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.
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.
Angelyn, RYT, was first introduced to yoga as a college student, but it wasn’t until she arrived in Washington that she fell in love with the transformative potential of the practice and the nurturing spirit of the yoga community. The energetic flow of vinyasa yoga and its physical benefits presented an immediate appeal to the lifelong dancer and athlete, but she gradually learned that the real value of the practice is found off the mat. Surrounded by a culture that celebrates pushing oneself to the limit and beyond in pursuit of temporal goals, she began to appreciate the value of an opportunity—if only for one hour at a time —to shift the focus inward and reconnect to the amazing person that lives inside. Angelyn is grateful for the opportunity to use yoga as a medium through which she can invest in the lives of others and support fellow yogis on their own personal journey. In her classes, Angelyn invites students to awaken their body, spirit and mind with a rejuvenating blend of asana, pranayama and reflection. She strives to create an environment that enables students to experience the physical and philosophical benefits of yoga in their own unique way. When not practicing or teaching yoga, Angelyn shares her love for food, wine and entertaining with her husband, Jeff; their devoted cat, Bogart; and their beloved friends and and family.
Camille, RYT, came to yoga as a way to relieve the daily stresses of work and life. During the past five years she began to deepen her practice, and realized the true benefits of the practice to spirit, body and mind. Last year, asked the universe to make space in her life for a spiritual practice that would sustain her mind, body and spirit. The universe answered with Shakti Yoga Teacher Training! Camille believes yoga is transformational and seeks opportunities to share the joy and peace of yoga practice with all who will listen. In her spare time she spends time with husband, Paul, children Rachael and Ryan, friends and family.
Chantelle, RYT began her yoga journey from a desire for self healing, spiritual transformation, and balance of the mind and the body. She soon realized that these things could be obtained through regular study and practice of yoga. In March 2009, she completed her 200-hour teaching certification from Shakti Mind Body Studio under the direction of Faith Hunter. Her classes are energetic combining meditation and pranayama into a stimulating and motivational, yet challenging learning and healing experience. She is also a firm believer that the physical yoga practice is a personal journey and a transformative moving meditation and encourages students to express themselves in a way that feels good to them. Chantelle empowers students to reach their full potential by encouraging them to sustain a life full of love, compassion, happiness and inner peace.
Fabienne is a lifelong student of movement- everything from ballet to gymnastics to cheerleading to horseback riding. She flirted with yoga over the years, exploring different styles, finally coming to the practice in 2007 when Vinyasa flow introduced her to the peace and joy available both on the mat and in the kula. Her experience of yoga's healing power inspired her to pursue her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2010. Fabienne's graduate level studies in anatomy
and interest in biomechanics give her a keen eye for alignment and infuse her teaching and adjustments with precision. She combines asana, pranayama, and mantra to create a warm, nurturing space in which students can safely explore their own inner landscape and physical edge.
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.
Karen, RYT, views yoga as a toolbox of physical practices and lifestyle choices that can help any willing student live a healthier, more authentic life. Although she casually attended yoga classes for many years, Karen re-discovered yoga as a tool to help her balance a demanding career, family and the challenges of being a caregiver. Today, she uses her yoga practice to help maintain balance in those roles. Moved to deepen her practice, Karen enrolled in and completed Shakti’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. Her training at Shakti inspired her to continue her studies of yoga asana, pranayama, meditation, philosophy and ayurveda at various ashrams in the U.S. and India, as well as the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandarim founded by Sri T.K.V. Desikachar in Chennai, India. Karen considers herself a perpetual yoga student and enjoys sharing the tools she learns. Students attending her classes can expect a melody of thoughtfully sequenced vinyasas and yoga philosophy. She encourages students to use the breath to find “sthira” and “sukha” (steadiness and ease) in even the most challenging postures they encounter on and off the mat. Karen’s style is influenced, among others, by the teachings of Sri T. Krishnamacharya, as well as the Himalayan Tradition as taught by the Himalayan Institute.
Kimberly came to yoga as a way to manage stress. A single mother of two teenagers with over ten years of experience in the healthcare field, Kimberly found that yoga is a powerful tool to calm the mind and celebrate all the amazing things our bodies can do. As a teacher, Kimberly’s sense of humor and playfulness set a relaxed tone to the class. Kimberly adds spunk to her classes by creating playlists to enhance the flow with music. Kimberly completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Shakti Mind Body Studio with Faith Hunter (Washington, DC). She teaches a Hatha-Vinyasa style and is influenced by Rodney Yee.
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.
MC, RYT, was first introduced to yoga in her mid-teens by a family friend and Kundalini teacher as a holistic approach to repairing damage caused by chronic illness. Over the course of the next several years she drifted in and out of studios, gyms and classrooms experimenting with various forms of asana practice until finally finding a good fit for herself in Vinyasa yoga. After experiencing the mental and physical benefits of regular practice first hand, a natural desire to share good things and a genetic predisposition to teach led her to seek out a yoga teaching certification. M.C. enjoys sharing her love of yoga with students of all levels. Off the mat M.C. is an artist and performer with a deep love of music. She shares this passion by creating playlists for her classes, mixing traditional and contemporary songs to the help feel the flow and make breathing a little easier.
Sarah, RYT, was introduced to yoga by her high school gym teacher who was able to start an elective yoga class at the school because of her own love for the tradition. A former gymnast, Sarah was immediately captivated by the physical element of yoga and its ability to transform and heal the body. She began to attend classes at the Baptiste Power Yoga studio in Cambridge and continued in this style into college in Washington, DC. She then went on to practice and learn in Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga studios. Sarah was originally drawn to yoga for its physical challenges and ability to relieve stress but soon came to appreciate it more for its spiritual element, embracing the principles of practicing non-attachment, nonviolence, and letting go of the ego. In 2008, after eight years of practice, Sarah received her certification at the 200-hour level through YogaWorks, hoping to combine her flow background with attention to an Iyengar focus on alignment. Staying true to these beliefs in her own personal practice, Sarah seeks to help her students find mental and physical space and mindfulness on the mat so that they can extend this consciousness into their everyday lives.
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.
Sonia Herrero has been a performing belly dancer for two years in the Washington DC area. Her performance style includes pop-lock, tribal belly dance, and a thrilling theatrical dance portrayal. She has worked with the Eighteenth St. Lounge, 88dc, and See-I among others. After exposing herself to belly dance she saw the freedom and confidence within and could not stop from there, she started a student belly dance organization at the University of Maryland, and her own belly dance company, Breña Belly Dance. In her teaching, she gives a space for unlimited confidence and feeling comfortable and free in one's own.
Stacey After practicing yoga in Europe and home, in the USA, Stacey became aware of the gentle yet powerful ways yoga began to transform her life. Embracing that transformation, she decided to follow her destiny. She completed an intensive 200 hour yoga teacher certification program at Hot Yoga, under the instruction and guidance of Ashley Pehrson & Bentley Storm. She is honored to share her passion for yoga, helping each student calm their mind and heal their body, one breath and one pose at a time. Stacey’s creative and challenging Vinyasa Flow classes provide a safe and non competitive atmosphere and inspire students to regain a natural balance and inner peace.
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.
Yasmine has been practicing Yoga since the summer of 2005. She first fell in love with Ashtanga only to discover a year after this rigid practice that there were more creative and fluid forms of yoga. It didn’t take long before Yasmine decided she wanted to teach and in January 2007 she completed her 200 hr Yoga Alliance teacher training through a studio in Cincinnati called YogaHome. She owes much of her growth to her teachers at her hometown studio. She learned from them the beauty of structuring a dynamic flow, how to challenge her students (no matter the level), and how to find peace within the rise and fall of breath. Yasmine is a continual student herself and enjoys learning from those who step into her class. She will be receiving her Master’s Degree in Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Georgetown University this year and hopes to bring yoga into the world of everyday medicine.
Fabienne is a lifelong student of movement- everything from ballet to gymnastics to cheerleading to horseback riding. She flirted with yoga over the years, exploring different styles, finally coming to the practice in 2007 when Vinyasa flow introduced her to the peace and joy available both on the mat and in the kula. Her experience of yoga's healing power inspired her to pursue her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2010. Fabienne's graduate level studies in anatomy 
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.
MC, RYT, was first introduced to yoga in her mid-teens by a family friend and Kundalini teacher as a holistic approach to repairing damage caused by chronic illness. Over the course of the next several years she drifted in and out of studios, gyms and classrooms experimenting with various forms of asana practice until finally finding a good fit for herself in Vinyasa yoga. After experiencing the mental and physical benefits of regular practice first hand, a natural desire to share good things and a genetic predisposition to teach led her to seek out a yoga teaching certification. M.C. enjoys sharing her love of yoga with students of all levels. Off the mat M.C. is an artist and performer with a deep love of music. She shares this passion by creating playlists for her classes, mixing traditional and contemporary songs to the help feel the flow and make breathing a little easier. 
Sonia Herrero has been a performing belly dancer for two years in the Washington DC area. Her performance style includes pop-lock, tribal belly dance, and a thrilling theatrical dance portrayal. She has worked with the Eighteenth St. Lounge, 88dc, and See-I among others. After exposing herself to belly dance she saw the freedom and confidence within and could not stop from there, she started a student belly dance organization at the University of Maryland, and her own belly dance company, Breña Belly Dance. In her teaching, she gives a space for unlimited confidence and feeling comfortable and free in one's own.
Stacey After practicing yoga in Europe and home, in the USA, Stacey became aware of the gentle yet powerful ways yoga began to transform her life. Embracing that transformation, she decided to follow her destiny. She completed an intensive 200 hour yoga teacher certification program at Hot Yoga, under the instruction and guidance of Ashley Pehrson & Bentley Storm. She is honored to share her passion for yoga, helping each student calm their mind and heal their body, one breath and one pose at a time. Stacey’s creative and challenging Vinyasa Flow classes provide a safe and non competitive atmosphere and inspire students to regain a natural balance and inner peace. 
Tazima