Teachers

Alaina fell in love with the practice of yoga as an inner technology to access greater self-awareness in order to inform all of our relationships. As an athlete for most of her youth, yoga revolutionized the way she understood her health and...

Alex White is a 200 hour RYT through Yoga Alliance; she completed her training in 2016 at Mission Yoga in Charleston, SC. For four years, Alex worked with Empowered Minds, an outreach program teaching yoga to underserved students in the low country...

Plain and simple, yoga has changed my life. I chose to attend ACY’s 250 hour yoga teacher training because Asheville Community Yoga has been pivotal in my spiritual, mental, and physical growth. I am excited to continue my journey by sharing my...

(she/her) In 2007 I was given the opportunity to move to Asia to teach English as a second language. Without a doubt I knew I had to go. I knew there was a bigger purpose to this opportunity. I had been in search of something vital I felt was...

Ana is currently pursuing 500 hour yoga certification with Asheville Yoga Center after having completed her 200 hour YTT in 2021 with School Yoga Institute. In her class, she invites students to honor their bodies with intuitive movement and plenty...

Andrew found yoga at the tail end of a long battle with drug addiction. Practicing daily has helped him to cultivate energy and vitality like he had never imagined without the use of substances. He hopes to inspire others to explore yogic practices...

My interest in yoga began on a trip to Nepal in 2014. I have been practicing yoga since then and when I moved to Asheville in 2015 I felt grateful to find Asheville Community Yoga. I completed my 250 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Asheville...

I believe yoga is one of the best tools to help people feel more confident and comfortable within their bodies, minds & souls. Personally, yoga has not only transformed my mobility and strength, but also led me to find more peace, gratitude and...

Certified Heartfulness Meditation Trainer Bill has been practicing Heartfulness meditation daily for over 25 years and was certified a Heartfulness trainer in 2015. Through the years he has completed numerous Heartfulness workshops and attended...

Brian fell in love with yoga in the mountains of Colorado in 2018, sparking a deep journey into spirituality and the healing arts. Since then, he has dedicated himself to exploring practices that cultivate presence, connection, and well-being....

She/Her Brianne is a compassionate yoga instructor who hopes to empower people through classes that focus on noticing sensations, turning on intuition, and finding gentle and loving ways to ease your nervous system. Bri is also passionate about...

Chris Old Sap is a runner, Taoist, poet, songwriter, and banjoist. He first learned yoga while in the throes of a mental health crisis in 2015. From those experiences, Sap practiced yoga to move through anxiety and help quell distressing thoughts....

Chris has been a certified Heartfulness meditation trainer since 2003, dedicating over two decades to this transformative practice. Heartfulness offers a unique approach to meditation, focusing on heart-centered techniques that promote inner peace,...

Corey Costanzo, MA, LCAS, LMBT, SEP has a wealth of experience in helping individuals to achieve greater self-awareness and personal growth. With a Master's degree in Somatic Psychology and 20+ years of counseling experience, Corey has dedicated...

Dana Maria is a dedicated and experienced teacher whose practice is deeply rooted in service to others. She has been a part of Asheville Community Yoga as a teacher, volunteer, and staff member since 2016. Dana specializes in inclusive yoga that is...

David has practiced sitting meditation daily for over 53 years. He completed the 250 hour yoga teacher training at ACY in 2025. He has done many retreats over the years. In February 2025 he completed a 4 week solo silent hermitage. He devotes every...

Deborah is an ACSM registered clinical exercise physiologist with an MS in Exercise Physiology and Health Promotion. She has been a certified exercise instructor in many formats for the last 20 years most of which was in a hospital based Wellness...

Dede Boyd, a Masters level counselor, is a certified Embodyoga®, Energy Medicine Yoga®, and RestorativeYoga® teacher, offering an innovative and exciting approach to the cutting-edge practice of yoga through the study of deep, body awareness....

Diane Saccone, MS MT (ASACP) ERYT 500 spent the majority of her career in the field of Clinical Laboratory medicine changing careers after her move with her husband to Western North Carolina in 2005. Diane built a yoga company serving the community...

A born seeker and avid adventurer, Drew found Kundalini yoga in 2009 when rehabbing his body after a severe accident left him with crushed ribs and a collapsed lung. After receiving his teaching certification from Yoga West in LA in 2015, he...

(he/him) Eddie brings to the studio decades of meditation and yoga practice, as well as a deep passion for offering evidence-based, body-centered, mindfulness and self- compassion practices to those recovering from substance misuse and eating...

For over forty years, Fernand has devoted his life to the exploration of truth and the healing of the human spirit. His work weaves together meditation, self-inquiry, and the practice of Freshness of the Heart—a simple yet profound recognition of...

Heather Irene Smith is a Laughing Lotus NYC and Asheville Yoga Center trained Yoga instructor with over 500 hours of training and advanced study in Bhakti Yoga, Ayurveda, and Yoga Philosophy. Heather Irene is a public school teacher, artist,...

Originally from Germany, lived in Florida for 23 years, 1 year in New Mexico and made beautiful Asheville her home in 2022. She is a certified Hatha Yoga teacher since 2008 and has been teaching weekly yoga classes in her community back in FL since...

Jennifer Yates is a passionate yogi who has been practicing for over 20 years. With a deep love for the practice and its many benefits,  Jennifer has devoted her time to studying and perfecting her skills in order to share the beauty of yoga with...

I discovered yoga in my 20s during a time when I was in great need of healing and reconnecting with my true self. I chose a path in healing arts and was simultaneously introduced to Ashtanga yoga at the studio in Doylestown, PA where I was...

Jim’s purpose in teaching yoga is to help make yoga accessible and enjoyable for all. Honoring the uniqueness of each person, he invites students to explore each pose in order to discover the form that they find most useful. Jim guides students...

My practice on the mat began in 2016. In the summer of 2018 I graduated from my first 250-hour teacher training at Asheville Community Yoga. Yoga, along with other forms of healing arts, ultimately led me to a deeper understanding of my self, my...

The pressure, stress and friction of a busy world requires us to create balance and generate a sense of personal calmness, peace and stillness for overall health and wellness. For me, Yoga has been a valuable tool for maintaining and unifying the...

Joshua Canter is a mindfulness teacher, retreat leader, and the founder of True Nature Travels (www.TrueNatureTravels.com). With a Master’s degree in Contemplative Psychology and over two decades of experience guiding individuals and groups, Joshua...

Josie is thrilled to be offering Mindfulness and Yoga for children at ACY.  She has been an educator since 2003 with a BS in Elementary Education.  Combining her love of  children and passion for travel, she’s taught in Spain, Taiwan and locally at...

Jot Anant’s teachings are rooted in the ancient wisdom of yoga, with a deep belief that healing ourselves is the first step toward healing the world. She holds that by nurturing our own well-being, we can more fully contribute to the collective...

As a RYT 200 certified yoga teacher, I graduated from Nova Yoga School following an immersive two-week program in Guatemala. My journey towards clarity and self-discovery began 25 years ago after a transformative hypnotherapy session with a...

Being introduced to yoga during a time of major transition, I was able to find calm, a zero-point, "reset" in myself through consistent practice. Yoga, to me, is a practice to reconnect to life (nature), our purpose and ourselves through a fully...

Yoga Nidra is a non-movement guided practice. Yoga Nidra uses the biological process of slowing the brainwave impulses much like sleep, to quiet the mind and move you deeply into relaxation. Yoga means Union and Nidra Means sleep but not the sleep...

Katie is delighted to be volunteering at ACY. Hailing from Ireland, she received her Bachelor of Education in 2009. She is a passionate and dedicated teacher of little ones. She started teaching youth yoga in 2017 at Riverfarm, a nature based...

I’m Katrinna Wallace. I teach meditation as a gentle practice and redirection of focus toward our innate capacity to be present without attachment or aversion. My teaching is rooted in creating a safe, inclusive space where students can slow down,...

Kelly Gilmore is a dedicated, seasoned, down-to-earth yoga teacher and body worker with a background in holistic, mindful living. Her classes are inspired from her various trainings through out the last 17 years of being on the amazing path of yoga...

Kelsey’s yoga practice began in 2013, when she found her niche after exploring a few different styles and studios in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her practice flourished at a community focused and welcoming ashtanga-based studio. She spent years...

Katbird came to meditation as a way to ease intrusive thoughts.  The practice lead him to the path of recovery from addiction.  It was through Buddhist recovery groups, focused on mindfulness and meditation where he became willing to move in a new...

Kim first tried a deep stretch yoga class while she was a freshman at UNCA. Her curiosity in yoga led her to Michael’s hot vinyasa class at Asheville Community Yoga. She remembers lying in savasana, covered in sweat thinking, “what just happened?...

Kyle is a SOMA Breath Master Instructor, Healing Tao Qigong Instructor, Transformational Coach, Music Producer, and Ecstatic Dance Facilitator, with over 10 years of experience in Internal Alchemy Arts. He is the owner of Soma Alkhemy, a system of...

Kyra Cavanaugh is a certified Associate Instructor of Qigong Flow and trained as a Tao Healing and Meditation Guide. She studied with the Taoists at Sedona Mago Retreat Center in Arizona and completed her Qigong training in Thailand with Marisa...

Laura is excited to share her enthusiasm for yoga and fun with all the mini-yogis!  She has maintained a practice for 15 years, and completed an RYT training in Rishikesh, India.  Laura has also been part of Asheville Community Yoga for over a...

Leaflin is a native of western North Carolina, and has been teaching yoga since the turn of the century. Over the years she has had the privilege of completing several teacher trainings and studying with numerous masterful teachers. Her primary...

Linda is thrilled to be in Asheville surrounded by natural beauty and a truly holistic community. She has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years and teaching fitness, health longer than that.  Her classes are a meditation in motion: a vinyasa...

My name is Lindsay and my pronouns are she/her. When I discovered Asana Yoga, I was deeply moved by the profound impact it had had on all facets of my life. Inspired by the power of the body & breath connection, I delved deeper into my...

I have done yoga off and on for 20 years. But in 2016, while in the midst of caring for my mom, I found Asheville Community Yoga and truly connected with yoga and realized the depth of what yoga can bring to your life - that yoga is so much more...

Mackenzie is a student of world wisdom traditions and Nature, inside and outside of the body-mind ecosystem. Professionally, he is a body worker, embodiment coach, sacred musician, herbalist, and Yoga instructor. While Mackenzie’s Yoga practice is...

Margaret's love for yoga began in 2000 when she became a certified Kripalu yoga teacher. Since then, she has completed certifications in prenatal yoga and a 500-hour teacher training with Subtle Yoga (Kaoverii Weber) in 2013. She delights in...

Ana is an Asheville native and has been attending classes at Asheville Community Yoga since 2014. She is beyond excited to have joined the teaching team. She teaches a playful and sustainable practice that emphasizes intuitive movement and aims to...

(she/her) Recently relocated to Asheville via Chicago, Mary started her yoga practice around age 50 and shortly thereafter became a sponge for all things and topics energy related; both physical and mental. A year later Spring Forest Qigong crossed...

I have been facilitating yoga for over 9 years, and received my original 200-hour yoga training at a donation-based studio in Athens, GA called Rubber Soul. I am passionate about the donation-based model here at ACY, and am honored to be of service...

I fell in love with yoga as a high school senior growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I found myself entranced by the way that breath control, rhythmic movement, and soulful stillness assisted in calming my mind, and helping me discover the...

Meredith is a somatic emotional health coach devoted to facilitating attuned, transformational space for people to meet themselves tenderly and awaken to their inner knowing, alighting a path to embodied healing, self-love, and expansion. Rooted in...

Michael has been in the practicing school of yoga for more than 23 years. He began teaching yoga in 2003 and has been dedicated to serving others in the path of yoga and relationship work. Igniting passion and demonstrating love are Michael’s two...

I’ve been practicing yoga since 2014. The practice came to me in a time of need and have been doing it ever since. When I moved to Asheville in 2016 I was looking for something to do with my mother and she found Asheville Community Yoga. I felt a...

(she/her) I have been teaching yoga for over 20 years. I trained to teach different styles of yoga and now focus on helping my students to find their optimal yoga practice whether they want to improve their physical, mental, emotional or spiritual...

I moved to Asheville after living in Charleston for 10 years, and I knew my first few moments here that this was my heart’s home. I’ve been practicing yoga since I was a teen and always knew I wanted to teach. Yoga has been the foundation of...

Nora’s journey with yoga began in childhood and blossomed into a passion she shares with students for the past three transformative years. She was drawn to Asheville for studies in Health and Wellness at UNCA, fueled by a desire to deepen her...

Yoga found me in 2020 during a potent healing phase of my journey, and we have been inseparable since. I completed my RYT 200 certification in 2023 at Asheville Community Yoga, and feel deeply honored to share the practice of yoga with others...

Pacha Muntean fell in love with Ashtanga yoga as a doctoral student in La Jolla, California. After relocating to Asheville in 2014 for a professorship, she developed a deep connection and appreciation for our local yoga community.  Pacha is a...

Derek "Pashupa" Goodwin teaches vinyasa and alignment-based yoga asana, infused with mystical and philosophical references, a sense of humor, and a love of storytelling. His sequences are playful and challenging. As a musician and practitioner of...

Robin Borzotta is a retired Registered Nurse, whose speciality was rehabilitative nursing.  Robin has been a 500 hour RYT since 2015.   She became a certified IAYT yoga therapist in 2017 and holds a speciality certification with y4c Yoga for...

Robyn is a physician, certified yoga therapist, researcher and founder of Yoga Heals 4 Life, a private yoga therapy practice, integrating western and eastern philosophies for complete physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Her stress...

Ryan first discovered yoga in 2016. As an avid runner and distance athlete, he was immediately drawn to its physical and mental health benefits. Working in a high stress job for many years, yoga had become a sanctuary for him. It began to transform...

Sevn is deeply immersed in the study and practice of yoga as a vehicle to experience life fully.  His yoga asana practice began in 2001 and has matured into an appreciation for breath-centered alignment based postures and movement that honor both...

Yoga has transformed my life over the last several years and has helped me to become more grounded, centered, resilient, and aware of my own body, emotions, and thoughts at any given time.  One of my favorite aspects of yoga is the sense of...

These mountains and its people are powerful medicine. I had no idea all I’d learn and the depth of kindness that lives here when I came from Boston a decade ago. Asheville has been my portal to freedom and somatic fluency. I’ve learned how to hear...

Sonya's yoga journey began in 2001 when a friend handed her a video as a means to heal from the wounds of a tumultuous relationship. Little did she realize that a profound seed had been planted. Yoga wasn't something she actively sought out, but in...

Stephen comes to yoga with a background in mental health, where he spent 10 years supporting a wide range of both ages and needs. He utilizes a slow, steady pace throughout each practice, often providing space, without speaking, for students to...

"Yoga found me." Sylvia took the 250 hour yoga teacher training at Asheville Community Yoga after practicing yoga for four years.  The motive was to learn more and understand more about yoga.  What she did not expect was to be gently challenged and...

Tammy Cervantes has been teaching yoga for over 20 years. She has lived in Cozumel, Mexico most of her life and is known as a pioneer of yoga there. She fell in love with Asheville immediately and has lived here – going back to her home in Cozumel...

Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has completed his 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training and currently serves as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com. With...

Tony Wolff has been practicing Hatha Yoga for forty years and teaching for twenty-five. He did advanced studies with Sarah Powers, and teacher trainings in Thai Yoga with Saul David Raye; and with Kathleen Miller in the spirit of TKV Desikachar. He...