Liz Butler
E-RYT 200
Director, Yoga and Movement, Blue Heron WellnessLiz is an E-RYT 200 and current yoga director at Blue Heron Wellness. She was brought to yoga and remains inspired by her three children and their unique relationships with the universe. Liz’s playful and spirited attitude makes yoga and its benefits fun and accessible for everyone.
Donna BrittDonna first took yoga 15 years ago in Mexico and fell in love with its beauty, precision and spirituality. After years of studying Iyengar and vinyasa flow yoga, Donna trained with Yogafit and taught mixed-level flow yoga for three years at White Oak Sport & Health. Because she thinks everyone should find joy in yoga, Donna infuses her classes with adventure, spirit and compassion and reaches out to students at every level. Beginners will feel challenged but most find that they advance quickly. A member of the International Association of Black Yoga Instructors, Donna is on leave from her column at TheWashington Post while she writes her memoirs.
Beth Finney
RYT 200Beth is an RYT 200. She is inspired by her many teachers and classmates and is grateful for the support of her incredible yoga community. When she is not at the front desk at Blue Heron, she is outside playing with dogs.
Carrie Ganz
E-RYT 200Carrie loves to share her delight in Anusara yoga with her students. She finished her 350 hour teacher training program at Willow Street Yoga in 2006 and continues to deepen her own practice by studying yoga and therapeutics. Carrie firmly believes that yoga is for everyone; every body, every age and stage of life. There are few things she enjoys more than helping a student into a new pose for the first time. Her classes emphasize empowerment and joy and are imbued with a sense of creativity, play and freedom.
Katalin Gimes
RYT 200Katalin received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification at Hot Yoga USA. She also studied at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, and continued her training with Lauren Peterson, Micheline Berry, Annie Carpenter, Shiva Rea, Rod Stryker, Sarah Powers, Gary Gopal; Bello and Seane Corn.Katalin originally found yoga while looking for a “workout” and over the past five years her life has been transformed by the process. Her vinyasa style hatha yoga class incorporates elements of yin yoga with a focus on detoxification while building alignment, strength and flexibility. During the class she guides the practitioners in deepening their awareness and helps to remove the blockages that the mind creates in their bodies. Katalin moved to the States 18 years ago from Budapest, Hungary where she was a television producer.
Julie Holly
RYT 200Julie has been a student of yoga for approximately nine years with an emphasis on vinyasa flow. She is a graduate of the Blue Heron Wellness Yoga School and is registered with Yoga Alliance. Julie tries to infuse her class with humor and is inspired by the energy she receives from her students. She also serves as an Esthetician at Blue Heron Wellness and is a graduate of Howard University.
Nancy KaufmanNancy has been a serious yoga practitioner for the past 12 years. She has attended over 1,500 yoga classes and dozens of workshops. She began taking yoga because of a problem with her spine. As she was healing, she learned that yoga was more than a physical practice. She was delighted to learn that spirituality and the mind held equal status. Yoga has become her passion. She teaches “Rise and Shine” yoga at the Blue Heron Wellness Center.
Marvin King
RKC-2, NCSF, NARSMarvin is a Certified Professional Trainer (CPT). Marvin has achieved the RKC Level 2 certification from Pavel Tsatsouline, (pioneer and founder of the RKC, Russian Kettlebell Challenge). He has been certified through NARS (National Association of Rehabilitation Services) and is teaching the amazing diversity of exercises and overall health benefits of Authentic Russian Kettlebell Training. Marvin has been teaching in the combat sports arena (Martial arts) for over 30 years. His class programs today combine the flexibility and breathing patterns from yoga and tai chi with the strength and body balance of kettlebell lifting for a unique workout experience. People from of all ages are experiencing renewed joint mobility through a series of daily exercises he calls “The Morning Workout”. Marvin has been seen on the “Absolute Body Power”, a weekly fitness program aired in Montgomery County. He continues to share his extensive knowledge of fitness to help both young and old experience an improved quality of life.
Hannah Leatherbury
RYT 200Hannah received her training in Classical Hatha yoga through Kashi Atlanta urban ashram in June 2009 and has been teaching ever since. Since arriving in the metro DC area in October 2010, she has been teaching group classes and private sessions at corporate gyms, residential homes, yoga and dance studios. She is completing studies in Yoga Therapy and looking forward to incorporating more customized modifications to her classes to better meet the needs of all bodies. She found Blue Heron Wellness Center as a practitioner and looks forward to sharing the teachings she has learned with the other practitioners here. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Goucher College and blogs about yoga and life at http://community.yogajournal.com/saturn_shows_up
Catey MillerCatey is a certified personal trainer and correction exercise specialist. Catey motivates and inspires her students and clients to push past any fears and weakness with their body and discover the physical, emotional and spiritual benefits of implementing a proper exercise style and regimen. Catey’s Certifications are with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Catey is trained and certified to work with all populations including pre-natal strength training.
Peter MosherPeter has been teaching movement and meditation in the Washington, DC area since 1972. He is certified in deep muscle and polarity therapy, and has a masters degree in Social Work with many years in mental health work. He developed Nature Therapy to utilize the gifts of the natural world for healing and personal growth. Since the early 90′s he has been studying, practicing and teaching Qigong and mindfulness meditation.
Claudia Neuman
E-RYT 500Claudia is a certified Anusara Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500, the culmination of a lifelong devotion to achieving excellence in yoga. She has over 21 years of formal yoga training, starting in Santa Monica, California, in 1984, where she became the first person to offer yoga at the YMCA. While at USC completing a masters degree in Social Work, she taught yoga to students and faculty. She integrates her knowledge of yoga with her skill as a social worker, developing corporate stress reduction programs, working with oncology patients at Children’s Hospital, and teaching yoga to artists and performers. She has trained with noteworthy teachers of Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga including Rod Stryker, and assisting Erich Shiffman. In 1993, faced with possibly losing the use of her left arm as a result of a debilitating car accident, she began studying Pilates and therapeutic yoga. This led her to John Friend, creator of Anusara Yoga, with whom she now studies.
Sarah Park
RYT 200Sarah has been a student of yoga since 2000 and is an RYT 200. Based in deep appreciation for the transformative power of yoga in the midst of life’s adventure, her classes are infused with joy, sensitivity and empowerment. She is a graduate of the Willow Street Yoga Center Teacher Training Program and continues to study the art of Anusara yoga with multiple teachers. Sarah counts her two amazing kids as her greatest teachers.
Janet RichardsJanet is committed to helping individuals stay active, healthy, and participating in life. Janet has been practicing and teaching Pilates in the area for over five years and brings her experience as a personal trainer and fitness coach into her classes. She received her certification from the Pilates Institute of America and has continued her studies of Pilates through workshops and seminars. Her background in working with physical and occupational therapists has deepened her understanding of safe and effective movement therapies.
Lauren Richardson
E-RYT 200Lauren discovered yoga over ten years ago as a way to balance her athletic pursuits. After practicing a variety of styles, she trained with Jonny Kest and became a Registered Yoga Teacher in 2005. She teaches a dynamic series of sequenced postures that flow together to promote mobility and healing in the body. She enjoys working with all ages and abilities and believes that yoga meets you where you are, as it is both therapeutic and invigorating. In addition to working in studios, Lauren has had the opportunity to share the benefits of yoga with many athletic teams including soccer, lacrosse and hockey. She enjoys inspiring student athletes to use their breath for personal awareness and stress reduction as well as for strength and flexibility training. Lauren believes that yoga provides an opportunity to practice the delicate balance of effort and ease.
Sherry WeberSherry has been a practicing massage therapist for over ten years. She is a graduate of The Baltimore School of Massage. She has experience working in a variety of settings. She has worked extensively with seniors, worked with parents and caregivers teaching infant massage, in corporate offices, health fairs, and wellness retreats doing seated massage. Her toolbox includes techniques from Swedish, deep tissue, myofascial and Thai massage. Sherry believes that massage and yoga belong together, and are two of the best things you can do for yourself! She considers herself blessed to be doing what she loves!
