Our Yoga Tribe
-
Kim Gardner
I love teaching with love, humor and heart! And believe that yoga is accessible to everyone. I am so in AWE of how this practice builds community, wisdom, trust, balance, breath, curiosity, fun and sooo much more. There is so much that we learn on the mat that we can take into our everyday life, become wiser and more compassionate humans.
This passion of mine started many years ago with many different fitness practices and teachings but in the last 10 years I have craved to take off my shoes, step on the mat and use my own body in a strong mindful way. I started by getting certified in reformer and mat Pilates and then added Yoga through YogaFit and 200 Hour YogaRenew. So if you come to my Slow Flow classes you may see some Pilates peeking in, to me it just works beautifully. My classes are focused, beginning with breath and a fluid movement...a blend of holds and flow. My music has a rhythmic and soulful beat that brings us into the moment to connect our mind, body and breath.
My goal as a teacher to guide you through an energetic flow that empowers each person to discover their own potential in their practice and their lives.
I hope you will join me at Go To the Zone Wellness and let's experience this together.
-
Annie Bishop
A graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Community Health. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the health and fitness industry for 32 years.
I’ve experienced some challenging life chapters that required reflection and healing mind, body and spirit. Yoga gave me a sacred space to take care. A space where I started an inward journey, where I was able to devote time to learning, growing and healing.
I teach from the heart, with the wisdom of knowing everything is temporary.
I have a certification in Vinyasa yoga and have completed several trainings in Hatha, Restorative and Yin yoga. I have also completed a certification in Trauma Informed Yoga (previously called Street Yoga). I love to teach in a format that is accessible to ALL levels.
I also have a passion for the healing arts and wholeness coaching. I immersed myself in a year of Reiki training and became a certified Reiki Master. I have level one medicinal aromatherapy certification and uses these oils in my healing sessions as well as a compliment in my yoga classes.
Some of my life’s treasures are family, delicious food, traveling, hiking and breathing in nature.
-
Danae Hillberg
Conscious Communion with the Breath is an active initiation into the inherent intelligence of the Earth & her wisdom. By using a conscious connected, rhythmic breath as your guide, Danae will support you through an intuitively led breathwork container. As a holistic practice, breathwork invites the body, mind, & spirit towards a deeper level of understanding into the innate wisdom the body holds. Breathwork gives the body permission to alchemize, replenish, & restore reminding us that we too are nature itself.
-
Eri Luman
Calligraphy Meditation, Yoga in Japanese, Jikiden Reiki, Artist, Writer
Eri has spent decades immersing herself in the world of mindfulness and spirituality.
Her training includes Japanese calligraphy, Reiki, tea ceremony, a variety of martial arts, and Japanese foot massage (Kansoku-ho).
Eri is also an accomplished artist and a writer. A book and well over 100 articles have been published under her name in Japan and in America.
Eri considers her experience and training in many related specialties a plus:
"They all share the same mindset and universal philosophy. Multiple perspectives deepen my understanding and enable me to meet my students where they are.".
-
Kendyl Welker
My passion for yoga began late in college. New to yoga classes, in savasana (final resting pose) I experienced a peace and relaxation that I did not find anywhere else in my life.
I graduated in 2019 and immediately went on a 10 day silent meditation retreat. Sitting with myself for 10 days, I felt a certainty that I was meant to be a healer and use holistic modalities to help others.
In 2021, I graduated from a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and began teaching immediately after.
I am currently enrolled in a yoga mentorship program focused on anatomy and spinal health.
What I love most about teaching yoga is creating a safe space for people to accept their bodies wherever they may be that day or season. Moving past judgement to be present with the body. I hope to practice with you in the future, namaste!
-
Carey
Body/Mind exploration and healing has been a focus in my life for almost 20 years.
Through my own journey of injuries and illness, I have found, practiced, and enjoyed sharing so many beautiful ways to assist the mind and body towards a better place. Licensed in massage therapy in 2004, I thrived in the massage world. Intrigued with the differences in each person that arrived on my treatment table and each person’s healing journey.
In 2006 I was told I would never work again after a life changing car accident. Exploring yoga, functional medicine, acupuncture and more… I defied the odds and can’t wait to share what I’ve learned!
Functional Medicine graduate in 2016, 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2014 and currently wrapping up the 500 hour teacher training, I’ve also completed additional certification for Yin & Restorative yoga and a Sound Healing certification which has become a huge passion of mine. The awesome power of a sound therapy session is something I am so incredibly excited to share.
My time away from teaching and massaging is spent running this studio filled with the most amazing tribe of humanz. Spending time with my best friend/husband, the beautiful friends we are blessed to have in our world, our amazing Son and his beautiful wife… and of course our kitty Popsi.
-
Joy Marsalla
I grew up planning to be a ballet dancer, and 4-surgeries later (both knees/both ankles), that wasn't in the cards. Originally, yoga and I crossed paths as a balance to my ballet training, but I found it again due to some tough emotional personal incidents in college, and then again during a major work transition where I was questioning my purpose and spirit. I learned that yoga was so much more than a physical practice, but instead was and is a mental and spiritual practice as well, far older and wiser than I'd ever recognized. I began my yoga teacher training with Yoyoyoga in 2017, eventually achieving my 500hr RYT.
I enjoy teaching Vinyasa, Hatha, Restorative, Yin, and Prenatal classes. I love doing "special events" such as celebrations of the Equinox/Solstice, or even 108-sun salutations (the yoga "marathon")!
Now living in the Tualatin area, I am excited to cultivate a community close to where I live.
I like to create a space accepting of all bodies and beliefs, for individuals that are willing to explore within themselves and respect the energy and space of other seekers.
ALL yogis, including first timers, are welcome!
-
Charley
Fresh out of college with a passion for helping people, I started out my career in Portland in the field of social work. Working with youth and developmentally disabled adults for 5 years. Forever with the heart of a student and to further my knowledge of the healing arts, in 2010 I went to school for Massage Therapy in Seattle, and in 2011 completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Chicago, while simultaneously studying Reiki. Once I returned to Portland in 2014, I completed a Nutritional Therapy program and have used that knowledge in combination with Yoga to do some significant healing with my own chronic illnesses.
My ongoing massage therapy practice informs my yoga teaching style, as the healing I help facilitate on the table translates to an awareness and focus on functional alignment and on encouraging the student's body as the ultimate guide to what is needed in yoga poses and throughout the practice. While mixing flows as well as longer-held poses, classes help bring a balance of strength and flexibility, and breath awareness.
I still think of myself as a student, presently working towards my 500-hour yoga teacher credential, a nutritional coaching certificate, and continuing to build my knowledge of the massage and healing arts.
-
Cynthia Pedraza
My first experience with yoga occurred about 15 years ago, when, out of curiosity I took my first Hatha Yoga lesson during a beach trip in my home country México. I immediately knew yoga would be integral in my life. After graduating from college, I left México and landed in Atlanta Ga. where I decided to completely commit to my yoga journey as a teacher.
I explored various practices, but it was in Vinyasa that I found a true connection.
A true believer that everything comes to you in the right moment, I moved across the country to Portland, where I completed my Yoga Alliance 200-hour yoga teacher training, found a yoga community and a place that felt like home.
I achieved my 500hr training with Jason Crandell which provided me with an integrative, expert-level in vinyasa yoga technique, anatomy, teaching methodology, and comparative philosophy.
Currently teaching yoga classes at local studios in Portland where I participates in Yoga Teacher training programs and gives workshops for adults & kids, as well as leads Yoga Retreats outside the US by combining my passion for Yoga, fitness, and meditation with students that want to immerse in a better way into this transformative practice.