Our Teachers
Bio coming soon.
Tuesday
9:00am - 10:25am Vinyasa Flow I/II
Thursday
9:00am - 10:30am Vinyasa Flow I/II
Christine Fiorentino is an inventive and adventurous instructor, drawing her inspiration from an eclectic variety of sources. A primary influence is her background as a professional dancer/instructor with a degree in dance from CSULB. She caught fire for yoga while living in New York, practicing with Cyndi Lee at the renowned Om Yoga Studio. This led her to Oakland, where she completed the intensive 650-hour Yoga Teacher Training under the guidance of Rodney Yee.
Early in her career as a Yoga teacher in Santa Cruz, Christine discovered the path of spiritual inquiry as taught by Adyashanti. This teaching has been invaluable in deepening her understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection and the true meaning of Yoga. Most recently she has been inspired by her own personal practice, integrating insights from professionals in a variety of fields and modalities. Christine has been teaching in Humboldt County since 2005 and feels excited and blessed to be part of the thriving Yoga community in this area.
Tuesday
5:30pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa & Alignment All Levels
Thursday
5:30pm - 7:00pm Vinyasa & Alignment All Levels
Bio coming soon.
Wednesday
9:00am - 10:30am Gentle Yoga
Sunday
9:00am - 10:25am Gentle Yoga
Elizabeth credits the practice of yoga with sustaining her joy, peace, and happiness. She feels lucky to be able to share such an amazing path with children. She took her first class in Boulder in 1992 and continues to learn about yoga. A credentialed elementary teacher, she completed Om Shree Om Kids Yoga teacher training in 2006 to help her bring yoga to the classroom. Since then she’s been teaching yoga at many local schools. Off the mat, she enjoys sharing the wonders of nature with her four year old son. Elizabeth is grateful to the many wonderful yoga teachers who have inspired her and helped her to open her heart.
Tuesday
4:15pm - 5:25pm Kids' Yoga ages 4-8
Thursday
4:15pm - 5:25pm Kids' Yoga ages 9-12
Emily has been practicing Yoga since 2002 and is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with National Yoga Alliance. She completed her yoga certification program at It’s Yoga in San Francisco with Larry Schultz, a student of Pattabhi Jois and the creator of Rocket Yoga. Emily's vinyasa flow classes are guided by the slow rhythm of the inhalation and exhalation in such a way to inspire a meditation in motion. She encourages her students to go inside themselves to observe and explore the energy that is available there, being mindful to honor the uniqueness of the present moment. She is always amazed at how, through the practice of yoga, the ever-changing impermanence of ourselves and nature is revealed to us. As we observe the subtle changes of our body and mind through this practice, the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us begins to expand. As we step out of our old body and into a new one, we realize we can step out of the old world and into a new one. Emily invites you to take a pause from your busy life, quiet the thinking mind and wake up the feeling body.
Monday
5:45pm - 7:15pm Vinyasa Flow I/II
Wednesday
5:45pm - 7:15pm Vinyasa Flow I/II
Friday
5:45pm - 7:15pm Vinyasa Flow I/II
Franchesca Hanna began her yoga practice on San Juan Island, Washington where she first took classes in Anusara and Vinyasa style Yoga. Once introduced, yoga became an important part of her life. As her love for yoga continued to grow, she found it to be a beautiful gift to her life that has helped her on spiritual, physical, and emotional levels. She believes that yoga is a great tool that is valuable to anyone at any age and ability level. While living on San Juan Island, Franchesca worked as the Art Director at Stepping Stones Children’s Center Preschool. Early on, it became apparent to Franchesca physical movement can help children find focus. Teaching yoga to children is an exciting new venture for her, as she believes that Yoga is a great form of physical movement that brings focus and centering to all who practice. As a new mother, Franchesca believes that it is important to integrate Yoga into her son’s life from early on. She is very grateful for the opportunity to help bring Yoga into other children's lives, as well as to provide a place where children and their caregivers can come and celebrate Yoga together.
Thursday
10:30am - 11:30am Mommy/Daddy & Me, ages 0-5; $5 per child
Freetah B! (formerly Jehfree Spirit) is an Integrative Yoga Therapist who shares the ancient wisdom of yoga in a light-hearted and fun class. He teaches Vinyasa Flow and Restorative classes where he likes to inform his students about the five levels of consciousness that make up the human being: Physical, Energetic, Mental, Emotional,and Spiritual. Freetah is a colorful character with a great sense of humor, and his clear words make every class welcoming to both the beginner and the most advance student. Freetah's primary teachers are Joseph and Lillian LePage, creators of Integrative Yoga Therapy. He has over 1000 hours of training and is a professional member of the Yoga Alliance.
Monday
7:30pm - 9:00pm Vinyasa Flow All Levels
Wednesday
7:30pm - 9:00pm Vinyasa Flow All Levels
Friday
7:30pm - 9:00pm Candlelight Flow All Levels
Sunday
10:30am - 12:00am Vinyasa Flow All Levels
Heather's love of yoga began 11 years ago, and has led her on a journey of self discovery and transformation. Her joy in sharing yoga with friends has inspired her to study yoga and deepen her own practice. Her teacher trainings include Max Strom (Vinyasa Yoga), Robyn Smith (Anusara Yoga), and Baron Baptiste (Power Vinyasa Yoga). She spends her spare time practicing yoga at home next to a hot wood stove or entertaining the whims of her 8- and 11-year-old daughters.
Monday
11:00am - 12:30am Power Yoga All Levels
Janine Melzer teaches Forrest Yoga as a way to support and inspire students to become their most genuine selves. She is passionately committed to getting people turned on to embodying spirit in their yoga practice and in their lives. Janine asks her students to bring a willingness to work honestly at their edges without struggling, clearing the way to find delight in every breath
Tuesday
9:00am - 10:25am Forrest Yoga All Levels
Saturday
9:00am - 10:30am Forrest Yoga All Levels
Jodie DiMinno is a certified instructor of Kripalu Yoga and has been a student of yoga for more than ten years. She spent three years as a resident staff member and facilitator of yoga and self-discovery programs at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts, one of the premier centers for yoga in the country. Through the practice of yoga, Jodie has found a deep sense of peace and grace within; it is one of her greatest joys to share this gift with others.
Sunday
6:30pm - 8:00pm Restorative
Bio coming soon!
Wednesday
5:30pm - 6:45pm Level 1 Community Class–$5 I
7:00pm - 8:30pm Restorative
Lori Snyder's pre-yoga world included dance, taking kids and adults snorkeling with sea lions and sharks, booking music at a Hollywood club, fiction writing (still happening), and way too many years of college. She has studied with her primary teacher, Max Strom, since 1997 and has also practiced or trained with Erich Schiffmann, Steve Ross, Micheline Berry, and many other incredibly spirited yoga teachers.
What captures her most about yoga is its power to remind us how connected we all are, and how ridiculously happy and beautiful life can be. Her classes feature intelligent sequencing, philosophies of kindness, and fabulous soundtracks.
Tuesday
7:30pm - 9:00pm Groove Yoga I/II
Wednesday
11:00am - 12:30am Vinyasa Flow I/II
Thursday
7:30pm - 9:00pm Groove Yoga I/II
Friday
11:00am - 12:30am Vinyasa Flow I/II
Saturday
10:30am - 12:00am Groove Yoga II/III
“For Manderella, it’s about the process,” said one modern dance teacher, and so it is. The journey on and off the mat is what keeps yoga alive in her heart. Manderella shares a practice based on her modern dance training, her Yoga Teacher Training at Mt. Madonna, and her own ecstatic dance in life. In her classes you will be encouraged to find the places you can grow in stillness. Grounded in the earth of the body, you will be reminded of your freedom to make choices on and off the mat. Manderella started her yoga practice in 2000. Since then, she has been empowered by teachers at The Mindful Body in San Francisco and by JinSung of Piedmont Yoga in Oakland. She has taught in the Arcata community offering Yoga Love before ecstatic dance events, at HSU's student yoga club the Lotus Collective, at Earthdance 2009, and at Oshun Yoga in Trinidad. Off the mat, Manderella designs and sews clothing for Licorice Fashion, her sweet and rooted collection of dance and yoga wear. She is also currently working on Rasa Yoga, a practice to merge asana and modern dance technique set to the soundtrack of human emotion.
Tuesday
4:15pm - 5:25pm Level I-II
Thursday
4:15pm - 5:25pm Level I-II
Marta discovered meditation early in life when she ventured alone into the silence of the wilderness thirty years ago. This experience led her to formal training in Zen and in Buddhism. She has been slowly deepening her practice over the decades, and now enjoys sharing her depth, insights, and enthusiasm for meditation practice.
Tuesday
6:00pm - 7:30pm Universal Meditation; Donation
Thursday
6:00pm - 7:30pm Universal Meditation; Donation
Sunday
5:00pm - 6:25pm Universal Meditation; Donation
Paula Scott was introduced to yoga in India in 1993 and since then has had an eclectic background in her journey of self discovery, including vipassana meditation, restorative, primal energetics, Anusara, belly yoga, pirate yoga, diamond heart work, and more. One of her greatest teachers was her own pregnancy and labor. She brings to her classes a soulful curiosity, weaving poetic imagery into breath and movement and stillness with the intent of touching the deeper realms of being and integrating these deeper realms into life. She has been teaching in the community for nine years, primarily at HSU. Paula holds certifications from the California Yoga Alliance – certified through the teacher training program at Yoga Mendocino under the direction of Mary Pafford – the National Council of Massage Therapists, and the National Guild of Hypnotists. In addition to prenatal yoga, she offers hypnobirthing, baby yoga, doula services and massage therapy.
Monday
9:00am - 10:30am Prenatal Yoga
Peggy Profant spent her teenage years on the beaches of Santa Barbara drinking wheat grass, throwing a frisbee, and sharing yoga with her sunworshipping friends. In yoga she had discovered the fountain of youth! She has been an explorer of wilderness and culture and has traveled the world to experience the many flavors of life. Formerly a wilderness guide, her journey into parenthood has settled her in the Arcata area to become a massage therapist and yoga teacher. Peggy co-founded World Family Yoga, retreats which combine the three things she most loves: family, yoga and travel. Her eleven years of teaching yoga have been influenced by Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga, which she became passionate about during her travels to India. Now Peggy's love resides with the teachings of Anusara yoga. She travels frequently to study with Anusara's founder, John Friend, and has become a certified Anusara Yoga teacher. Based in Tantric philosophy, Anusara offers a heart-centered, life-affirming approach to hatha yoga, with an exquisite attention to alignment. It is Peggy's joyful passion to share the teachings of yoga with her students.
Monday
9:00am - 10:40am Anusara Yoga II/III
10:45am - 12:00am Anusara Yoga I
Wednesday
9:00am - 10:30am Anusara Yoga I/II
10:35am - 10:55am Pranayama & Meditation; Free
Friday
9:00am - 10:25am Anusara Yoga I/II
10:45am - 12:00am Anusara Yoga I
Robyn Smith is a certified Anusara Yoga Instructor, Integrative Yoga Therapist, Forrest Yoga Instructor, and Hanna Somatic Educator. She has been practicing yoga since 1988 and teaching since 1994, and has been an avid student of Buddhist and Tantric meditation since 1993. She fell in love with Anusara Yoga in 2000 and made it her home after a long journey practicing and exploring different styles of yoga, including Ashtanga, Forrest, Viniyoga, and Iyengar. Anusara Yoga's unique alignment principles, positive life-affirming philosophy and celebration of the community have opened her body, heart and mind to deeper levels than she ever though possible, and she just keeps growing! Her teaching is infused with her love of yoga, the wisdom she's gained over the years through her practices and studies, abundant adjustments and alignment instructions, and a healthy dose of laughter and play. Robyn continues her studies with her teacher, John Friend, traveling the country to study with him 2 - 3 times per year, complemented by workshops with top Anusara teachers several times per year. She has lived in Arcata and taught yoga here since 1995 and offers regular Anusara Yoga Immersions, Teacher Trainings, workshops, private therapy sessions in Yoga and Somatics, as well as local and international retreats. When she's not practicing or teaching yoga, she can be found working at her yoga business, playing in her garden, walking in nature, or chilling with friends or her husband, Patrick.
Shemaia "Skywater" Lucas – Certified yoga teacher/performing artist/
vibrational healer. As a dancer/poet/seeker, Shemaia came to yoga with a curiosity for its beauty and deep mystery. Her practice over more than two decades had a huge impact on her body/mind fitness approach as a trainer/teacher.
Shemaia has been teaching yoga since 1988, and her influences and teachers are wondrously varied; Kundalini, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Taoist yoga and now, especially, Anusara make up the threads of her Yoga tapestry. Widely known teachers she has trained with have been Erich Schiffmann, Shari Friedrichsen, Ana Forrest, Paul Grilley, Judith Lasater, Tim Miller and, most currently, Sarajoy Marsh, Mary Pafford, and Anusara’s founder, John Friend.
Shemaia’s compassionate, supportive teaching reflects her reverence for this practice and its capacity to facilitate awareness, health and the profound recognition that our core essence IS pure luminosity!
Tuesday
10:30am - 12:00am Anusara Inspired I/II
Thursday
10:30am - 12:00am Anusara Inspired I/II
Teacher photos by Eva York Photography.