LeShan Barrios

I began my yoga journey in 1997 with Sivananda Yoga in Miami. I attended the class because two friends had invited me to join them on their first class. I had no expectations and no real impression of what yoga was. During my first class I experienced such a strong connection and affection for what we were doing, it was as though I had done yoga before. After the class I experienced "perma grin" from ear to ear; which I could not release for the rest of the day. Something in me had been unlocked and it was wonderful – I was floating.

After returning to Tampa for a brief 6 months in 1998, I began to feel my body and mind close in on itself. It was at this time that I truly understood the magic and intrigue of yoga. I returned to Miami and began to practice Iyengar and Ashtanga influenced Vinyasa, Pranayama as well as study of yogic texts. I knew that this was it. This was how I was to make a difference and how I was to make my contribution to society.

I took a teacher training program but decided not to teach right away. I wanted to absorb all I could from the teachers around me. In 2003 I was planning to move back to Tampa. My peers and teachers were constantly advising me that I was "supposed to be teaching". It was not until I knew that I was coming back home to Tampa, that I felt the calling to begin teaching. This was the right time. I opened a studio in Tampa and after three years I was called to leave the four walls and venture out. I am now reaching out with the intention of touching as many people as possible. Yoga is a gift we give to one another; it is gift we give to ourselves.

Heather Davis

It’s Simple: Yoga makes me feel good, alive, and happy. Why wouldn’t I want to learn and share with others the type of joy and peace that Yoga brings.

Yoga came to me at a time when I needed it the most. At a time of immense personal loss that left me with the feeling that the rug had been ripped out from beneath my feet and my head was spinning. Yoga grounded me and gave me HOPE.

Yoga is my gift to myself and teaching is an expression of my gratitude and desire to give the gift of Yoga to others. It is my desire to teach from the heart. To learn from my students as they share in learning along with me.

It is my humble desire to share the experience of Yoga with others, so therefore I teach, learn, and grow.

Leah

I began practicing yoga during my first pregnancy in 1999 as a way to stay fit and stress free. I have always viewed yoga as a pathway to individual strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and clarity of mind. I am a 200 hour Pranavinyasa Yoga Teacher Training and registered with the Yoga Alliance. I am a graduate of Seane Corne's Off the Matt Into the World training in California and am currently enrolled in the Yoga as Therapy program at Stillpoint Yoga Studio. I have a certification from the Yogakids program and teach yoga daily to children in my classroom. I am honored to have studied and practiced with many very talented teachers who have inspired me to share my understanding of yoga and its benefits with others. I will be teaching a class called yoga for kids and Vinyasa Flow.

Kelly Watson

Yoga came to me in college through a summer dance intensive. Having studied ballet and contemporary dance for 20 years, my body was suffering from constant muscle pulls, spasms, and aches. Although my dance practice allowed me a sense of discipline and artistic expression, my heart and soul needed something more. Shortly after being introduced to my first pigeon pose, I was in love with the consistency and presence yoga gave my always changing life. Although I have had many beautiful teachers in my life, yoga itself has sustained me from inside. It is my personal practice that I always work to deepen, so that I can be the best teacher for my students. I hope to inspire students to be true, let go, and be free.

Jamie Blessinger

Jamie believes everyone can benefit from yoga as it facilitates personal growth and brings a holistic awareness to light as it integrates body, mind, and spirit. Jamie’s love for yoga permeates her entire being. She has noticed the tremendous impact that it has on her own life as she feels her absolute best while practicing, teaching, and studying yoga. She is always willing to share yoga classes, private sessions, or just conversation with anyone who is interested. Jamie has an Associates degree in Human Services, a Bachelors in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Social Sciences, she is a 500-hour graduate of PranaVinyasa School of yoga. She plans to allow her yoga journey to continue to evolve as she embraces it as a lifestyle.

Bari Ruck

The exciting thing about yoga is that it is an endless exploration of the body–mind–spirit. Just when you think you know something, the truth arises that it is simply another doorway to a new adventure. The adventure can be as exciting as entering into a pose that you did not know you could do and/or as subtle as shifting the body so slightly that you can feel the same pose that you have been doing for years with new awareness. In the past few years I have been teaching yoga in a studio setting as well as in corporate gyms. Every class that I teach brings me a sense of joy and every student has been a great teacher. In those who are willing to take the time to explore, I have witnessed a growing sense of confidence and ability to create relaxation. The classes that I guide are often eclectic flowing motion. They are excellent for all levels because there are many options presented.

I have a 200 hour registered yoga teacher card and received a 200–hour training certification through Pranavinyasa. I am currently in the 500–hour teacher–training program at the same school. I am also studying massage therapy and have a certification in Thai Yoga Massage. I have a background in art, holistic wellness, working with children and elders, in restaurants, YMCA's, corporate America and beyond...

"The ancients based their concept of physical fitness and health on an entirely different set of criteria: a feeling of lightness in the body; an ability to withstand change; and a stable body and focoused mind..." preparing the body and mind for stillness and practice of breath. (Gary Kraftsow, author of Yoga for Transformation.)

It is with much warmth and gratitude that I honor those who teach me in more ways than one and to those teachers that I have not yet met. Namaste.

Richard Olmstead

Yoga first called to me about 25 years ago, but I did not listen. I was working at an ad agency in Minneapolis, some friends started taking yoga classes, and it was in the same building where I was working. Yoga called to me then but I did not respond. In 1999 after moving to Tampa, it called again…this time I responded. I started taking yoga classes at TreeHouse Yoga. I wanted to learn more and the only way to get there, it seemed, was to enter the teacher training program even though I had no intention of teaching.

Well, hundreds of hours later, after much practice, workshops, seminars, and classes I find I am teaching yoga and have done so since 2001. I experience yoga as a moving meditation. I try to practice and teach the body/mind as a movement of the breath though the asana. I teach to whoever is in front of me. The level of the student is how I proceed with a class. The purpose of the class is to have fun, follow the breath, and possibly a slight stretch to where the student has not been before.

Through my practice, I have studied many styles of yoga. I have blended these complete forms into my classes which I fondly call "Mutt Yoga". Those methods of influence come from my teachers who are Tony Nenov: Ashtanga, Karin Stephen: Iyengar, John Friend: Anasara, and Bob Smith: Hatha. I use a mixture of all of the above styles keeping the air element of flowing with the breath as the energetic instrument of change.

I live in Tampa; have two adult children, and two cats, at the moment. Most of my other life, before I listened, was spent in the entertainment and media businesses.