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The teachers at Follow Your Heart are dedicated to their teaching as well as to their own yoga practice. In total they bring many years of experience to the Yoga Center. Most teachers are Anusara-trained either through specific Anusara-trainings or through other trainings that included some Anusara study. All our teachers have many hours of training with continuing study each year. Our teachers always have the safety, health and well-being of their students in mind at all times. Teaching body alignment is essential to this end, and the therapeutic application of this alignment can benefit students both on and off the mat. Most importantly, our teachers are dedicated to seeing that each student has a good yoga experience. Once you learn the yoga poses, we don’t always do them with you, so that you can experience them fully in your own body. This then gives us more opportunity to help enhance students’ experience of the pose by either verbally suggesting or manually adjusting the student in the pose. We also want to help students become more aware of their bodies and their breath. Becoming more familiar with the outer body can then help students connect more with their inner body. Breath plays a huge roll in practicing yoga and is a tool for moving/awakening Prana or life force (like Chi in Chinese medicine). At the end of a class if students can leave feeling relaxed, renewed, and a little more joyful – we know we’ve done a good job. |
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Kathy Thompson’s life has been one of serving others. She is the oldest of five, mother of two, grandmother of five, former human resources professional to thousands of people and a former life coach prior to opening her studio in 2004.
Kandi Austin loves showing you the beauty of your spirit. She takes time to connect with the intrinsic goodness in all of us, to help us realize that we are so much more than we think. Through meditation and mindful practice you will find yourself blossoming to your own light; not to mention, working out kinks, gaining strength and stability, but also a sense of peace with yourself. As we practice Warrior One we will feel the connection with the earth and the universe as we root down to rise up… it’s one of my favorite poses because it can take on a different character each day, as do the other poses…but sometimes I feel, as I reach to the sky, in Warrior One, that I can receive as needed. Or if I’m feeling full, I can give. I feel yoga practice, as is our life, is always a joyous give and take, an unending cycle. I learn from other teachers on a continual basis, attending workshops whenever possible to bring to you a healthy, happy practice.
Chris Gamble - Chris' classes provide a compassionate, nurturing, and sacred space where students can experience the transformative nature of yoga. Chris uses her experience as a former elementary school teacher to carefully explain the asana sequence and asana modifications. Chris has been practicing yoga since the birth of her twin boys in 2001. Her training (CYT200) and experiences include Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and various Hatha flow styles of yoga. Chris holds a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work and an elementary teaching certification. She was an elementary school teacher for seven years. She has also coached competitive and non-competitive gymnastics for thirteen years. In her spare time, Chris enjoys weight lifting and running. She runs in many local races every year and has completed two Marine Corps Marathons.
Scott Moore initially came to yoga as just a form of exercise for a healthy lifestyle. Discovering the complete benefits of yoga for body, mind, and heart, he completed an Anusara Immersion Program in 2008 and continued on to complete an Anusara Teacher Training through Willow Street Yoga Center in 2009. Scott’s teaching is marked by curiosity and a passion to share the meaning and mechanics behind the art and science of yoga. Off the mat, Scott’s broad interests include cooking, reading, design, data analysis and fire juggling.
Susan Young’s favorite pose is without a doubt, Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose). As with so many yoga postures, this was once a dreaded part of her practice, but once mastered (well, mostly), it offers such a sense of power and expansion!
Diana Morgan began practicing yoga almost eight years ago following a back injury. She has 200 hours of study with a teacher in DC and 100 hours of study with another with a focus on form and alignment. She is now additionally taking 500 hours of advanced study with a Shiva Rae affiliate called Prana Flow. She is also studying for her Masters in Theological Studies at Wesley Seminary in DC. Diana is a busy woman!
Holley Mattson started practicing Iyengar Yoga in 1992 at Unity Woods in Bethesda. In 2006, after taking classes for a number of years and complementing them with a disciplined daily practice, she felt inspired and ready to begin teaching. Holley emphasizes proper body alignment coupled with continual reference to the importance of the breath. She helps her students gradually build strength, balance, flexibility and overall body awareness within a supportive, playful and caring class environment. There is no question in Holley’s mind that BKS Iyengar has it right when he says, “Regular practice of yoga can help you face the turmoil of life with steadiness and stability.” And even humor, Holley adds.
Sheila Kaplan has been practicing yoga for about 7 years (after a lifetime of involvement in various forms of physical exercise), and meditation for several decades. As the benefits of doing yoga quickly become clear to her, the idea to teach, as a way of giving back to the community, grew. Sheila’s training RYT200) and experience have been exploratory and diversified. She has studied or taken workshops in Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar, Hatha, and Vinyasa, including a delight full class in “Laughter Yoga”, and an 18-month long Yoga Immersion covering deep aspects of philosophy and belief systems.