Lee is retired from the U.S. Coast Guard having served as a Health Promotion Coordinator where he experienced his first yoga class. He has always enjoyed health sciences and fitness including various outdoor activities such as running, bicycling, and kayaking. He returned to a regular practice of yoga after traditional rehabilitation failed to produce results following a skiing accident in 2016. Lee is a graduate of 200-hour teacher training at Zenya Yoga Academy and 300-hour teacher training at Swami Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville,
and has specialized teacher training in meditation, restorative,
adaptive/chair, and trauma sensitive.
Lee is the Lead Trainer for our Yoga Teacher Training here at GOZ!
He is also a registered EMT, and certified first aid and CPR instructor. He completed his BBA at Averett University (Danville, VA) and MAEd at Argosy University (Honolulu, HI).
His yoga journey is representative of a passage from Yoga Vasistha, “Who am I who speaks, walks, stands, and functions on this elaborate stage known as the world? I should find this out.”
Mary has always led an active lifestyle, though moving back to the States after four years Overseas to begin Middle School in Yorktown, VA, was a bit of a culture shock. Throughout the following years, Mary could not quite seem to find her niche and bounced from recreational sport to sport, until finally during her Freshman Year of high school she took up Tae Kwon Do and long distance running. After obtaining her Black Belt and logging hundreds of miles, Mary decided that the physiology and even psychology behind exercise and well-being was just too alluring to ignore, and before long, she was enrolled at VCU in Richmond, VA, in order to earn her B.S. in Exercise Science and Minor in Psychology. In 2006 while still at VCU, Mary was certified as a Personal Trainer and Yoga instructor and has been training clients and teaching classes ever since.
Prior to and upon graduation in 2009, Mary has served in various commercial, corporate, private and even medical wellness facilities, training individuals from all walks of life; at-risk youth, individuals recovering from injuries and even teaching yoga classes geared towards endurance athletes. Her passion, however, is working with clients to maintain physical and emotional balance and well-being.
With her background in yoga and her own personal experience with running, backpacking, and climbing, Mary’s expertise revolves around functional training – for everyone. Mary works with clients to pinpoint muscular imbalances and helps them to develop more body awareness – because to Mary, developing body awareness and strength geared towards functional movement is essential to avoiding injury and staying fit. Mary was also recently certified as a Lifestyle Educator through FirstLine Therapy, and works with clients wishing to make lifestyle changes through engaging in healthier eating and increased physical activity.
Certifications
RYT - 200
B.S. Exercise Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, August 2009
TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise) Group and Private Instructor Certification, September 2012
R.I.P.P.E.D (Resistance, Intervals, Power, Plyometric, Endurance, and Diet), May 2012
FirstLine Therapy Lifestyle Educator, March 2012
ACE Personal Trainer Certification, December 2009
AFPA Personal Trainer Certification, March 2006
Adult and Child AED/CPR and First Aid, December 2011
MadDogg Indoor Cycling Certification, November 2010
YogaFit Level 1 Certification, June 2007
BootyBarre Certification, February 2015
Becky is a retired educator who taught elementary education and special education preK-high school, worked as a building level administrator, and ultimately became a teacher educator. As a consultant trainer for ETS, she trained teachers and administrators in 43 of the 50 states. Being married to a career Navy man allowed her the experience of living and traveling many places across the U.S. and Europe and provided her with a tremendous awareness and appreciation for diversity and multiculturalism. She has been a Yorktown resident for the past 30 years.
Becky discovered the benefits of Yoga several years ago as she was searching for relief from chronic back pain. She quickly found that yoga is much more than contorting the body into poses – it is a way of life blending mind, body, and spirit. She completed her 200-hour training at ZYA in Newport News and has recently completed the YogaWarriorsInternational™ training, hoping to take her Yoga practice to a higher level working with wounded warriors and caretakers. Becky adapts her classes to meet the needs of her students, focusing on helping students find their center and improve their strength, flexibility, and balance.
Martine has a passion: restoring physical and mental balance to all her students through therapeutic yoga exercises led by a warm and caring instructor. Since her earliest years growing up in France, Martine has always enjoyed sports (aerobics, tennis, Jazzercise, and fifteen years of yoga), but when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer, she found her calling. As her daughter slowly recovered, Martine was drawn to therapeutic yoga, taking her 200 hour yoga certification at the Glenmore Yoga and Wellness Center in Richmond, focusing on a gentle yoga designed for students recovering from illness, surgery or other health considerations. Martine adapts her classes to ensure that all of her students can safely practice poses that develop strength, increase range of motion, and enhance self-esteem and wellbeing. Martine strives to ensure that all her students leave her class stronger, both physically and emotionally.
First exposed to yoga during her college years, Heather deepened her practice in 2015, initially as a complement to her more rigorous aerial silks training. Since then, she has come to cherish the presence yoga provides, which now spills into every facet of her life. After relying heavily on her personal practice during the pandemic, she felt the call to share the joy of yoga with others and completed her 200-hour teacher training at Garden of Zen in 2022. While originally drawn to empowering others through energizing vinyasa and aerial yoga (which she still greatly enjoys), three days before graduation she sprained her ankle while hiking with her family. Rather than let this lack of mobility impede her practice, she began to explore more accessible forms of yoga, including gentle flow and chair yoga, which she now considers a privilege to share with the Garden of Zen community. When she’s not practicing yoga or aerial silks, Heather enjoys spending time in nature with her family, particularly near her first love, the ocean.
Born in Fife, Scotland, Frances has traveled and lived overseas for many years throughout her career with the British Government. More than 25 years ago in Scotland, Frances attempted her first yoga class in order to find an alternative exercise option from running outside in the rain. Upon recognizing the challenge of a yoga practice, and the various limitations she experienced (touch my toes - is that a joke? Hold a Downward Facing Dog? I don’t think so!) a newly humbled, and inspired Frances began to seek as much knowledge for her own personal yoga practice as possible.
Upon moving to Washington D.C. where she met and married her husband. They were fortunate enough to move every two years with her husband’s military service, this gave her the opportunity to try out different styles of yoga, from the East Coast to the West Coast. They eventually settled into Southern VA, this granted her the opportunity to take the next step and enroll in the RYT-200 Teacher Training at Zenya Yoga Academy. Then followed on with the RYT-300 Teacher Training. Finding a love of Yin Yoga, Frances has taken 150hrs
Training with Biff Mithoefer.
Frances finds herself drawn to Vinyasa Flow, Yin, Yoga Nidra, and Chair Yoga. Constantly evolving, incorporating meditation and Yoga Nidra into the class allows everyone to find Joy in their practice. Her motto - forever a student of yoga, on and off of the mat, you can take your practice with you wherever you go - at home, in a studio, or just sitting outside in quiet meditation.
Kim was born and raised in Yorktown, VA and now resides in Poquoson, VA with her husband. She grew up dancing (ballet, tap, jazz, and many more styles) and has always had a passion for movement. So when Kim attended her first yoga class in college, it was a natural fit. She continued to develop her personal yoga practice throughout college and graduated from Liberty University with a degree in accounting in 2013. Seeking to deepen her practice and find balance in both her career and lifestyle, Kim began her yoga teacher training in 2016 and became a RYT-200 Yoga Instructor in 2017. After years of nurturing a passion for yoga, meditation and mindfulness, Kim is eager to share this passion with the community in her hometown. Kim enjoys teaching Vinyasa style yoga classes that focus on both building strength and clearing stress. She believes that a yoga class should generate positive energy and cultivate a strong connection between the mind, body, and spirit.
Jessica was born and raised in Northern Virginia. Some might call her the sensitive artist type. Before having children, she was a Graphic Designer & Print CS Rep. She and her husband moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2003, where they started a family. Striving to be the best, she quit working to concentrate on giving her family all of her time and energy. Even with a busy family, she tried to be physically active when she could.
Jessica took her first Yoga class in the mid-90s and has practiced on & off since then. If not Yoga, she tried to be active in other ways, like working out at home and meeting friends at the gym. After living in PA for almost 13 years, she moved back to Virginia, but now on the southern coast, which is awesome because she loves
the ocean.
She still loves to take care of her family & home, but her daughters are growing up and she wanted to find a new purpose, outside of her home. She went to Yoga class to help with the stress of trying to figure things out. Little did she know, that Yoga was her new purpose! She wanted, even needed, more than what a gym Yoga class could give her. Fate stepped in and now she is proud to say she is a Yoga Instructor. Being able to help herself and others is very fulfilling to her. She wants to be her best self, for her, for her family, and for everyone else in her life. Yoga is teaching her the tools to be herself and to be happy. She is dedicated to teach and show you how Yoga can bring happiness and tranquility into your life.
When Jessica is not spending time with friends and family, being a softball- and dance-mom, or practicing Yoga, she is being “crafty”. She loves to make homemade cards, fun home décor, and scrapbooking her family’s fun and active life. – Namaste!
Alexis is an RYT 500, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor with additional training and certificates in trauma-sensitive yoga and mind-body addiction recovery coaching. She discovered the benefits of yoga through her own journey toward wellness and self-acceptance and finds joy in sharing what she continues to learn with others. When not teaching or training, Alexis can be found living her yoga with her husband on their small farm where they raise milk goats, heritage turkeys, and a bunch of crazy chickens.
Tabitha is a free-lance artist/event planner with a passion for Eastern philosophy, yoga, and a myriad of mindfulness practices. After obtaining her psychology degree from Florida State University in 2012, she moved to Tokyo where she taught English and was able to spend time with her Japanese family. While living abroad, she met her active-duty husband which eventually led to their exciting relocation to Hampton, Virginia in the spring of 2021.
Since moving to the Peninsula, Tabitha has immersed herself in both the creative and yogic communities, something that was, in hindsight, severely lacking in her life while in Japan. She received her RYT-200 shortly after moving to Hampton and began hosting art markets/creative workshops in the Tide Water area.
She believes that our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is deeply connected to our innate ability to creatively express ourselves— and that sometimes we just need a little help tapping into it. From her personal experience, she has found that yoga, mindfulness, and the arts have been powerful conduits in finding her own unique expression and is passionate in helping others find theirs.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Nancy settled into Hampton Roads in 1994 with her husband and two sons. She discovered yoga in 2008 after two years of physical therapy due to a back injury from a car accident. She quickly realized the many benefits of yoga for the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga was the answer to her life-long interest of being health conscious and physically active but not competitive. Her interest evolved from practicing locally to exploring yoga techniques in studios worldwide while traveling with her husband, always packing her mat wherever the destination. Nancy's passion and belief in yoga shines 100% and her energy comes from teaching yoga and being of service to others by making a difference in others’ lives.
Accomplishing 200- and 300-hour yoga certification, Nancy also is certified to teach child, prenatal, and senior yoga as well as tai chi. She is certified in Silver Sneakers, which is a free health benefit for those 65+ with insurance. Her most recent certification is for Parkinson's through the Brian Grant Foundation. Always remaining humble on the yogic path, Nancy is invested in learning more about the ancient practice knowing what light of knowledge she soaks in, she radiates out to others.
"Inspiring yourself through the yoga physical practice and the emotional link is a human connection we all seek. We're using our bodies and breath to find the common ground of the human language of love and compassion for ourselves as well as others, and nothing is lost in translation. By the end of class, something is different. We're no longer strangers. We see that despite any differences that we're just the same." - by Robert Schware, Huffingpost.
Nancy likes to meditate, listen to Kirtan music, connect with nature, and travel. Along with staying active with yoga classes and workshops, she is on the York County Senior Board and stays busy with her family.
Tai chi for Arthritis Certified
Agatha was born in California but moved with her immigrant parents back to Switzerland as a toddler. She spent the rest of her childhood in Switzerland where she earned a business degree. Later she moved back to the states where she married her husband, a naval officer. While in the USA she earned her nursing degree. Being married to the military meant thirteen moves, but she and her husband still managed to raise three children.
An avid runner since childhood, Agatha ran her first half-marathon while living in Germany. All of the years of running finally caught up with her and she suffered numerous injuries which helped her to finally discover yoga. She is passionate about her practice because she saw first-hand what a great difference it has made in her life. Agatha completed her Yoga Teacher training in December 2019 and has been teaching ever since. She also got certified in Chair Yoga and Yin Yoga and is currently working on her 300 hour yoga teacher training.
Renee was introduced to yoga 25 years ago after moving to VA from upstate NY. She began attending classes at local fitness centers and as her interest in yoga grew she searched for more, often driving to VA beach to find a studio. There was an instant connection to the teachings and sense of peace that yoga provides. She continued to study and attend classes and workshops whenever possible.
In 2008 she began her 200 hour teacher training at the Institute for Health & Healing which culminated in a weekend at Yogaville. She travelled to Yogaville multiple times after this to learn from its wealth of gifted teachers. She began teaching her own class at the local YMCA and parks and recreation. Renee practices an intuitive yoga style which focuses on easing the body into postures by moving with intention and linking the breath with movement. She also likes to include guided relaxation practices to reduce stress and allow the benefits of the asanas to be integrated into the body.
She recently took a workshop entitled Yoga for Osteoporosis Prevention and Bone Health which is based on a 10-year study by Dr. Loren Fishman that demonstrated an increase in bone mineral density and improved bone quality with regular practice of 12 Yoga poses. The study also demonstrated how yoga also improves balance, posture, strength, range of motion, and coordination, greatly reducing the risk of fracture. This sparked a renewed interest in teaching and finding ways to make yoga accessible to all.
In addition to teaching yoga, Renee also works at the Peninsula SPCA and enjoys taking care of her family, walking her dog, and preparing healthy meals.
Susan started her yoga journey in 2009 when she went to an outdoor yoga class at the beach, in Long Beach, Ca. She had just left the field of public-school education where she spent thirteen years teaching middle school. It was under some coral trees on a cliff there at the beach, in Savasana, that it became clear that what she was meant to teach was yoga. In 2010, she found a registered Yoga Alliance School and by 2011 completed her 200-hour Hatha Yoga certification and in 2012 her 500-hour Hatha Yoga certification with Anahata Yoga and Wellness in California. In 2015, she finished her certificate in advanced gentle and senior yoga, chair yoga and therapeutic yoga with Yoga Vista Academy. Susan is a lifelong learner of the science of Yoga. She has come to realize from her own personal practice the depth of Yoga and how much she doesn’t know and her responsibility as a teacher to continue her education which as a Saraswati type she loves. In the 12 years of teaching Yoga, she has expanded her knowledge in anatomy, Yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, neuroscience, the nervous system, trauma, Poly Vagal Theory and meditation. Susan is passionate about living her yoga as a lifestyle and teaching that the physical practice is only one part of an eight-part whole that leads to transformation and oneness. She teaches what she has learned from Yoga which is self-love, acceptance, compassion, contentment, empathy, self-empowerment, self-exploration, discovery, interoception, strength in body and mind and deeper connection to her higher-Self. Her newest mission is busting the myth of aging. She has studied and practiced a variety of styles of Yoga over the years but has settled into teaching the styles she loves which is a heart and breath centered gentle Hatha, Restorative, Chair and Yoga Nidra. She is also a Reiki Master. For the last two years, she has been studying Gentle Somatic Yoga and Clinical Somatics for neuromuscular reeducation and pain relief. She is now in the process of certification in Gentle Somatic Yoga. She lives in Newport News, VA and came here at the beginning of the pandemic from Long Beach, CA because all of her family is here on the East Coast. She has been teaching on Zoom for the last two years for a California Yoga studio and her private clients. She loves spending time with family as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She loves hiking and is looking forward to exploring the East Coast. She loves Bhakti Yoga and chanting and sound baths. Her sidekick is her long hair Chihuahua Sukha. She still loves an outdoor yoga practice.
Bio to follow...
Bio to follow...
Bio to follow...
Copyright © 2024 Garden of Zen Yoga Studio - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.