Andrea Creel
Andrea discovered yoga in 1999 and was immediately drawn to the grace of the poses, the enjoyment of the practice, and the inner calm that she experienced. She has been teaching since 2005, and completed her 200-hour vinyasa yoga teacher training at Tranquil Space Yoga in Dupont Circle. Andrea enjoys sharing the benefits of yoga with yogis of all ages and has received specialized training in teaching yoga for pregnancy and the post-partum period, as well as to children and teens. She has studied kirtan, mantra, and the yoga of sound (nada yoga) with David Newman (Durga Das), Wynne Paris, Namadeva Thomas Ashley-Farrand, and Russill Paul.
Her greatest and dearest teacher continues to be her son, Quinn, who teaches her about love, compassion, service, joy, being present, surrender, and letting go every single day.
Natalie Dodson
Natalie Dodson is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher since 2003. Her teaching style is infused with the joy that she finds in yoga. She fosters a safe and deep experience for each participant. Classes, whether gentle or more vigorous, are paced to allow time to really experience each pose. Natalie believes that the truest experience of a pose is guided from within, by one's response to it. Through cultivation of fine awareness, the teacher within becomes our most important guide. With practice, a fluid calibration process between experience and outward expression form a synergy; one's yoga begins to flow even in stillness. More than any outward measure of a pose, the intelligence of the inner process should be trusted. A teacher is there to remind you of this while you memorize how safe alignment feels and gently deepen your practice from there.
Linda Evans
Linda Evans, RYT 200, has been practicing and studying yoga since 1996. She completed her Yoga Teacher Training at The Yoga Center of Columbia. As a former Montgomery County Public Schools music teacher, she blends her talents for teaching with her love of yoga. Linda brings a joyful approach to yoga. Creating a supportive class environment, she encourages mindfulness and alignment. Linda has benefited from and is grateful to all her teachers for their inspiration, especially Heather Schwartz and Kathy Donnelly. When Linda is not practicing yoga, she enjoys a game of tennis or a bike ride on local country roads.
Sarah Fishman
Sarah Fishman is a Washington DC native who received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University. After several years as a professional modern dancer, Sarah was referred to a yoga class to help her recover from a knee injury. What she found on the mat was not just a physically healing routine, but also tools to heal the mind, heart and spirit, and the means to live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.
Sarah has been blessed to study with Max Strom since 2007. She is certified in Max’s 200 hour ‘Way of Life’ teacher training, and has been privileged to assist him. Sarah has also studied and drawn inspiration from the teachings of Seane Corn, Shiva Rea and Beryl Bender Birch.
At the studio, Sarah encourages her students to first find and connect with their breathing,
And teaches never to sacrifice the breath to “achieve” a yoga posture, urging students to listen to their bodies and take rest when needed; her gentle yet rousing teaching style results in an invigorating Vinyasa Flow practice, with an emphasis on healing and transformation.
Sarah deeply honors the opportunity to share a practice with anyone who finds the courage to unfurl a mat. It is her ultimate intention to deliver a safe, challenging, and rewarding practice, where all levels of students can take their own journeys of self-inquiry. She is inspired by the potential of all yogis to align themselves for better health and more fulfilling lives, and to take the gift of yoga one step further ---off the mat---to serve, heal and unite their communities.
You can contact Sarah at Olneyyoga@gmail.com
Peter Gibbon-Owner/Manager
Peter Gibbon is certified by the Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts at the 500 hour professional level and has trained in Vipassana Meditation. In addition, he has trained with Shiva Ray in techniques of Vinyasa flow and with senior teachers at the Kripalu center in deeper yogic practices, particulary pranayama. Peter practiced Bikram Yoga for several years and brings that energy, as well as influences from Baron Baptiste to his teaching. He has been practicing Yoga since 1993 and has taught in a variety of venues for the last ten years. He believes our work in Yoga can be transformational, allowing us to become more integrated, compassionate and fully alive beings in body, mind, and spirit. Peter finds joy in the moment of yoga and works to facilitate his students own journey. He emphasizes practicing in a non-judgemental way and reminds students that while we can work hard in our practice, the development of compassion begins within the self. Contact Peter for training in Kripalu Yoga, pranayama and meditation here at the Olney studio or 240-338-3879.
Laura Greene
Laura Greene has lived with yoga all her life. She has early memories of toddling on her Mum’s yoga mat at Krishnamurti retreats in the 1970’s, and at her progressive boarding school in the English countryside yoga was held outdoors in the apple orchard before exams. Leaving her native England seven years ago, Laura became part of the DC-area yoga community from her very first morning in the United States. During her long career in front of the TV cameras Laura relied on her dedicated yoga practise to provide strength of body and spirit and calm of mind. Becoming a mother in 2005 convinced Laura of the vital importance “community” plays in all our lives, and the emptiness that can result in its absence. Thus she is devoted to the idea that yoga can forge bridges – between body and mind in the individual, but also between us; breaking boundaries of fear, cultural tradition or physical distance. Laura thanks her teachers all over the world; in every style, shape, colour and tradition, and attributes her good health, balanced relationships and positive outlook to the blessings of yoga.
Edie Lazenby
Edie Lazenby, an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance and Anusara Inspired [TM], has been teaching full time since 2005. Her students inspire her to teach from the heart using the therapeutic principles of Anusara;aligning the body skillfully in each asana. Edie finds yoga on the mat informs her actions and attitudes off the mat. Her classes are both fun and challenging. Yoga is about relationship. Yoga connects the body and mind to the heart and spirit and brings awareness to those who practice. She trained in 2003 and 2004 with Samayama yoga, repeating the 9-month program once it was registered with the Alliance. Then she pursued training at The Willow Street Yoga Center where she took the 3-month Immersion in 2005, one module of the Immersion in 2006 and then all 9-Immersion modules in 2007. In 2008 she finished with their Yoga Teacher Training, another 9-month program and went on in 2010 to study therapeutics in Jenny Otto’s Body Balance 5-month program. She immediately started teaching therapeutics. She continues training online and furthering her knowledge with consistent asana practice and other workshops. For more details about Edie check her blog at www.edieyoga.wordpress.com
Nancy Neves
Nancy Neves is a Kripalu-certified yoga teacher who recognizes the healing and transformational power of yoga. In her classes, she provides a safe place to encourage each student's personal growth. Discovering yoga's ability to develop body, mind and spirit simultaneously is what led Nancy to become a devoted yoga practitioner. Combining her love of group work with her compassionate approach to teaching, Nancy encourages her students to develop greater strength, flexibility and endurance. She leads her students through mindful movements, encouraging them to connect with their lives. Nancy gratefully acknowledges the influences of her mentors and beloved friends Rudra Tyson and Natalie Dodson. When not practicing yoga, Nancy is busy caring for her husband, two children and two cats.
Tanya Proffitt
Tanya Proffitt began her love affair with fitness and training in the Colorado Rockies while attending the United States Air Force Academy. Years later in Texas, she became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and an AFAA Primary Group Instructor. She has taught multiple variations of both water and land Aerobics since 1998 and her pertinent certifications include: PIA Pilates Mat I and Mat II, Healthy Moms Pre- and Post- Natal and Specialized Women’s Health, Schwinn Indoor Cycle, H2O Fitness, Resist-A-Ball Levels I and II, and Les Mills Body Combat. More recently, Tanya earned the title of Competitive Triathlete. Using her own methods and philosophies, she is self-trained and has achieved Personal Bests including placing first in her age group and third overall for women in the 2007 Worldgate Super Sprint in Reston, VA, as well as breaking into the Top 100 in the 2008 Iron Girl Triathlon in Columbia, MD. Her hobbies include cycling, going to the beach, skiing, reading, cooking, being with friends and being outside. She currently resides in Olney with her wonderfully supportive husband and her beautiful two children. Tanya is in firm agreement with Joseph Pilates in that living in good health is a normal condition, a condition that is both our duty to attain and to constantly strive to maintain. As Pilates himself was quoted: "In 10 sessions, you will feel the difference. In 20, you will see the difference. And in 30, you'll be on your way to having a whole new body." Contact Tanya at: www.peacecorewellness.com
Frank Thomas has studied and practiced yoga for over 30 years. Seven years ago, he began deepening his practice and realized a strong desire to pass on to others the benefits of yoga. He earned his 200-Hour Teacher Certification from Lotus Gardens Yoga School, in Connecticut, and is a registered teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance.
Frank loves sharing the experience, offered many times every day, of the vital life force that is yoga, both on and off the mat. Through regular classes as both practitioner and teacher, he has enriched his own life and feels it the deepest of blessings to be able to help others enrich their lives in this way.
In his classes, Frank integrates his knowledge and experience of various approaches to yoga, including Ashtanga, Anusara, Forrest, Iyengar, Sivananda, vinyasa flow, and Yin yoga; and often brings in other disciplines such as Tai Chi and mindfulness meditation. His goal always is to provide a safe and open environment in which all students may find their way to the deep joy and the unity of body, mind, and spirit that is yoga.