meet our yoga instructors

Name: Allison (Ally) Hopper

Certification: RYT® 200, Charleston Community Yoga, 2018

From: Atlanta, GA

Favorite Pose: Heart Openers

Why I Teach: Physically, so people can counteract much of how they likely spend their days - leaning over phones, keyboards, steering wheels, etc. Emotionally and mentally, giving students the freedom to express who they truly are and to teach the power of vulnerability through this expression. An open heart chakra means more love, compassion, gratitude and a deeper appreciation for the beauty this world brings us. I believe we can all benefit from the practice of opening this area.

Life Mantra: Being at ease with the unknown is crucial for the answers to come to me.

Name: Ali Lucia

Certification: RYT® 200, Younique Hot Yoga, 2015; 25-Hour Bliss Paddle Yoga, San Diego.

From: Originally, the beach in NJ. Before Charleston, I lived in NYC.

Favorite Pose: Headstand

Why I Teach: To help people find peace within themselves, heal, and learn to love exactly who they are.

Life Mantra: There will be an answer, let it be.

Name: Bella Rybak

Certification: 200-Hour YTT, Yoga Alliance

From: Greenville, SC

Favorite Pose: Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon!)

Why I Teach: I teach yoga to give people the opportunity to get a good physical workout as well as a mental workout. I want to give them a chance to relax and tap into the amazing gift that yoga is.

Favorite Quote: “Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you’ll never get the same moment twice.”

Name: Casey Higgins

Certification: RYT® 200, "Rock Your Purpose" Vinyasa Training, Community Yoga, Charleston, SC

From: I'm originally from JERSEY!!!

Favorite Pose: My favorite yoga pose is Urdhva Dhanurasana (Full Wheel)

Why I Teach: I teach because the practice of yoga transformed my life, and I love watching it do the same for my students.

Life Mantra: "Only you have your magic."

Name: Cassandra Bakke

Certification: RYT® 200, Yoga Works, 2015; 30-Hour Kids Yoga Training from Karma Kids Yoga, 2016; 85-Hour Prenatal Yoga Training, Floryoga, 2017

From: New Jersey

Favorite Pose: Sirsasana (Headstand - I just love being upside-down).

Why I Teach: I teach to give back to my community in the best way I know how. I love creating a safe space for my students to explore and grow on their personal path where ever that may take them.

Life Mantra: Sutra 1.14 Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without a break, and with enthusiasm. 

Name: Emily Byrd

Certification: RYT® 200, Santhi Yoga International, Kerala, India

From: North Carolina

Favorite Pose: Pincha Mayurasana (peacock or any bird pose!)

Why I Teach: Life is relentlessly chaotic, but our minds don’t have to be. Yoga is the best way I've found to understand that fact. I teach so that I can support my students on a path toward greater mental clarity, resilience, and equanimity. I teach to share the joy of practicing. And, I teach to pass along all the good things yoga has brought to my own life. 

Favorite Quote: "Let the beauty of what we love be what we do – there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground" - Rumi

Name: Hilary McDonald

Certification: RYT® 200, Charleston Community Yoga, 2018

From: Pittsburgh, PA

Favorite Pose: Baddah Ardha Chaudrasana (Bound Half Moon)

Why I Teach: When yoga became a continuous part of my life, I witnessed a powerful transformation within myself both on and off the mat. I learned the power of strength and clarity through stillness and awareness. We live in a society that thrives on constant stimuli, to-do lists, and seeks/receives praise for the busyness of our lives. I teach because it’s an opportunity to expose others to this simplistic practice of breath work and motion that fosters a calmness of mind, body, and spirit.

Life Mantra: Here. Now. This. 

Name: Jamesy Wood

Certification: RYT® 200, Island Yoga, Aruba (with Yoga girl)!

From: Baltimore, MD

Favorite Pose: Half Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana).

Why I Teach: Yoga absolutely changed my life, and if I can help facilitate that in someone else's life, I'm all for it. I truly think the more people who practice yoga, the better off we are.

Life Mantra: I am enough.

Name: Joe Vinciguerra

Certification: RYT® 200, Yoga Alliance Chandra Yoga International, 2014; Dharamshala, India - 200 Hours.

From: Yonkers, NY

Favorite Pose: Tolasana (Balance Pose)

Why I Teach: Yoga has been a powerful practice in my life, it’s taken me to places physically, mentally and spiritually I would have never imagined. If I could share that experience with others and teach them too that yoga can bring you places you would have never imagined, I would have done my job as a yoga teacher. 

Favorite Quote: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” - Oscar Wilde

Name: Jessica Fischer

Certification: RYT® 200, Yoga Alliance, Awakenings Yoga Studio, 2015

From: Charlotte, NC

Favorite Pose: Natarajasana or "Lord of the Dance Pose", because it requires strength and poise and has a playful nature.

Why I Teach: I teach yoga because I find joy in creating a space that sparks love, acceptance, healing, and strength. I am thankful for teachers that have guided me through my practice and want to give back and inspire others on their journey. To me, yoga is a way to explore our body, mind, and spirit. Quieting the noise of the outside world so that we can hear that still, small voice - that is our truth. To me, yoga doesn't have to be serious, stuffy, or competitive to be effective - all you have to do is show up with an open heart.

Life Mantra: "Be still and know that I AM."

Name: Jessica Sipe

Certification: RYT® 200, Savannah Yoga Center, 2017

From: Manchester, TN

Favorite Pose: Archa Chandrasana (Half Moon)

Why I Teach: I teach because I want to share this practice, and I love being a witness to a student's effort and growth. My biggest intention for students is to find steadiness and ease in their practice. Yoga isn't all sweat and intensity, nor is it all softness. I want students to look for the balance because that is where peace and joy lies, and if they can discover this on the mat, then they can take that lesson off the mat. 

Favorite Quote: "You don't have to move mountains. Simply fall in love with life. Be a tornado of happiness, gratitude, and acceptance. You will change the world just by being a warm,  kind-hearted human being." - Anita Krizzan

Name: Kristen McDonald

Certification: RYT® 200, Charleston Power Yoga, 2016.

From: I was born in Anacortes, my mother's hometown in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington, while my dad was deployed in the Vietnam War. I had the benefit of growing up on both coasts before we settled in the South when he retired from the US Coast Guard.

Favorite Pose: My favorite pose is Baddha Ardha Chandrasana, (half-moon pose).  Half-moon is expansive and powerful, and accessible to all yogis - it permits everyone to shine!  

Why I Teach: I teach yoga from my core values of love, peace, gratitude, service by faith, and adventure. I teach people that they are loved and that they are worthy, and especially that they can do the thing they did not think possible. 

Favorite Quote: My favorite quote, which changes almost daily, is "Don't leave before the miracle happens."

Name: Katie Heatley

Certification: 200 HR RYT / Buti Yoga 

From: Charleston, SC 

Favorite Pose:  Natarajasana (Dancer)

Why I Teach:  I teach yoga because it has helped me in my life in so many ways & it’s great to be able to pass that on & see others do things, they thought they couldn’t. 

Life Mantra: Live your life now; it’s the only one you have.

Name: Nan Catherine McCully

Certification: RYT® 200, Power Yoga Certified, Charleston, South Carolina

Favorite Pose: Natarajasana (King Dancer)

Why I Teach: I teach yoga because I love the transformation yoga can have on someone’s life. Yoga is a source of joy, healing, and balance. By showing up with confidence to teach, I am able to become a powerful mirror for my students to get out of their own stories about themselves. Through teaching, my students can then begin to experience what is possible, instead of staying focused on the definition they have for themselves.

Life Mantra: More than enough, and capable

Favorite Quote: “Don’t compare your life to others. There’s no comparison between the Sun and the Moon; they shine when it’s their time.” - Cassey Ho

Name: Nicole (Nikki) Inglesby

Certification: RYT® 200 & RYT® 300, Awakened Life School of Yoga, Candi Dasa, Bali, 2015; 25-Hour Children’s Certification, Kidding Around Yoga, Charleston, 2018.

From: I was born in Brooklyn, NY but my family moved to northeastern Pennsylvania when I was very young. 

Favorite Pose: My favorite yoga pose - this is difficult, I find that it changes as the phases of my life pass. Right now, I am obsessed with hanumanasana - I feel like being able to get into the proper alignment and get out of my head is a challenge that brings me, mentally, right to my mat. I’m in it, I feel it, and my head goes crazy! I’m working right now to let my breath take over the loudness that goes on between my ears.

Why I Teach: I teach simply to share with other people the headspace that yoga gives to me. During my practice is, unfortunately, the only time I have out of my head - I’m someone whose wheels are turning all the time but making the connection between my mind and my body through breath brings me a sense of ease and peace that if one person got it, I would feel complete. 

Favorite Quote: My all-time favorite quote and something I work on daily with myself is “You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk.”

Name: Natalie Sealover

Certification: 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher obtained August of 2017 from Y2 Yoga in Charlotte, North Carolina

From: 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher obtained August of 2017 from Y2 Yoga in Charlotte, North Carolina

Favorite Pose:  Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Half Moon)

Why I Teach:  I teach because yoga is a knowledge that should be shared. In a modern world where the mind and body are often seen as separate, yoga reminds us that we are one. I am inspired by what we can achieve when we begin to build the mind-body connection and start to feel at home within ourselves. 

Favorite Quote: “If energy is neither created nor destroyed; everything you will ever want is already here. It is simply a matter of choosing the thoughts which will put you into harmonious vibration with what you desire.” - Hina Hashmi

Name: Nicole (Nicci) Argento

Certification: RYT® 200, Power Yoga Teacher Certificate, Charleston Power Yoga, 2017; Restorative Yoga Teacher Certificate, Holy Cow Yoga Center, 2018; Prenatal Yoga Teacher Certificate, Holy Cow Yoga Center, 2018.

From: I was born in Florida, but raised in Eastern NC, and now claim Charleston, SC as home.

Favorite Pose: My favorite poses are a tie between Urdhva Mukha Svanasana with blocks (up dog!), Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose), and Utthita Parsvakonasana (side angle).

Why I Teach: I teach because yoga is my favorite thing to do. This transformational practice must be shared. It is the key to humans finding heaven on earth because it’s about accountability, truth, peace, love, kindness, cleanliness, purity, surrender, and bliss. I love the literature of yoga as much as the feet to mat practice, and I cannot imagine not working in this field of whole body and soul wellness and helping others and myself get to know ourselves better through it. Also, I love the anatomy of it all. I believe it’s the only preventative medicine necessary.

Favorite Quote: “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.” From A Course in Miracles.

Name: Rita Donnelly

Certification: ERYT 200

From: Washington, DC

Favorite Pose: Utpluti Dandasana (floating stick)

Why I Teach: I have realized the benefits of yoga can have for backs, for hamstrings, for the entire body. I like to be able to share the benefits with my students. I have found Yin to be especially beneficial to athletes.

Life Mantra: I have the ability to bring reality to anything I choose.

Name: Susan Johnson

Certification: RYT® 200, Charleston Power Yoga, 2014; 50-Hour Gaea Yoga, 2015; 10-Hour Yin Yoga, Holy Cow Yoga, 2015; 50-Hour Yoga Sculpt, Core Power Yoga, Raleigh, 2016; 12-Hour Advanced Art of Assisting, Baron Baptiste, 2017.

Favorite Pose:  Adho Mukh Vrksana (Hand Stand)

Why I Teach: I teach to connect with people and help them find freedom in their lives. I love seeing the change that happens when people are on their mat, and they take it into their lives. Yoga takes the drama out of the equation and allows us to see ourselves for what we are.  Knowing you can master a pose is not the point- quieting the mind to peel back your true self is!

Life Mantra: Aspire not to have more but BE more.

Name: Shannon McKenzie

Certification: RYT® 200, Yoga Source, Richmond, VA, 2003; year-long teacher training; Anusara Immersion and training, 200-Hour; Numerous workshops and trainings in Iyengar and Vinyasa styles of yoga from 1999-2019; Currently completing 500-Hour certification; Mindfulness Meditation Training through KORU Mindfulness, 2016; Certified FRC® Mobility Specialist (FRCms) - Functional Range Conditioning in mobility development, joint strengthening, and body control, 2019.

From:  Lexington, KY  

Favorite Pose: Supta Padangusthasana (reclining hand-to-big-toe pose)

Why I Teach: I teach to create a community of students and friends that lead a better life and have better experiences due to their practice. I am passionate about the practice, about the connections it can create, about the compassion it can instill in us, about the awareness that yoga can, and does, bring me and others every day.

Favorite Quote: "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor Frankl

Name: Sarah Bowdoin

Certification: RYT® 200 from Om West in Montezuma, Costa Rica.

From: Houston, Texas  

Favorite Pose: My favorite yoga pose is probably Supta Baddha Konasana. I love restorative hip openers. Sometimes I nap in this pose!

Why I Teach: As a professional ballet dancer, my day job involves a lot of emphasis on visual aesthetic and technical perfection. I love yoga and sharing the practice of yoga because it is the opposite of that! Everyone's practice is individual and unique, and how you feel is way more important than how you look. It's comforting and kind of magical to be in a space of non-judgement, with everyone breathing and moving together.

Favorite Quote: "Passion is energy, feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

Name: Tori Nardone

Certification: RYT® 200, Charleston Power Yoga, Teacher Training Program, 2016; Buti Yoga Certification with Bizzie Gold, 2016; Art of Assisting, Charleston Power Yoga, 2015; Advanced Art of Assisting with Baptiste Institute, 2017.

From: West Virginia

Favorite Pose:  Trikonasana (Triangle)

Why I Teach: I teach yoga because I believe that everything you do on your mat is only the beginning. The true yoga begins the moment you step off your mat and into the world. It's my goal to give others the tools they need to first succeed on their mat so that they can then succeed off their mat to become the best possible version of themselves. 

Life Mantra: Perfection is a prison.

Name: Tanya Boykin

Certification: RYT® 200, Yoga Alliance. I earned my 200RYT through the Baptiste Institute and studied with Baron Baptiste and Paige Elenson in 2012 and 2014 with Level One, Level Two, and Art of Assisting.  Additional studies include Ashtanga with Doug Swenson and Advanced Studies with Suzanne Newton, Yoga Dharma in Huntsville, Alabama.  I am currently pursuing Advanced Studies towards 500-Hour yoga training through Holy Cow Yoga in Charleston.

From: San Antonio, Texas 

Favorite Pose: Triangle because of its open and expansive quality.

Why I Teach: I teach yoga because I have personally benefited from the practice and want to share yoga with others. I believe that yoga is a transformative lifestyle that encompasses the physical body as well as the mental and spiritual aspects of the whole person. I believe yoga practice transforms the individual, which transforms the world. Yoga is never ending. There is always something new to discover, learn and practice.

Life Mantra/Favorite Quote: Watch your thoughts, they become words;
Watch your words, they become actions;
Watch your actions, they become habits;
Watch your habits, they become character;
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Name: Teresa Bulford

Certification: RYT® 200, Hatha Yoga

From: Holy Cow 

Favorite Pose: Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)

Why I Teach: to remind yogis to embrace balance through strength both on and off the mat

Life Mantra: “I’m thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.”

Name: Vedrana Gjivoje

Certification: RYT® 200, Princeton Power Yoga, 2017; and currently working on 300-Hour certification.

From: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Favorite Pose: Anjaneyasana (Crescent Pose)

Why I Teach: To help disseminate the incredible power of yoga into the lives of others. Yoga is bar none the most powerful tool to help remedy what ails the mind, the body, and the soul. Its pure magic, and at some level available to all.