Bethlehem Yoga - Our Teachers

Laurel Attanasio started practicing yoga three years ago. After completing graduate school while working full-time, she knew she needed something to revitalize her mentally and physically. She turned to yoga and has been hooked every since. In October 2007, she completed the Yoga Loft's first yoga teacher training program. She combines various techniques that emphasize precise alignment, along with a vinyasa flow practice to create challenging and rewarding classes. She hopes to share her enthusiasm for yoga and life with all of her students and everyone she encounters.

Florence Corcoran completed her 200 hour RYT Teacher Training through The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem, a Yoga Alliance Registered School. She has been practicing yoga for over 17 years but only "seriously" for six when she was introduced to the vinyasana flow style of yoga with Delia Quigley and Godfrey Devereux. Prior to finding the flow style, she practiced Sivananda and Kripaulu yoga. A long-time athlete who has always practiced and loved physical disciplines such as martial arts, cycling and running, she fully realized the power of yoga when simply learning to use the muscles of her feet correctly to stand, saved her from a foot surgery for tarsal tunnel syndrome. Soon she realized that although she was drawn to yoga for the physical benefits, she stayed with yoga for the mental and emotional benefits. She believes that, "Yoga creates a calm stability in the body, heart and mind that carries you..it has a quiet, peaceful effect. It makes you feel better and makes you more effective in all aspects of your life".

Florence is an Orthopedic Physical Therapist who specializes in spine care. Yoga has helped her look at the human body in an injured state differently and has deepened her understanding of how to teach alignment principles. "Posture, strength and mobility are so critical to musculosketal health. Yoga -taught and practiced correctly -is an excellent tool for gaining and maintaining all three. Few, if any, other disciplines offer that"

She lives in Nazareth, and can be seen at times, walking or running around town with her canine pals, George and Lucy.

Sally Delisle - In 1993, after spending 22 years in a dance studio, Sally took her first yoga class. It was instant love! What a gift to discover that the joy of movement and expression was available in a non-judgmental atmosphere! "I've been hooked ever since. My hope as a yoga teacher is to share the message that where you are today is exactly where you are meant to be, and that place is beautiful." Sally has completed the 200-hour teacher training program at The Yoga Loft, as well as the Child Light training for teaching yoga to children and teens. She has a degree in Fine Arts and Dance, and BA in Psychology. She moved from Maine to PA in 2007 with her husband and two sons. As a family they love to travel, hike, play sports, and spend time on the water.

Deanna Doyle - A teacher and librarian, Deanna has been doing yoga for more than ten years. She recently completed her 200 hour certification at the Yoga Loft and is also a certified Child Light Yoga Instructor. In addition, she has training in yoga therapy for special needs children. Although her favorite yoga is kundalini, she enjoys a variety of styles. She enjoys the creativity of working with children and combining stories with yoga. In 2009, she co-founded Littlewings Yoga for Children and Teens. A mother of two children, she resides in Coopersburg. When not on her mat, Deanna enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and all things creative, especially paper arts and playing with Photoshop. She strives to maintain an organic lifestyle as much as possible, and focuses on natural methods of healing. A collector of quotes, her favorite is, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Ghandi

Adrin Stauffer Eline is dedicated to improving the bodies and lives of others. She began practicing Pilates in 1996 to find relief from chronic shoulder pain due to drafting for 10 years in her Interior Architecture career. In only a few months of regular practice she noticed a deeper awareness of her body's patterns, along with improved strength and better posture, she was hooked! She received her Pilates certification in 2003 from Mind and Body, Inc. in Seattle. The program emphasized classical Pilates Choreography and encouraged individualized instruction based on the client's postural assessment, lifestyle, and current or past injuries.Her enthusiasm for the method and her creative approach to teaching is a constant source of inspiration for her clients. Adrin hails from Seattle where she co-owned a Pilates studio for three years. She recently moved to Bethlehem to be with her new husband and his family. She is excited to share her passion for the Pilates method and to explore the town she grew up in 25 years ago!

Prem Siri Kaur is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher (as taught by Yogi Bhajan) by the Kundalini Research Institute. She is also a certified Belly dance Instructor (certified by Dolphina of GoddessLife Inc.), and a certified Sound Healer by Jonathon Goldman. During her Kundalini Yoga training, she was fortunate enough to study and learn from Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa (author of The Kundalini Experience and course Director of the International Kundalini Therapy Training), Gurutej Kaur (producer of the Chakra Yoga video series), Mahan Rishi Singh Khalsa & Nirbha Kaur Khalsa (founders of The Khalsa Healing Arts and Yoga Center), Krishna Kaur (founder and Program Director of Yoga for Youth and teacher of over 30 years), and Gurucharan Singh Khalsa (psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and a world-recognized expert in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan). The experience of working directly with so many Master Teachers left a deep impression and inspires Prem to do her absolute best to serve her students and share the ancient technology that is Kundalini yoga most effectively and efficiently.

Robin Gualtieri (Prenatal Yoga) has been studying and practicing Yoga since 1998. Over the years she has studied a variety of styles. During July of 2006 she completed a 200 hour Yoga Alliance approved teacher training program at Yoga on Main in Philadelphia, PA. There she studied under esteemed teachers Shiva Das, Ed Zadlo and David Newman. At Yoga on Main she was taught the Inner Fire Yoga method developed by David Newman. Inner Fire Yoga is a practice developed around the Chakra system, and addresses the physical, mental and spiritual bodies. The program also included 30 hours of Ayerveda (the study of traditional Indian herbal medicine based on individual body types). She is also a mother of two and practiced yoga during both pregnancies. "Practicing Yoga was essential during my pregnancy and labor. Yoga helped me be more comfortable and confident during pregnancy and also helped to make labor and delivery a deeply spiritual experience. Practicing Yoga has also helped me bond deeply with my children before they were even born."

Katja Huiras started practicing yoga about four years ago when her family moved here from Germany. She regularly goes to the gym for weight lifting, and it was there that she was introduced to Power Yoga. Last year she discovered the Yoga Loft, and soon after signed up for the teacher training program, which she completed in 2008.

Katja enjoys the holistic approach of yoga; the working together of body, mind and spirit in order to strive for health and happiness. It is very inspiring to her that yoga is good for everyBODY, no matter what age, shape and fitness level. She feels very honored to have the opportunity to share what she's learned (and continues to learn) about Hatha Yoga by teaching Yoga Basics.

Sandra Kessel-Endres is from Munich, Germany and moved to the United States ten years ago. Here she started studying and practicing yoga originally to help her build the strength and posture to promote a better back alignment. Once she started, she says in her own words: "I couldn't stop but enjoying the meditative quality of the movement. It reminds me of the experiences I had when I hiked in the Alps."

She received her 200 hour RYT Teacher Training at the Yogaphoria in New Hope. Being curious and enjoying yoga as a source of infinite inspiration she continues her studies with Naime Jezzeny and Sue Elkind, both senior certified Anusara teachers.

"My intention for each class is to cherish, share, and improve the moment we practice yoga together and create an ever so subtle shift in body and mind, which enables us to take the Yoga off the mat and into our daily practice of life."

Paola Montes: Born in Mexico City, she received her early dance training at Malinky's Ballet Clasico. She later received a scholarship to Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. where she received a BFA in Dance. Paola has performed with various regional dance companies around the New York City metropolitan area as well as internationally in Italy and Mexico. Paola is a Certified GYROTONICŽ instructor, as well as a fully certified Pilates instructor from the Kane School of Core Integration in NYC. She is also a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Paola's teaching style is a fusion between dance and athleticism with major focus on the abdominal wall.

Natalie Meck's love of yoga began in 2004, when she walked into a studio looking for a good workout and came away with inspiration to understand the ancient practice. After years of dedicated practice, she completed the 200-hour teacher training program at the Yoga Loft of Bethlehem in 2009. Today she teaches around the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Natalie teaches Vinyasa (flow) with influences from Iyengar (body alignment). A self-described "eternal student" vows to never stop learning about yoga, even as a teacher. She believes the most important lessons people can learn from yoga are the ones they learn about themselves.

"Yoga is a personal journey. I teach in a relaxed environment, so my students can experience the wonder of yoga in their own way," Natalie says. "There are suggestions about body alignments and principles, but yoga doesn't have a rule book or regulations. Yoga just is."

Carrie Morgan completed her RYT 200-hour Certification from OM NYC under the direction of Cyndi Lee in 2005. Carrie's OM NYC training is in the Hatha - Vinyasa (Flow) style of yoga. Since that time, Carrie has attended 2 workshops with Erich Schiffman, author of Moving Into Stillness (Freedom Style yoga) in Santa Barbara, CA, adding 80 hours to her certification. Carrie has attended workshops with David Swenson, Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Gary Kraftsow, Anna Forrest, Johnny Kest, Aadil Palkhivala and Sri Dharma Mittra. Carrie has been practicing yoga for 8 years and continues to enrich her studies by practicing regularly in NYC with the amazing teachers at Laughing Lotus, Sankalpah and OM NYC. Carrie offers her students the opportunity to find the joy of their yoga practice by combining the styles of Vinyasa Flow with the Freedom style of Erich Schiffman through a playful, challenging and heart opening practice. "Real yoga is about transcending the serious and allowing joy into your life, your body, your mind, and hopefully about your practice itself. Its about lightening up."

Alysha Pfeiffer, RYT has been sharing her love for yoga through her teaching for over five years. She completed her 200 hour teacher training as well as her advanced teacher training at The White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. Studying with teachers Ganga White and Tracey Rich, she learned to live her yoga to the fullest each and every day on this earth. In 2007 Alysha completed her 200 hour Anusara teacher training with Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny. Alysha has also studied with restorative yoga teacher Judith Lasater. She continues to study with some of her favorite teachers Seane Corn, and Suzanne Sterling, as well as all the lovely teachers at the Yoga Loft. Alysha also enjoys traveling, creating blown glass and pottery,photography, hiking with her dog Sage, and hooping outdoors while listening to live music.

Megan Ridge took her first yoga class in August of 2006, and she instantly fell in love with the practice. She recently completed her 200 hour RYT Teacher Training through the Yoga Loft of Bethlehem and has studied with several knowledgeable teachers, including Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, Max Strom, and many more. Megan encourages her students to turn inward and to honor the breath, as this simple act can lead to an incredible transformation in the body and soul. She believes yoga can inspire people to find their true happiness in life, and lives by Ghandi's philosophy that "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." When Megan isn't yogaing, she is the Artistic Director of the Omicron Theatre Project, a company based in the Lehigh Valley.

Hilary Smith, R.N., B.A. (Tai Chi) has been studying Tai Chi since 1989, and teaching since 1994. Her teaching style empowers students to become competent Tai Chi practitioners who can reap the benefits of an independent Tai Chi practice. Hilary is a third degree black belt, certified fitness trainer, and certified massage therapist, as well as a registered nurse. She has taught in many different types of community-based and health care settings. As a teacher Hilary is able to tailor Tai Chi to the individual. She has taught students who are rehabilitating from injuries, illnesses and surgery, and those seeking Tai Chi as a moving meditation to reduce stress; those who are interested in learning Tai Chi as a traditional martial arts form; and those who wish to use Tai Chi as a form of exercise. She emphasizes proper alignment and precision in order to maximize the benefit and minimize the risk of injury. Besides teaching Tai Chi, Hilary's history includes hospital nursing, massage therapy for clients in acute and/or chronic pain, and most recently, performing fitness assessments, designing fitness programs along with wellness education and lifestyle management for older adults. Hilary's vision is to help adults age with independence and dignity, and Tai Chi is a perfect practice for realizing that vision.

Jessie Thompson is the owner and director of The Yoga Loft. Jessie began practicing yoga in 1992 at various yoga schools in New York City, and then continued her practice at Yoga Works in Santa Monica, CA and other studios in the LA region. She completed the Yoga Works Teacher Training Program in 1999 and taught for Yoga Works and other area schools until moving back to the Lehigh Valley in 2004. As a student at Yoga Works she was able to study with many of the country's most respected and admired teachers including founders Maty Ezraty and Chuck Miller, Lisa Walford (Iyengar), Erich Schiffmann, Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, and many others. She has also attended workshops with respected teachers such as Ramanand Patel, Gabriella Guibilaro, Aadil Palkivala, and many more. Her yoga practice has included various traditions including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Viniyoga and Anusara Yoga, and she currently studies Iyengar Yoga with Theresa Rowland in Madison, NJ. Jessie's classes integrate breath and movement, have an emphasis on good alignment, and offer a compassionate and open space for students to learn and grow.

Gail-Marie Van Helmondt is thrilled to be part of The Yoga Loft's teaching staff. She began her yoga practice nearly 10 years ago studying Ashtanga Yoga. During the past few years she has sought out both the alignment principals found in Iyengar Yoga, and the heart opening of Anusara Yoga. Gail also appreciates the meditative yet invigorating flow that can be a result of linking breath to posture in vinyasa style yoga. She is a graduate of The Yoga Loft Teacher Training Program, which is registered and approved through the National Yoga Alliance.
Gail is a graduate of Penn State University with her Bachelors in Psychology. She has held corporate positions in recruiting and training for 15 years. Gail and her husband have 2 young boys and share a fondness for outdoor activities. They enjoy kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, biking, and just spending time together.

Julie Westbrooks, RYT completed the 200-Hour Teacher Training Program at The Yoga Loft in 2009. She has been practicing yoga since 1998 after retiring from playing soccer due to injury. Outside PA, Julie has practiced yoga in Florida, Germany, Austrailia and India. Most recently Julie completed the first segment of Max Strom's yoga teacher training "Building the Temple". She has also participated in workshops with Suzanne Sterlinf, John Levis and James Brown. Julie says, "I like to facilitate a challenging vinyasa flow session that makes students feel good. By synchronizing breath to movement we get our blood flowing and focus our minds. My goal is to give students a stress-releasing experience that counters the negative effects of using computers, cars and TV."

Kira Willey (Firelies Musical Yoga) After practicing yoga for years Kira Willey began developing the idea to combine music and yoga as a way to fully engage kids - giving them the wonderful benefits of yoga, plus the joy and benefits of hearing lots of different styles of music. After being certified to teach kids yoga through Next Generation Yoga and Baby Om, she brought along her guitar and a few tunes she had written for her kids yoga class. It was an instant hit. The kids loved when she sang and they always asked for more music! They learned the songs incredibly fast, sang along, and easily remembered the yoga poses that went along with them. Kira began writing more and more songs for kids yoga, and this work (and play) has culminated in her CD "Dance for the Sun". Kira lives in the Lehigh Valley with her husband and two children and teaches yoga at various locations.