Teachers

Laura

RYT 200 · 50 Hours Training in Yin Yoga

I have been practicing yoga for roughly 20 years and teaching for more than 15. The first class I ever walked into was right here in Ashland at the Siskiyou studio - so it is so cool that life has brought me full circle to not only practice but to teach at this beautiful studio.

My 200-hour training was in vinyasa, a dynamic breath and body connection, and shortly after I complemented that fiery practice with 50 hours of training in Yin Yoga. I consider myself a student of yoga first and foremost, and teaching fulfills me so much through the connections made inside the studio. Yoga is a lifelong path and it is my privilege to share in people's journey.

Jessica

Original training with Bikram Choudhury 2002 · Structural integration practitioner · Nutritionist

Mother, teacher, healer and lover of life, Jessica breathes a conscious vitality into every scope of her passions. Her original training in 2002 was a springboard for a lifelong journey of yoga, and she has trained in many disciplines since.

Jessica has created her own path in human wellness for over 20 years. Through her practice of structural integration she has a keen sense of alignment, and as a nutritionist she enjoys combining all her practices - on the mat, with her students, with her family, and out in the world. Jessica brings a holistic approach to healing with an element of integrity and bliss to every 'body'!

Oona

RYT 200

Oona lives by the philosophy that "Life is Yoga." Born into a community on Vashon Island, WA where health of spirit, mind and body were core values, she practiced as a child, inspired by her parents' own yogic practices.

After reconnecting with her practice through work-trade positions at two Seattle yoga centers, Oona moved to Ashland in 2004 to take a position at OSF. She connected instantly with the yogic community here, taking part in projects like "The Art of Yoga" and iwillshinealight.org. In 2017 she committed fully to her path by earning her RYT, becoming a guide for the practice that has given her so much.

Kaitlyn

CorePower Yoga Teacher Training 2016 · BA in Kinesiology · 10+ years of practice, Iyengar & Vinyasa background

"Movement is my Medicine." Kaitlyn has embraced movement since her baby ballerina days - dancing from age 5 through jazz, lyrical, and hip hop, and she loves all expressions of dance to this day.

She stumbled upon yoga while studying at Cal State Long Beach and fell in love. After graduating and teaching group fitness for four years, she felt the calling to teacher training. Blending her knowledge and passion for physical and spiritual wellness, Kaitlyn's intention is to create a deep connection between Body, Breath, and Being. As she puts it: "Yoga is just dancing on my mat!" When she's not teaching, you can find her dancing around the house, eating yummy food, and exploring the world.

Sandy

RYT 500, 26+2 focus · 250-Hour Vinyasa Flow · 200-Hour Hatha · Yoga teacher trainer · Licensed bodyworker · Soul growth astrologer & spiritual coach

Sandy began her practice in 2012 by diving into a 30-day hot yoga challenge - and quickly experienced the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of the practice, especially in supporting her healing through ongoing challenges with fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, spinal injuries, depression and anxiety. Thirty days grew to sixty, then into a lifelong dedication to yoga, Soul-growth, and holistic healing.

Her classes artfully blend energetic and spiritual insight with functional movement and concise cueing, guiding you with grace, ease, and a greater sense of connection to your body, mind, and Soul. Sandy was born in Seoul, South Korea and recently relocated to Ashland after 17 years in the Hawaiian Islands.

Lola

200 RYT in Ashtanga & Vinyasa (Jonah Kest) · Registered Children's Yoga Teacher, trauma-informed · BFA Illustration · Masters in Early Childhood Education

Lola found her love for yoga and meditation in New York City studios in 2003, taking classes and workshops around the world before bringing her practice to Ashland in 2013. She owned a local preschool, Pea Pod Village, for a decade, where the primary focus was teaching children mindfulness, yoga, and art through emergent curriculum.

Her teaching style is composed of dynamic flows that increase brain activity and proprioception. Beyond studio classes, she teaches yoga and art camps for kids, privates for adults, and group classes for first responders, primarily at Ashland Fire & Rescue and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. When Lola isn't challenging her body and mind, she can be found traveling, cooking, eating, making art, and snuggling her two little girls.

Hillary

Yoga Therapist, Module Level II · 12 years teaching · Hot Vinyasa, Power, Hatha, Restorative, Yin & Water Yoga · Partner & Acro Yoga

Hillary has been a traveling yoga teacher for 12 years. Yoga became her purpose from an early age and has carried her through her own struggles with an autoimmune disease, an amputation, a tumor, multiple surgeries, anxiety, depression, migraines and more - and she shares empathy and knowledge from that whole journey when she teaches.

Her teaching began in 2012 with disadvantaged youth in the Greater Boston area, and has since taken her from South American schools to trainings in India, teaching in Southeast Asia, and workshops across Europe, South Africa, Canada, and Alaska. She has now bought a home in Ashland and is excited to plant her practice here. She believes everyone is a student, as well as a teacher, always - and loves to have you leave her class feeling rejuvenated, relaxed, and reunited with others. Find her on hikes in the hills with her dog, or on the dance floor.

"Yoga creates a special energy, a way which we all cultivate together, simultaneously as a class and as a community. Yet then that energy powerfully transcends into our personal practices, and our life off the mat." ~Hillary

Megan

200 RYT · Additional trainings in Hatha, Vinyasa & Yin

Megan hails from Wisconsin and moved to the Rogue Valley in June 2021. She started practicing hot yoga regularly in 2012 and has completed many teacher trainings since her first in 2013.

In her own words: "Yoga helps me get out of my head and back into my own body. I have a chronic illness where it's very easy to disconnect, but getting on my mat regularly helps me reconnect and move my body in a nourishing and restorative way. Through teaching, I hope to help others reconnect with their bodies in a meaningful way, have at least a little fun, and offer many options to meet yourself where you are in that moment."

Outside the studio, you can find Megan hiking and floating around the Rogue River, working in the garden, snuggling up with her partner and pup for Netflix, and checking out local coffee shops.

Scarlet

Teaching credentials 2000, San Francisco · Second certification with Bikram Choudhury 2011 · Certified in Yin & Sound Healing · BA in Theatre & Performance

Scarlet started studying the hot yoga series in 2002 at the legendary Funky Door Yoga studio, learning under great teachers like Jim Kallett, Amber Strasser, Emmy Cleaves and Rajashree Choudhury. A free spirit, she has toured the world leading Goddess-centered yogic initiations and retreats in Copenhagen, London, Bali, Maui, California, southern France, and Washington state - and is pleased to call Jacksonville her new home.

Originally from Texas, Scarlet is a proud alumna of Chicago's Second City improvisational theatre, so expect to be entertained in any class she leads. She considers it an honor to bring students into a deeper understanding of their own power and grace. Off the mat she tends her garden, her farm, and her family - and keep an eye out for her musical alter ego, Scarlet Guitarlet, shredding the stage at local wineries. Let's evolve together!

Pilar

200 RYT · Background in mindful movement, breath, embodiment & nervous-system awareness

Pilar's approach to yoga is rooted in the belief that the body holds profound wisdom, and that yoga offers us a pathway back to ourselves.

Her classes are a blend of intentional movement and playful energy, often set to upbeat, inspiring music - a rhythm where breath leads movement and movement becomes a moving meditation. Her flow-based classes invite students to move with curiosity rather than perfection, creating space to listen inwardly, build strength, find freedom in the body, and reconnect with themselves. Expect a practice that is both grounding and energizing, with plenty of room to breathe, sweat, and enjoy the experience.

Kerri

E-RYT 500 · 300-Hour Certified Master Teacher in Energy Medicine Yoga · Bachelor's in Exercise/Sports Science · Master's in Teaching Health & Physical Education · Teaching since 2014

Kerri is a warm and inviting teacher who meets students where they are and gently inspires them to reach their next level - physically and spiritually. She teaches a vinyasa-style class interwoven with energy medicine techniques like tapping and acupressure holds, and has taught in Maryland and Oregon since 2014.

Kerri played Ultimate Frisbee competitively for over 10 years, where one of her greatest joys was being submerged in the flow of the game. After three knee surgeries she hung up the cleats - and still seeking flow, she discovered yoga. It has been instrumental in raising her family and, as an avid mountain biker, in keeping her body and mind flexible and strong. It is an absolute joy and honor for her to share these simple yet powerful techniques to bring your body, mind and spirit into balance - keeping you strong, resilient, focused and vibrant!

Annie

RYT200 certified · Practicing yoga for 17 years

Annie began her journey with Ashtanga and Baptiste practices, which grounded her in discipline and structure, before finding her way to Vinyasa Flow and other creative styles. While first drawn to the physical practice, yoga soon became much more than movement - a way of getting to know herself on a deeper level. Her training in asana, pranayama, philosophy, Sanskrit, anatomy, and mantra revealed the vastness of yoga beyond asana, and continues to inspire her to share both the physical and philosophical sides of the practice.

In her classes she loves weaving together elements of challenge and rest, believing balance is the key to all things in life, and welcomes students of all levels with variations to meet each person where they are. An Oregonian her whole life and recently relocated to Ashland, she looks forward to building connection and community through teaching. Off the mat she enjoys nature, hiking, reading, wine tasting, gardening, her cats, and time with family and friends.

Gabby

RYT-200 · Training in Yin & Restorative · HIIT Pilates · Breathwork Metamorphosis · Reiki Certified

Gabby found yoga during her college years as a way to quiet her active mind and feel more grounded in her body - and quickly fell in love with how it made her feel physically, mentally, and eventually spiritually. After graduating in 2019 she traveled to India, studying traditional Ashtanga yoga and pranayama before completing her teacher training with Bharat Shetty in Mysore.

After teaching a year into the pandemic, she took a break to focus on her own healing, exploring breathwork, ceremonial work, Reiki, yoga nidra, chanting, and meditation. Gabby loves weaving eastern yoga philosophy into her teaching and is fascinated by the intersection of psychology and yoga. She currently offers group breathwork workshops, individual sessions, and embodiment awareness sessions, prioritizing a grounded, contained space with trauma-informed practices.

Sharon

Official 26+2 teaching credential, 2010 San Diego Fall Training

Sharon started her 26+2 series practice in her late teenage years, sweating and learning directly alongside Margaret Iris, Kathy Allen, and Kevin Cooke on Bridge Street in Ashland. She continued to deepen her practice and earned her official teaching credential in 2010.

Since then she has led classes at several studios, including Lahaina in Maui and, most recently, both 90- and 60-minute classes at Sea Level Hot Yoga in Seattle. She is happy to return to AHY and is looking forward to seeing you all at the studio!

Nick

RYT 200 · Practicing for over 15 years

I've been practicing yoga for over 15 years, having started in my mid-40s. There was no grand "bigger purpose" behind it - just a run-of-the-mill midlife crisis: sore knees, a bad back, and a few unhealthy lifestyle choices starting to leave their mark. What I found, like a lot of people, was that the physical benefits showed up quickly. Being British, and travelling extensively through Europe, India, and the USA, gave me the chance to visit a wide range of studios and study with a good many teachers along the way.

I love the philosophy, rituals, symbols, and mythology of yoga - someday I hope to complete my PhD in the anthropology of contemporary British yoga. It was a pull toward discipline that first led me to Ashtanga, so when I started at Ashland Hot Yoga, the Hot 26+2 sequence felt like a natural shift. I've been endlessly lucky to have the mentorship of some incredible teachers here - Laura, Oona, and Scarlet - who helped me move from student to leading the sequence myself.

If you are new to hot yoga - don't worry, I've got you! I was nervous, genuinely convinced I wouldn't cope with the heat. But I made the most of my two-week pass, and that was that - I was hooked. This studio is my happy place, and I love rolling out my mat and sharing it with you.