Teachers

Shae Bryant YE 2006	Shae’s interest in the human body and movement has been lifelong. Fifteen years of classical ballet training led Shae to explore the Pilates system of strengthening, and she was hooked. In 2003 she completed her mat and apparatus training in Pilates under the Physical Mind Institute and has been teaching since. Shae's introduction to yoga was an Ashtanga yoga class at Full Moon Yoga in Louisville, KY in 2003 and she knew she'd found her path. After completing a Six Month Yoga Study Program at Full Moon Yoga in 2004 Shae made her first trip to Mysore, India in 2005 to further study Ashtanga Yoga with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy. In 2006 she completed the Yoga East 200 hour teacher training program. Shae returned to Mysore in both 2007 and 2008 and is working on the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga. Shae credits her primary yoga teachers as Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath Rangaswamy, Tim Miller, Doug Keller, Ramanand Patel, Swami Chidvilasananda and Laura Spaulding. Her teaching is highly influenced by Ashtanga yoga (her personal practice) and is always lighthearted and upbeat. Shae’s personal philosophy is “Love Yourself, Love Life!” After studying both Pilates and Yoga Shae felt like she needed more training in both anatomy and manual manipulation (touch!) and decided to enroll in Massage Therapy school at Advanced Massage Therapeutics in Louisville, KY. Shae is now a Licensed Massage Therapist specializing in Therapeutic Massage. Her training includes Swedish, Deep Tissue, Trigger Point Therapy, Myofacial, and Manual Stretching. Shae uses her variety of knowledge and influence to assist people on their individual paths, teaching group classes, private sessions and workshops. Shae moved to Louisville in 1998 and has a B. A. in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Louisville. She is married to the incredible Rider Wather and has a Chihuahua appropriately named Bruiser.
Karen Cairns Yoga East 2002 RYT 500	Karen is a 2003 graduate of the Yoga East teacher training program and continues to study with Laura Spaulding. She has studied with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Saraswati, and Sharath Rangaswamy in the USA in 2002, 2003 (two workshops), 2004, 2005, and 2006. Karen studied in India with them in April 2003, November 2005-February 2006, and June through August 2007 and 2008. She has benefited from workshops with David Swenson, Tim Miller, Ramanand Patel, Mukesh Desai, John Friend, Francois Raoult, David Williams, and Steve Dwelley. Karen has degrees in public health, English, and nursing, and a doctorate in environmental education. She lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.Karen is a 2003 graduate of the Yoga East teacher training program, with special merit for excellence for her research project. Karen teaches in our affiliated program in Blacksburg, Va.
Laura DeMent Om yoga	Laura moved with her husband to the Louisville area in 2007 from Evansville, Indiana to be closer to family. Laura was first introduced to yoga by a coworker in 2002. At first, she enjoyed yoga as a form of exercise that did not bother her knees. As she continued her practice, yoga became a way to live her life in a balanced and healthy way. In 2005, Laura was asked to sub a yoga class and realized she would enjoy teaching so she enrolled in OM yoga's Weekend Warrior teacher training in Indianapolis and graduated in 2006. Laura's teaching is inspired by her teachers, Chris Crews, Seane Corn, Frank Mauro, Ramanand Patel and Laura Spaulding. Her classes focus on alignment, breath, flow and the use of props to make the asanas (postures) accessible to all students.
Nadia Duran	Nadia is originally from San Juan de Ambato, Ecuador. She has a degree in Financial Engineering from SEK International University, BSBA from U of L and and MBA from IU. She began practicing yoga while at U of L and has been a student at Yoga East for three years and is now a student in our teacher training program. Nadia is a regular Mysore Ashtanga student and also attends many other classes with Yoga East teachers and our guest instructors. Nadia teaches the Saturday and Thursday night Hatha Yoga classes at Kentucky Street.
Kim Eisner YE 2006 RYT 500	Kim Eisner teaches Ashtanga yoga at our Holiday Manor studio. She also teaches yoga at both YMCA locations in Frankfort, Ky and Falling Springs Recreation Center in Versailles, Ky. She graduated from Yoga East's teacher training program in 2006. She has studied Ashtanga Yoga with Sharath Rangaswamy, David Swenson, Tim Miller and Shri K. Pattabhi Jois in both NY and Mysore, India. She has also studied with Francois Raoult, Ramanand Patel, Douglas Keller, Darren Rhodes and Sianna Sherman. Kim graduated from Nicholls State University in Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration. She currently works for the Legislative Research Commission in Frankfort, Kentucky and is blessed to share the practice of Yoga with her co-workers by volunteering to lead them in a class on Monday afternoons. Read Kim's article, "Yoga and Hypertension" (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Julia Fine RYT/CYTA 2004	Julia began practicing Ashtanga yoga in 2002 when she discovered the practice at a gym in Washington, DC. From there, she completed a 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Certification at It's Yoga, San Francisco, and learned the Ashtanga-based Rocket series. In addition to Larry Schultz from It’s Yoga, she considers Laura Spaulding, Darren Rhodes, Francois Raoult and Doug Keller as the main influences on her practice and teaching. She is currently enrolled in the YE 500 hour program and is a lifelong student seeking to explore further and go deeper in her yoga practice. Julia has undergraduate degrees in public health and Spanish. In addition to teaching yoga, she works in international trade with Latin America. Her free time is spent laughing at her dog and two cats’ antics, biking and exploring Louisville, travelling, and reading page turners on the couch. In her classes, she encourages students to have fun and play, stretch the limits, and invites them to challenge themselves and overcome their fears.
Martha Graziano YE 2004	Martha is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist. She attended the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in Hallandale Beach, FL. in the acupuncture, herbs and medical qi gong programs. She has studied yoga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in New York City, David Swenson, Francois Raoult, Ramanand Patel, Amanda McMaine Smith, and Doug Keller. She attended the Vinyasa Conference in Miami in October, 2006.
Tom Keenan Bikram 2001 Yamuna Body Rolling 2000	Tom studied Ashtanga Yoga with Sharath Rangaswamy at Yoga East in 2003 and began attending Mysore classes with us. He visited Mysore, India and studied with K. Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in 2006. Tom began studying Tai Chi Chuan in 1995 with Neil Rosenblatt, Zhang Fuxing and Yong You. Tom was certified in Yamuna Body Rolling in New York City in 2000; certified in Bikram Yoga by Bikram Choudhury in Los Angeles, CA in 2001. Tom teaches Hatha Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, and Yamuna Body Rolling at several locations in Louisville.
Anne Kosko YE 2004 RYT-500	After teaching group fitness for 17 years, Anne took her first Bikram Yoga class and was hooked. She gave up teaching group fitness and dedicated her time to the study of yoga. Since taking this first Bikram class, Anne has also practiced Ashtanga and Iyengar styles of yoga. Anne draws from all these styles of yoga to teach an invigorating, yet accessible Hatha yoga class that appeals to beginners and continuing students alike. Anne is a graduate of the 2004 Teacher Training class. She has studied with Francois Raoult, David Swenson, Ramanand Patel, Amanda McMain, Sharath Rangaswamy and Doug Keller but considers her teachers to be Paul Long and Laura Spaulding. Anne is a graduate of the University of Louisville and holds a BSC in Management. She currently works full time for a local major appliance manufacturer and finds her yoga practice and connection with her students helps keep her sane from the hectic corporate world.
Louis Martin YE2004	Louis is a 2004 graduate of the Yoga East Teacher Training Program. An engineer by profession, Louis was introduced to yoga by his wife in 2003, who encouraged him to begin teacher training. Having started with Ashtanga tapes at home, Louis discovered a whole new world in the Mysore classes and his practice changed and deepened. His teacher training mentor, Karen Cairns, instilled a real joy of sharing Ashtanga Yoga, and in November, 2004 Louis and his wife traveled to Mysore and studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (Gurujii), Saraswati Rangaswamy and Sharath Rangaswamy. Workshops with David Swenson, Ramanand Patel, Mukesh Desai and Francois Raoult have enriched his practice. Louis studied in Mysore, India, with Pattabhi Jois November, 2005 - March 2006. Louis and Deborah are planning to study in Mysore in Autumn 2008-Winter 2009. Note: Louis is currently on leave to recover from a motorcycle accident he sustained on August 17, 2008. We hope he will be able to return to practice and teaching soon.
Elizabeth McNeil YE 2008 RYT 500	Elizabeth began practicing Yoga while living in Memphis in 1996 in order to relieve stress. It was not until she moved to Elizabethtown in 2001 that she discovered and fell in love with Ashtanga Yoga. Shortly after moving to E'town, she discovered Yoga East and Laura Spaulding. Elizabeth has attended teacher trainings and workshops at Yoga East since 2003, accumulating more than 300 hours of YE training. Elizabeth has attended workshops with Richard Freeman, Darren Rhodes, David Swenson, Tias & Surya Little, Francois Raoult, Douglas Keller and Amanda McMain. She also participated in the Teacher Training Tract at the YJ Conference in Madison WI in 2006 where she attended intensives with Gary Kraftsow, Rodney Yee, Adhil Palkhivala, Ana Forest and David Swenson. Elizabeth is registered with Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 200 and RYT 500 levels. While Elizabeth bases her personal practice and classes on Ashtanga Yoga, her teaching borrows from many different styles. Currently a stay-at-home mom of two and happily married for the past 20 years, Elizabeth also volunteers at Sunrise Children’s Services, providing Yoga classes to both the boy’s and girl’s homes and teaches at different Hardin County School locations. Additionally, she has a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and finds Yoga a perfect fit to work with people of all abilities to help them find their personal best on and off the mat.
Santoshi Diane Murphy YE 1997	Diane graduated from the Yoga East teacher training program in 1997 and is certified in Cardiac Yoga from Integral Yoga International (Swami Satchidananda) in Virginia. In her work as a social worker has taught yoga to children and utilized elements of yoga with adult clients affected by chronic pain, depression, panic, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders. She has studied Iyengar, Sivananda, Bikram, Ashtanga, Integral and Kundalini yoga and is also influenced by Mindulness meditation and Ayurveda. The late Swami Satchidananda gave Santoshi her spiritual name, which means "one who is endowed with contentment". Santoshi says, "A spiritual name is a reminder to connect with and manifest the quality in the name."
Kara Price Om yoga (NYC) teacher Certified Pilates teacher (Physical Mind Institute)	Kara Price is originally from Evansville, IN and is excited to come back to the area with her husband to be closer to family and to share her three passions: dancing, Pilates and yoga. A professional dancer for more than 15 years, Kara has lived in both Chicago and NYC. Through her love of dancing, Kara also discovered Pilates. Thanks to her dance background and the flexibility it developed, Pilates came fairly easily to her. However, through teaching Pilates Kara found that its benefits are applicable to any and all people - whether healthy, injured, young, old, big or small - Pilates is an exercise technique that anyone can master. While living in Chicago, a fellow Pilates teacher urged Kara to try a level 2/3 Ashtanga class! Needless to say she felt she was thrown into the ocean and then told to swim; and swim she did! By the end of class she knew yoga was something she wanted to explore more deeply. With 8 years of teaching Pilates under her belt, she researched yoga teacher training programs and continued her yoga journey in OM yoga’s Joining Heaven and Earth teacher training program in NYC. Whether Pilates or Yoga - Kara's classes focus on alignment, breath and a sense of smile. Let Kara's lighthearted approach take you somewhere you have never been—physically, mentally, spiritually - into love and light.
Nancy L. Reinhart YE 2006	Nancy is a Louisville native and returned here in 2004 after a Peace Corps assignment as a Health Specialist in Armenia. While there, she helped start a country-wide yoga program. Nancy began her yoga practice in 2000 at Yoga East, began teaching in 2005 and completed teacher training here in 2006. Nancy has studied with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India and New York City, and Ramanand Patel, Doug Keller, Francois Raoult, and Amanda McMain. She has trained in and continues to practice mindfulness meditation in Shambhala retreats and a local Buddhist group for the past eight years. Nancy is a graduate student at U of L and has a Master's degree in Public Health and Master's certification in Women's Studies.
Susan Reid	Susan and her husband Rich moved to Louisville in 1993 and welcomed Olivia in 1999. In 2001 she began practicing yoga at the YMCA and was amazed to see her toddler naturally doing yoga as well. She had the good fortune to come across a couple of wonderful teachers at the Y including a Yoga East teacher, Donna O’Bryan. When Susan came to Yoga East she felt at home. She is very grateful for Laura Spaulding’s guidance and exceptional instruction. Laura’s first weekly theme of 2008, *"Wake up to your inner courage and live the life of your dreams"* motivated Susan to teach. Her practice has also been influenced by workshops with; Doug Keller, Ramanand Patel, Francois Raoult, Darren Rhodes and David Swenson. She is delighted to be enrolled in Yoga East’s teacher training program, Yoga Explorations. She loves being a student and a teacher. Susan has a BA in Political Science from West Chester University in PA.
Jeanne Simpson	Jeanne Simpson is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner who has been practicing Awareness Through Movement since 1992 and completed over 800 hours of training. The Method helped her to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro pain free. You can phone Jeanne for more information about her classes at 458-5363.
Nicole Soteropoulos Ana Forrest 2006	Nicole began studying yoga to heal from a herniated disc in her neck and after the first class she was hooked! Nicole considers her first teachers to be Debra Kehl, Kim Esteran, and Anne Kosko. In 2006, Nicole completed 200 hours of study with Ana Forrest in Ana’s Foundation Teacher Training course and that changed her life. Nicole continues to deepen her study and practice of the eight limbed path of yoga by studying with her mentor Laura Spaulding. Nicole has also attended workshops with Douglas Keller, David Swenson, Francois Raoult, Darren Rhodes, Ramanand Patel and Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Nicole’s purpose is to use yoga as a healing tool to remove energy blocks so that a person is restored to their emotional, physical, and spiritual potential. She encourages students to find their edge and play there, take a few breaths, then go further so they can transform.
Brett Stallings	Brett began practicing yoga eight years ago with John Washburn in Muncie, Indiana. Brett currently teaches in several locations in Louisville and Southern Indiana. He wants to focus on teaching yoga to seniors, children and other special populations. Brett is enrolled in our Yoga Explorations teacher training programs and teaches in our Healthy Hometown Yoga classes.