Shakti MindBody Studio - Washington, DC, Shakti Yoga DC

Shakti has some of the most experienced, skilled and passionate teachers in DC. Each instructor delivers a moving class infused with their individual style and connection to the practice. All Shakti instructors are certified and registered with the nationally recognized Yoga Alliance and are involved in ongoing trainings and studies.

Rebecca came to Shakti as a Soulteer over a year ago. You may have sen her preparing tea, disinfecting mats or chatting up inbound clients. Having recently completed her training with Yoga dynamo Shiva Rae, Rebecca was a natural fit to morph into the realm of teaching and instruction at the Bohemian yoga hang suite.

A native New Jerseyan, Rebecca Watson has lived in the DC area since 2007, and has been a certified in Prana Flow Vinyasa yoga since 2006. She began her practice as a Bikram yoga student; however she is thankful for inspirational teachers from many schools and lineages. Rebecca has had the privilege of practicing with many world renowned yoga instructors including Shiva Rea, Dharma Mittra, Patricia Walden, Sharon Gannon & David Life, Bikram Choudhury, and Ana Forrest. She is grateful to count them all (along with countless local instructors) among her teachers. Through her teaching, Rebecca hopes to impart the timeless wisdom she has learned from Yoga, all the while encouraging the student to follow their own teacher within. She hopes you will join her on this journey. Namaste.

Maryl is an Anusara-Inspired Yoga Teacher and Licensed Massage Therapist. She gently delivers challenging classes, providing students with opportunities for growth while remaining sensitive to the therapeutic capacity of yoga as a holistic and spiritual practice. Maryl uses yoga as a balancing practice in her own life, and has deepened her respect for its healing potential through her complimentary studies in massage and mental health counseling. Her greatest hope for her students and clients is that they will be able to integrate the awarness cultivated by their yoga practice into their lives, and begin to feel empowered by the deepening connection they develop with their bodies through experiences of yoga and massage. She is available for private classes and Massage therapy at the Shakti Mind Body Studio. For more information, visit www.marylbaldridge.com

Passionate about wellness and healthful living, Tesia approaches her yoga practice and teaching with a strong focus on the therapeutic, healing power of yoga. As an instructor, she aims to guide students in using their breath, proper alignment and exploration to increase body awareness and gently move deeper into postures -- no matter the body type or level of practice.

Tesia completed her yoga teacher training at Shakti Mind Body Studio with Faith Hunter and continues to immerse herself in studying all aspects of yoga. In addition, Tesia completed a comprehensive prenatal yoga teacher training with Colette Crawford of the Seattle Holistic Center. Tesia also has a strong movement background in the joyous and healing dances of North Africa and the Middle East, and as creator of the food blog FlavorDiva.com, is an avid cook also promoting wellness through food.

Erika

Erika began teaching at Shakti over 4 years ago and recently returned from a short relocation to Germany where she introduced yoga to returning soldiers in the US military suffering from PTSD and various amputations. She is a certified Pilates instructor and graduated from the premier Shakti Yoga Teacher Training in 2007. She is expecting her first child this summer, and continues to teach a full schedule including a donation only class on Sundays 10:15am and she will begin teaching Jenny's Monday 6:15pm prenatal class.

Cristina began practicing yoga over ten years ago, just when she started reading the likes of Aldous Huxley. She trained with Stephanie Keach at Asheville Yoga Center’s 230 hour immersion course in Carrboro, North Carolina. Cristina was inspired to study to be a yoga teacher after having a truly transformative experience practicing yoga with a wonderful yogini in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific. Recently, Cristina wrote her PhD dissertation on Romania’s renowned scholar of yoga, Mircea Eliade. A theatre artist, she integrates yoga and meditation into her rehearsals. Cristina is a certified yoga instructor by Yoga Alliance. “Begin where you are.” - Krishnamurti

The daughter of a tai chi teacher, Sonia was introduced to meditation early, and drawn to yoga at the age of 15. She has explored many types of yoga in different cities around the world, but has found an especially vibrant community in Washington, D.C. Sonia completed her teacher training at Flow Yoga Center in D.C., and loves to practice and teach in a fluid, dance-inspired vinyasa style, linking breath and movement with music and poetry. She works in international women’s rights, and enjoys writing, reading, making music, and playing outdoors.

Liz has been practicing yoga since June of 2005. Her practice has taught her how to cultivate compassion for herself and others. In less than a year yoga had changed the way she approached everything in life, it is more than just a physical practice of Asana. From that point on she became and will always be a student of yoga. She is an active volunteer in the D.C. community at Anahata Grace and NStreet Village, spreading the benefits of Yoga. She received her 200 hour RYT in February 2011 from Flow Yoga Center and has completed numerous supplementary workshop hours. She draws on three main styles in her classes, Ashtanga, Prana Flow and Jivamukti. Expect a dynamic Vinyasa based class with a focus on breath, bandhas and tapas. While she is away from the studio, Liz is an economist and enjoys cooking and running.

Health and fitness have been an integral part of my life since the days of block parties as a kid. I was a competitive runner throughout school growing up. When I moved to Washington, DC, extremely happy to be a part of the most active city in the U.S. for a few years running, I found motivation to continue along the healthy lifestyle I had developed. Six years ago, I found yoga and finally found something to add to my daily routine that did not seem like a distraction. Since then I have actively practiced hatha-based yoga, incorporating my own personal practice whenever I am able to. I have developed a particular fondness towards Prana Flow, Vinyasa Flow, and Jivamukti schools of yoga.

When I dedicated my love for yoga to a 200 hour RYT Teacher Training from Flow Yoga Center, it was the best experience of my life. I have grown as a person, a student, and a teacher from this experience. I have taught students of all levels and love bringing yoga to those who have not experienced the yoga as part of their life. My vision as a teacher is to create a welcoming environment that encourages students to be their best self, whatever that means to them. I sincerely hope that my students will find their best selves through the journey of their practice. Two of my greatest strengths are the energy that I have and can bring to life (some people say that my energy is contagious), and the compassion and love that I embody for those around me. I hope that I can radiate that energy to my students, inspiring them to live a more active, energized lifestyle. I believe that this positive energy can translate into a more productive and joyful society and that if we can spread this energy and love that there will be peace within us and around us. I hope to challenge my students and fellow practitioners with every practice.

Andre began practicing hatha yoga in 2006 as an alternative to playing recreational soccer. He found the lengthening, twisting and stillness of yoga to be a natural fit. A bout with kidney stones in 2008 left him physically unable to exercise for 3 months, he recovered with a healthier, more focused practice that led him to enroll in teacher training. Andre is dedicated to and takes pleasure in bringing yoga to new students. He believes in the ability of yoga to transform minds and hearts to bring about a new sense of awareness. There are many paths to self-discovery and yoga is but one path. Andre continues his yoga studies through a number of lineages forming his own self-directed teacher training. He is currently a student of Vipissana Buddhist meditation under La Sarmiento with IMCW of Washington.

Jenny Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, Jenny started taking yoga while completing her MBA at Arizona State University as a way to unwind. The physical and mental benefits of yoga were obvious right away, but she also enjoyed the creativity and fluidity of Vinyasa yoga. Upon moving to Washington, DC in summer 2007, she decided to deepen her practice by completing the 200 hour yoga teacher training program at Shakti Mindbody Studio where she was trained in Vinyasa, Power, Restorative, Pre-natal, and Post-natal yoga. As an instructor she enjoys sharing the beauty and benefits of yoga with others. Her classes create an environment where students are pushed to challenge both their mind and body, leaving class with a sense of strength and clarity. Recently she has begun to focus her teaching on prenatal yoga, helping new and experienced mommies-to-be connect with their new baby and new body.

Kristin, a former avid runner, discovered her passion for yoga when she moved to Mexico City in 2003 and was unable to run due to asthma. She soon found that she could find the same peaceful tranquility after a challenging yoga practice she previously found from a long outdoor run. Kristin studied Iyengar yoga while in Mexico, attending several retreats including one in Tepoztlán, a magical place with a special energy vortex by the Tepozteco mountain. Kristin was drawn to the alignment focus of the Iygengar practice and spent many hours mastering as many poses as she could from Light on Yoga. She then moved to New York City where she was introduced to Ashtanga yoga. She quickly mastered the primary series and enjoyed the challenging and athletic classes, which offered a natural compliment to her busy New York lifestyle. Kristin’s next journey took her to Scottsdale, AZ, where she discovered Anusara yoga. She completed the first part of yoga teacher training at Arizona Yoga studying with Desiree Rumbaugh and Christy Burnette. While in Arizona, Kristin also studied Anusara at Yoga Village with Jordan and Martin Kirk and practiced Vinyasa/Flow yoga at At One yoga and with Gia Perrone who offered bilingual classes. Shakti became Kristin’s new yoga home when she moved to DC in March 2008 and completed her 200-hour certification with Faith Hunter. Kristin offers dynamic challenging classes integrating focus on alignment and intention.

Shawna Renee believes yoga has the power to transform lives when you approach each practice as a metaphor for life. Her sequences are created to help students uncover the dynamic connection between their physical being and emotional and spiritual selves. In her classes, every pose is not only and invitation to create strength and flexibility in the body, but also an opportunity to apply those same principles to life off the mat. Shawna Renee invites her students to celebrate the inherent duality that is present in us all by challenging them to search for their edge and to receive the peace that is promised when the physical body is exhausted, thus leaving room for our true nature to emerge from a relaxed and meditative state. Shawna is a Shakti trained yoga instructor, earning her 200hr certification in 2009.

Tazima, born in Georgetown, Guyana, raised in Evanston, Illinois, was introduced to yoga in 1999. She began her study of yoga with the goal of rehabilitating a sports injury and, consequently, fell in love with the practice as she discovered yoga's many levels of healing. Tazima began teaching shortly after relocating to the DC Metro area in 2003. An insatiable student, Tazima regularly seeks opportunities to study with teachers from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, and has attended master courses with Beryl Bender Birch, Doug Swenson, and Yirser Ra Hotep. She continues to deepen her understanding of yoga through meditation, and personal practice. A bit of a renegade, Tazima completed her yoga teacher certification in 2007 at Shakti's Yoga Teacher Training program. Her teacher training experience deepened her commitment to the sharing the beauty of this practice. Tazima facilitates a light-hearted learning environment in which students explore a physically challenging, yet mindful practice, and cultivate compassion through self-acceptance. In addition to teaching yoga, she is a fulfillment coach and a wellness consultant.