Therapist. Her classes are a way to sweat, shine and unwind, while igniting your inner glow through beats, bends and breath. Come play on the mat!
Shelle
Shelle first discovered yoga when she was eight years old; she didn’t get serious about her practice until a colleague took her to a Bikram class in Tucson. That class sparked a passion for yoga that took Shelle around the world to cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Montreal, Hong Kong and Istanbul.
Shelle has always been very athletic and her favorite classes to teach and practice are Vinyasa style flows. She has been teaching for 18-years and has trained with Bikram, Paul Grilley (Yin), Dave Swenson (Ashtanga), Anna Forrest (Forrest Yoga) and Shiva Rea (Prana Vinyasa). The biggest influence on her teaching is Patrick Creelman in Hong Kong. Shelle’s teaching combines aspects of all of her teachers with a focus on strength and alignment.
Stephanie
Stephanie is a 200 RYT yoga instructor who studied vinyasa style yoga at Pure Yoga West in NYC. During her training, she was exposed to teachers from around the world who showed her just how much there is to learn about the yogic philosophy. She is excited to continue to learn and grow from everyone in the yoga community- including her students. Her yoga journey began when her 15 year long career as a competitive gymnast came to a close. Her transition into yoga was a swift one and she has been a regular practitioner ever since. Her dedication to yoga is rivaled only by her love of the arts. She is currently studying graphic design at the U of A. She also loves animals, traveling, and anything sweet. She’s extremely excited to share the wonders of yoga with anyone who is willing to learn.
Tanya
Tanya Witman has been teaching yoga since 2010 and practicing since 1998. She is an avid alignment enthusiast, fascinated by the countless ways in which yoga can improve our lives through continued attention to the self in all its facets. She brings humor and anatomy regularly into her classes, with regular core infusions to strengthen us both physically and mentally. Come expecting to work, think and laugh!
Tatiana
Tatiana took her first yoga class 10 years ago—uncoordinated, unaware, and unable to touch her toes. Through practice, yoga transformed her body. The poses gave her a physical strength that translated to mental strength. Yoga has given her the tools to continually heal herself, in both body and mind. She knew that she needed to pass this gift onto others. She received her 200-hour certification from Yoga Oasis in Tucson after being the recipient of the full Elizabeth Blue Scholarship. Meditation, dance, travel, furry friends, and good vegetarian cooking are a few other things that make her heart happy.