Yoga first touched the heart, mind and body of Diane in 2001. At this time she relocated from NYC to spend time with her niece battling a terminal illness. Searching for a way to bring peace into her life and those around her, she quickly discovered the healing benefits of yoga. Her personal well being was fueled by over 20 years practicing on her mat, but the realization that “yoga can heal” body, mind and spirit, emerged during her trainings, at the time of great loss in her life. She found her practice deepened her connection to compassion, allowing space to give more to family and others.

Diane has been influenced by a wide range of yoga styles including Ashtanga, Forrest, Baptiste and Yin. She has studied with many national teachers including Seane Corn, Sarah Powers, Cyndi Lee, Kevin Courtney and Ana Forrest. She is a certified RYT 200 in WHY Power Yoga and Ana Forrest Advanced Teacher Training, as well as CPR certified.

Diane’s classes focus on utilizing the breath, as a tool, to go deeper into the body and mind. She emphasizes safe alignment and accessibility to all from Gentle to vigorous Power. Diane’s hands-on approach utilizes both her intuition and her open heart.

Diane’s other loves of life include her family and friends, her tiny Maltese, Layla, paddle boarding with her husband and spending as much time in nature as possible!

“When I’m on my mat, there is a complete balance of mind, body and spirit, for which I would love to share with others.”

Brittany was first introduced to yoga in 2004 and decided to expand her practice by becoming an instructor in 2020.

She is a 200 hour YTT graduate, and completed her training at Sanctuary Power Yoga in Torrington.

In 2022 she received a certification in restorative yoga with Bethany Kate Wellness. Brittany is a certified Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master and completed her trainings through Delphinium Healing and Wellness and The Lotus Petal.

With a passion for movement and a strong, versatile background in dance; she creates classes designed to focus on alignment and strength building. Brittany brings her enthusiasm for yoga and her love for moving meditation awareness to her classes; particularly in vinyasa flows.

photo by Phyllis Meredith Photography

Cara has been using her personal practice, training and life experiences to lead yoga classes since 2015. Her yoga journey began over 25 years ago… started as another form of exercise after training in the martial arts for many years. The bonus was to find a sense of inner peace and community on the mat that hadn’t been experienced anywhere else. Cara hopes to share those rewards with her students. “It makes me so happy to see the same people coming back to my classes so I can observe their growth and strength! When the class moves as one, breathing as one, it is very gratifying” 

As a teacher, Cara knows that bodies come in all different sizes, fitness levels, and degrees of flexibility. Her teaching style allows students to modify poses based on their individual needs, encouraging students to focus on breath and felt self-awareness. In her class you will experience a powerful Vinyasa flow - warming up with slow mindful movements connected with breath, and flowing into powerful strengthening standing asanas. The goal of Cara’s class is for her students to leave feeling strong, open hearted and clear-minded.

Cara is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher having received her certification in 2015 from West Hartford Yoga. In addition, she is certified in Trauma-Informed Yoga and is currently working towards her 300 hour certification. When she’s not practicing or teaching yoga, Cara works as a Medical Assistant in a busy urology practice. She enjoys gardening, outdoor activities, taking care of her multiple pets and plants and adjusting to becoming a recent empty nester

Brittney first discovered yoga in 2019 as a way to balance her more intense workouts, and she quickly fell in love with the practice. For the first time, movement felt like an act of self‑love rather than a tool for self‑change. Experiencing the profound mental and physical shifts that yoga brought into her own life inspired her to share the practice with others.

She completed her 200‑hour Yoga Teacher Certification at West Hartford Yoga in 2022. Since then, she has expanded her training with an 85‑hour Prenatal Yoga Certification, as well as Yoga Sculpt and Mat Pilates Certifications, allowing her to support a diverse range of students and needs. Brittney views yoga as a lifelong journey and continues to seek new ways to grow, both on and off the mat.

Jenna kicked off her yoga journey over three years ago, after making a few major lifestyle changes. By developing a regular practice, yoga has offered her the space to connect internally, tap into her intuition and focus more on personal happiness. With this new perspective, Jenna aspires to share it with others. She completed her 200 hour WHY Teacher Training at West Hartford Yoga and her Yin Teacher Training with Liza Dousson.

Jenna is always deepening her own practice by experiencing other yoga styles and techniques. Jenna’s classes focus on being mindful with every movement connected to the breath, as you flow through class at your own pace. She strives to provide yoga to students of all levels and encourages students to test their edges. Jenna is a new proud Mom of Nella and in her spare time, also enjoys painting, baking “healthy” treats and participating in as many outdoor events as possible!

Seeking calm in a season of life challenges, grief and burnout, Jessica stepped onto a yoga mat for the first time in 2008. The yoga practice became a safe nurturing space which helped quiet her mind, build self-compassion and tap into her strength both physically and mentally. A student at heart, she continues to learn and relies on yoga and mindfulness practices to stay centered through all the things this crazy beautiful life brings.

With a calm presence and playful creative sequencing, she offers a class that is empowering and grounding. She guides students to experience the practice one pose, one breath at a time and provides modifications and adjustments to make the practice accessible for all students.

Through movement, breathwork, and mindfulness, her hope for every student is to encourage peace in their thoughts, kindness in their words, and joy in their hearts. When not on her mat, Jessica enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, knitting and sewing.

Trainings & Certifications

300 hour Advanced Teacher Training, Jason Crandell Yoga Method 2021

200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, West Hartford Yoga 2018

Yoga & Mindfulness for Children, Advanced Concepts, Childlight Yoga 2019

Yoga & Mindfulness for Tweens and Teens, Childlight Yoga 2019

Yoga & Mindfulness for Children, Childlight Yoga 2018

JoAnn attended her first yoga class in 2002 and hasn’t looked back. As she began to feel and understand the benefits of a yoga practice she was curious to explore further. In 2015 JoAnn graduated from Journey of Yoga’s 200 Yoga Teacher Training under the guidance of Maggie Durbas. After teaching for 6 years JoAnn was eager to dive deeper into the practice. Having participated in several workshops with international teacher Amy Ippoliti, JoAnn studied and completed a 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Amy and the Vesselify School of Yoga to become a 500 RYT, registered with the Yoga Alliance.

JoAnn brings to her classes a blend of yoga styles with a focus on alignment, movement with breath and mindfulness as a path to whole body health. She is eager to share her practice and share the lifelong benefits of yoga. See you on the mat!

Emily was born and raised in Newark, DE. She has been dancing professionally since 2014 and has moved around the country several times to dance for different ballet companies. In 2017, her yoga journey began by going to yoga classes to balance the demanding life as a ballet dancer. In the summer of 2018, she decided to deepen her training even further and earned a 200hr RYT certification at Simply Yoga in Fort Wayne, IN, under the instruction of Christa Smith. Shortly after earning her certificate, Emily moved to Connecticut to dance for Ballet Hartford.

Initially drawn towards vinyasa and power classes, Emily learned the importance of both fast paced and restorative classes through her teacher training. Emily’s classes are designed to push your body and mind to its fullest potential and range of motion, emphasizing on the importance of caring for your body not only physically but also mentally, to ensure a strong, healthy life beyond the studio.

Julie found herself on a yoga mat seeking refuge during a particularly difficult time in her life around 2016, and quickly found it to be a safe sanctuary and respite from the world to calm, ground, surrender and unfold. She came to understand that the more she showed up and could stay with herself on the mat, the more capacity she had for staying in the body and with life off the mat. 

The experience of grounding  practices, healing and sense of peace inspired Julie to complete her 200 hour YTT with Kristen Cork at Be.Yoga in 2022, with additional subsequent training and certifications in Yin, Restorative, Gentle, Somatic Healing, Trauma Informed Yoga, as well as her Reiki Master. She is currently enrolled in a Meditation Certification and an Integrated Energy Healing Program at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing.

Julie is committed to holding safe space for students of all abilities, and strives to mindfully integrates mind, body, and breath, with the invitation for students to slow down, pause, go inward to explore the felt sense, reconnect and re-member the whole of their Selves. 

Julie spent 10 years as a paramedic in NYC prior to becoming a Sign Language Interpreter, a role she’s served in for the past 18 years. She’s the mom of 3 boys, a sweet rescue dog, Ollie, and newly exploring this stage of life as an empty nester. 

Check your ego at the door. This is Marni’s mantra. Yoga isn’t about how fast, how strong, or how flexible you are. It’s about the practice. Your practice. Known for her kind and gentle demeanor, Marni strives to make her students, regardless of experience level, comfortable and confident on their mats.

Marni found yoga when she was searching for a way to manage her own stress and anxiety. She was amazed by yoga’s ability to invoke transformation and balance to her life. Yoga’s effect on her life was so profound that she wanted to give others what she had received from her yoga experience – healing, peace of mind, and strength. This led her on the teacher’s path in 2011. She is a graduate of West Hartford Yoga’s 200 hour Power Yoga Teacher Training and completed her YinYoga teacher certification under Liza Dousson in 2020.

Marni strives to lead a class that encourages students of all levels and yoga backgrounds to feel supported while developing their own personal practice. Her classes are designed to awaken the power of breath and the inner stillness that follows mind–body connection. Marni holds a special place for new students, older adults, and individuals living with injuries. Often, these individuals are discouraged by yoga and feel it’s not for them. Marni has a way of helping these individuals find the way with modified poses that work for their bodies and stages of life.

Off the mat, Marni is a well-known jewelry designer in central Connecticut, enjoys music, hiking, beach days, and just about anything nature has to offer.

As a dancer and athlete, during her young life, movement had always played a key role in Katie’s life. Feeling a bit lost after college graduation, Katie discovered yoga. While her yoga practice has changed and developed over the years, stepping onto her mat continues to keep her connected to herself and her intuition.

Katie believes yoga is a practice through which you can foster a better relationship with yourself and your body. Katie’s All Levels classes connect mindful movement with breath to ground you in the here and now. No previous yoga experience is necessary, just a curious mind, an open heart, and willingness to laugh at yourself! Pose modifications and alternate options are provided.

When not on her mat, Katie can be found hanging out with her dog — Gus — or with your dogs around central Connecticut. As field manager for DaleyPawz, Katie cares for pets in the community and oversees the small business’s team of walkers and petsitters.

Katie completed her yoga teacher training at West Hartford Yoga.

Yoga has been a source of renewal and grounding for Mike over the last 20 years.  He brings thoughtful and creative energy to the mat and strives to make each journey on the mat a unique experience.  

In honor of his gratitude for all the gifts that yoga has brought him and in hopes of bringing that happiness to others, he completed the 200 Hour Yoga Teaching Training at West Hartford Yoga in 2022. Since completing the training, Mike has taught in both indoor and outdoor settings and to a wide range of different ages and levels to bring a welcoming and supportive environment.  

Kyle's a multi-faceted holistic wellness enthusiast, with a diverse background and a deep passion for well-being. His foundation in yoga has led him toward humbly guiding others through their personal journeys of self-discovery, inspired by the teachers who have made such a rich impact along his own path.

You can expect Kyle's classes, to create a nurturing and inclusive space for self-discovery through yoga, meditation, breathwork, and Reiki. The values of safety, self-trust, and compassion inform his teaching style, and he draws on his background in leadership to hold a strong space for others to experience their personal unfolding.

Kyle's path towards holistic wellness began with a quest for healing and meaning. Seeking relief from the crushing challenges of PTSD and depression, he discovered the transformative power of yoga and an Ayurvedic lifestyle. These ancient practices became a lifeline, offering him tools to break free from the confines of his past and the ability to envision a future grounded in new perspectives and self-concept.

In addition to Kyle's yoga journey, he dedicated 20 years of his life to military service and has been a social studies teacher for the past 16 years. His military service gifted him with discipline, commitment, and resilience, while teaching high schoolers has impressed on him the value of patience, empathy, and nurturance, all qualities that meld into his yoga practice. In addition, Kyle's a parent to five children, understanding the daily challenges and weighty responsibilities that many of us face.

Kyle believes that yoga can empower each of us to navigate life's intricacies, while finding moments of peace and self-care in our own unique flow.

Yu is originally from Japan. She started practicing yoga in 2017 in NYC after giving birth to two boys. It was anti-gravity (Aerial) Yoga that lured her to the challenge and passion in movement, finding strength, and trust within the yoga community.

She finished YTT training in California achieving 500 hour YTT certification, with experience in Yin Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Sculpt Yoga. She has taught a wide variety of Yoga classes in Southern California since 2021.

Yu enjoys sharing the practice of mindful movement, meditation, and breath work, welcoming all levels and offering an authentic way of practicing Yoga.

Yoga is my sanctuary away from the noise and chaos of daily life. I go to my mat to calm my mind, challenge myself physically, and seek grace and self-forgiveness. In 2019, I was sidelined from yoga following a back injury. After a slow recovery,  I returned to my mat stronger and with a newfound gratitude for yoga and what it brings me on and off the mat, inspiring me to complete my 200 RYT certification after more than two decades of practicing yoga. My teaching style is best described as “playfully grounded,” and an approach that blends strength, kinetic stillness, and lightheartedness.

Mia began her yoga journey in 2016 while studying abroad in Singapore, where she took her very first class. Drawn in by the warm and welcoming community, she found herself instantly hooked. In 2022, when she was looking to deepen her practice, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Om Center in Watertown, CT.

Since then, Mia has been sharing her passion for yoga by teaching at studios throughout the Hartford area and leading corporate wellness sessions both in person and online. Her classes are rooted in a vinyasa flow style, with a focus on creating a welcoming, energizing space where students leave feeling better than when they arrived.