OUR INSTRUCTORS
NANCY VOLANTE
Completed her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts, from Goddard College in Vermont. She is a Certified Movement Specialist from the The New School of Social Research NYC.
I received my RYT 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certification as a Vinyasa Teacher from Saraswati’s Yoga Joint with Donna Jackson, completed my Certification for Restorative Yoga training with Jillian Pransky and Core Awareness Certification with Liz Koch. My former years as a concert dancer inform my movement and yoga practice in a way that creates breath, rhythm and flow. My classes are challenging yet accessible through attentive cueing, modification, and compassion. I am passionate about the balance between the somatic and restorative aspects of yoga.
I have integrated my years of training in different movement modalities of body alignment/movement and have combined this with asana classes and restorative yoga classes to explore the mind, body and spirit connection for self-care, creativity and personal potential. My intention is to create a space that empowers people of all ages to connect with themselves and others on and off the mat.
I am now bringing my many years of studying Humanistic Astrology to the studio for private sessions, classes and Lunar Cycle Meditations. Please see description on website under classes.
I love to cook, travel, garden and spend time with my family and dog (Koda) while maintaining my personal yoga, restorative and movement practice and education.
Kerin Whitmore
Kerin was a dedicated Tang Soo Do student and instructor. One day she walked into a yoga studio tried a class and was hooked. She quickly traded in her 3rd degree black belt for a yoga mat. She is 200 hr certified in Power Yoga with Lyn Kehoe and continued on to get her 500 hr yoga certification with Gina Norman at Kaia. She is also certified in Aerial yoga, yin yoga, and meditation. After traveling to Bhutan, she made a real connection with meditation and mindfulness. Kerin teaches a class that connects the body to the breath with attention to alignment.
LIZ WENDEL
Liz is a wife, mother, friend, teacher, traveler, and a lover of life. She has been teaching since 2006 and has studied Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Anusara traditions. She has also completed trainings in Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Chair Yoga and loves to incorporate functional movement into her classes. Her hope is that you leave practice feeling refreshed, nourished and inspired. She teaches her students to make choices that bring less stress and more joy into their lives and has learned through her studies and practice that each day, each breath, each moment is how we establish ourselves on our path. In addition, Liz continues to work with seniors and students with limited mobility. Liz offers much gratitude to every teacher she has studied with and practiced under and realizes that every day is an opportunity for growth.
Beth Perlman
At the age of 3, Beth felt her bare feet on the studio floor and discovered the joy that comes with movement and music. As a lifelong dancer, Beth received her BA in Dance Therapy and Psychology and began working with children with special needs and adults in psychiatric settings. During this time she also joined the aerobic exercise craze and taught adult fitness classes. For the last 18 years she has found tremendous love and patience teaching ballet and creative movement to preschool children. Beth is also an instructor of First Aid and CPR for the American Heart Association. For over 30 years, she has empowered countless students to care for themselves, their families, and their communities. Beth completed the 200-hour Teacher Training program at Yoga Culture in Danbury in 2013 along with her Restorative Yoga Teacher Training with Jillian Pransky.In 2016 she became certified in Y12SR (Yoga for a 12 Step Recovery) with Nikki Myers.She continues to study and attend workshops with inspirational teachers exploring all aspects of her practice. Beth hopes to share with heartfelt sincerity the infinite gifts and possibilities available to all people who step to the mat.
Joan Ruby
Joan is a RYT 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified instructor. She is also certified in Yin Yoga (Josh Summers School of Yin Yoga Teacher Training, 50 hours, following the approach of Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark, and Yin Yoga Therapeutics by Prema Yoga Institute, 25 hours). In addition, Joan is certified in Trauma Informed Yoga by Exhale to Inhale.
Following a rewarding career practicing employment law, Joan migrated to yoga to find a very different practice as a source of satisfaction and focus. First drawn to the physical aspects of yoga, she became equally intrigued by the philosophy and the energetic components of yoga studies. Joan now guides classes in Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative and Yoga Nidra.
Joan continues her yoga evolution with inspiration and joy, exploring opportunities for growth and clarity. She sees yoga as an invitation to expand boundaries, internal and external, and is grateful for every chance to continue her yoga journey, sharing and learning from others in her classes, on and off the mat.
Christina Dufour
Christina is from Connecticut with Native American heritage. Her yoga practice began 12 years ago and soon led to her first Instructor Certification for Hot Power Yoga in 2010. Over the years her practice has developed to include gentle, restorative, and yoga nidra. Christina has an in-depth knowledge of the 8-limbs and philosophy intertwined with asana and is dedicated to continually deepening her personal understanding through daily practice.
Realizing the benefits of mind-body practices first-hand led Christina to start her own business and bring these practices privately to individuals and into organizations through wellness and training programs. She is skilled at supporting people of all levels as well as those who are new to meditative practices or just beginning yoga in developing along their journey and deepening their practice in a way that supports their individual needs, overcomes their unique challenges, and inspires an ongoing mind-body connection. Christina creates motivating and non-judgmental environments for her clients, develops strong and loyal relationships, and her clients experience results.
She has worked with many student and adult athletes to enhance their sports performance through the development of yoga and breathwork practices and held the role of Mental Game Coach at The Northeast’s largest Golf academy, The Golf Performance Center. Christina has certified with expert trainers such as, Barbara Ruzansky, Ellen Heed, Jillian Pransky, David Nichtern, Jeff Primack and Achan Mongkol Khantibalo, a Buddhist Monk from Thailand. She is a 200-hour Certified Yoga Instructor and has extensive certifications to teach Restorative Yoga, pranayama breathwork, Shamatha Mindfulness Meditation, Qi-Gong, Clinical Reflexology, and is a Reiki Master. Christina is also a continuing education provider for Yoga Instructors through Yoga Alliance.
Laura Cuervo
Laura is a 200hrs yoga instructor. Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and certified Meditation instructor. Her Mental Health background and her passion about Mindfulness and awareness allows her to create a Mindful Vinyasa flow where she creates the opportunity for her students to find a connection between mind, body and their emotions through movement and conscious breathing. The yoga practices she leads invite a process of self-discovery.
Juliana Dobransky
Juliana received her yoga certification in 2016 with One Yoga school in Wilmington, DE after receiving a degree in Psychology from University of Delaware. She is trained in Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative and Prenatal Yoga. Juliana’s teaching style is a blend of strength & softness. Her flows are moving meditations that incorporate ease and sweetness, using the breath as a tool to access the body’s natural flexibility. Finding openness throughout the body is supported by equal strength & stability work. Juliana is passionate about supporting those who seek to heal, allowing a conscious connection with their true nature through movement and mindfulness. She believes that we are all born with a boundless source of love and inherent wisdom within, and it is each of our birthright to access it.
Rachel Bender
Rachel has been teaching and practicing yoga for over 25 years. She has done extensive training and is certified in Ashtanga and kripalu.
Rachel is also a personal trainer and licensed herbalist. She combines her desire of seeking spiritual growth and connection, with breath work, and functional movement leading her students to a deepened and sustainable yoga practice. Yoga is an integral part of her mental and physical health. She seeks to teach strength of body with calmness of mind on and off the mat for her students, herself, her family, and community.
Erin Troost
Erin grew up in Wilton, CT and started out as a dancer first and foremost. She went on to dance professionally with the Cleveland Ballet in Ohio. After taking some time away from dance, she dove into yoga which she had practiced on and off throughout the years. She completed her 200 Hour Yoga and Meditation Teacher training in February of 2023. She practices yoga for mental clarity in addition to the physical challenge of a vinyasa practice. Her goal is for her students to gain confidence in their personal practice and leave her class feeling rejuvenated.
