Avery is a graduate of The Movement Center’s 200 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Program in Portland, Oregon. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Development Studies and has spent the last seven years working on Fair Trade and sustainable development projects in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Columbus, OH (her hometown) and in Portland.
“I believe that yoga acts as a microcosm of life off of the mat. It teaches us self acceptance, reflective awareness, and how to communicate kindly and intentionally with ourselves and others. I also firmly believe that the compassion, understanding, and forgiveness we learn from yoga are the building blocks of strong, supportive communities – communities that respect people, the planet, and interact peacefully with others. This is my main motivation for teaching.
My teaching style is playful and explorative. In my classes, you can expect emphasis on the use of breath to support movement and deepen the experience, as well as useful alignment cues to ensure safety and optimal functioning of the body. It is my hope that students will leave my classes feeling a stronger connection to the Self, grounded, and open in both body and mind. I look forward to seeing you in class, learning, growing and creating together.”
Crystal was born and raised here in Portland, Oregon. She has a BA in Psychology. In addition to practicing and teaching yoga, she enjoys working at her friend’s super fun bar, Turn! Turn! Turn! and handcrafting candles. You can most often find her spending time with her family; Ricardo and little Nola.
“I’ve been practicing yoga since 2000 and loving it! Since 2015, I have over 500 yoga teacher training hours, including Living Yoga’s training.
My classes are intended to provide students with a safe and fun environment to have their own practice. I encourage students to let their bodies tell them where to go, taking a modification, an extra challenge, or something different than what I suggest. In my classes, we will aim to collectively focus on the breath and stay in the present moment, all while giving our bodies a good work out.
Thank you kindly for sharing your practice and allowing me to share mine. I truly love this community.”
Emily graduated with her 200 Yoga Teacher Training certificate from The White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California in 2013. She has been practicing various styles of yoga since 2008 and is drawn to the philosophy, spirituality, and accessibility of yoga.
“I am originally from Illinois and moved to Portland to attend the National University of Natural Medicine. I am currently working toward my Naturopathic Doctoral degree to bring a more natural and holistic side to health care. Yoga fits in perfectly into the holistic lifestyle I want to bring to my community.
My yoga teaching style encourages introspection, mindfulness, and meeting your body where it is at each moment. Yoga is for every body and all walks of life, so I show many modifications to cater to all types of yogis! Each class will involve grounding, strength, self-love, compassion, and breath awareness. My hope is for you to leave class feeling happy, healthy, and complete.”
Amanda “B” Barnett has been studying wellness for the greater part of her life. She has a BS in Psychology and is a Human Design Analyst incorporating the Gene Keys. She studied secular based Mindfulness meditation and Loving Kindness practice with Insight LA. She received her yoga certification through SOLA School of the Contemplative Arts with an emphasis on somatics, is an advanced Reiki practitioner & completed Brethwork Healer Training with both Erin Telford and David Elliott. She incorporates (s)holistic practives with a focus to let go, make space + align.
Sara Nielsen is a movement specialist integrating over 15 years of studying and teaching dance, yoga, and strategic core strengthening. Sara studied with Alison West and completed the 200-hour RYT training program at Yoga Union in New York City as well as the 200 hr training from the Nosara Institute in Costa Rica, is a licensed massage therapist and certified Postnatal Doula.
After growing up as a competitive downhill ski racer and dancer on the West Coast, Sara’s studies in dance brought her to New York City to perform professionally in several dance companies. Yet after experiencing reoccurring injuries, she searched everywhere for solutions. Serendipity struck when she found yoga master Alison West with her focus on core strength and backcare, and Sara’s health and path in life changed dramatically.
A mother of two kiddos. Sara loves living in Portland, Oregon and getting out into nature as much as possible.
Kelli received her 200-hour RYS teaching certificate from Transcending Yoga, a small yoga school located in her hometown in the south outer banks of North Carolina. In addition to yoga training, she also holds a Masters of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport and Exercise Psychology as well as a Bachelors of Science in Health and Fitness. To complete her MS, she developed and implemented an intervention utilizing Mindfulness in physical activity. She is also a Board Certified Reflexologist with specialized training in Integrated Soul Energy Therapy.
“I began practicing yoga nearly 10 years ago as an elective in college. The universe presented yoga to me at a critical time in my life and it has continued to be a driving force. Throughout my training, degrees and research I have found that my favorite part of yoga is simply to arrive on my mat and ‘do what feels good and leave the rest behind’. I enjoy everything from a 27-sun salutation challenge to an hour-long savasana. For me, yoga is a creative and playful way to be present and express yourself.”
Melissa found yoga in 2009 when she was searching for accessible movement while living with chronic pain. It was a rough start, but she found that when she stuck with the practice, she felt better, physically and mentally. Eventually, she fell in love with yoga as it positively transformed her mind, body & spirit, and she slowly and surprisingly stepped out of the struggle of daily pain. She now truly appreciates how yoga has taught her to tune in to her body and slow down to listen, in a world that rarely allows space for this. She received her 200YTT from the Lotus Seed in Portland, OR in 2014 and Trauma Informed YTT from Living Yoga in 2018. She is also an herbalist & environmentalist, and can be found in various yoga studios around Portland, hiking, rock climbing, gardening, volunteering, or teaching herbalism classes. Her yoga classes include a balance of soft & slow and strong & challenging poses, tailored for all levels, with options to take it up or down a notch. Sharing education, movement and mindfulness as medicine is her passion.
As a forever student, Yoga is a constant companion that continues to inspire me everyday. Yoga offers me more space for self-compassion, acceptance and possibilities, adding a richness to my life that I am eager to share.
As a teacher, my intention is to hold space that is inclusive, supportive and empowering, inviting curiosity and an exploration of a deeper connection with the body and breath, finding a balance between effort and ease. I teach from a place of gratitude for the practice, with an open heart and mind.
My approach is a blend of strength and fluidity within thoughtful, guided, breath-based flow, honoring the vast tradition of yoga while drawing on a variety of new perspectives of movement, including my background in Pilates and strength-based functional fitness.
Originally from Los Angeles, I’ve had the honor of traveling and living in various places across the US and internationally. I’m delighted to call Portland my home and share my love of Yoga.
Vanessa stepped onto her first mat over two decades ago. In the years since she feels truly blessed to have been led by some very extraordinary teachers. Teachers whose instruction would inspire her to become a teacher, herself. She received her 200 hour YTT certification from The Movement Center, in 2017, and a Bachelors of Science in Community Health Education, from Portland State University, in 2018.
Built on a philosophy that one’s practice is a personal expression of relationship with self, Vanessa seeks to create an atmosphere supporting the student’s self-discovery. She says, “I see myself as a facilitator, someone who can hold space so that each person can deepen their understanding of what it means to be a spiritual being, living a human existence. We are all the experts of our own experience, I’m just here to share the knowledge that has been passed on to me, in the hope it enhances understanding of that experience.”
Movement has always been a source of grounding and balance for Jamie, and she has consistently been intrigued by the variety of ways we can master our functionality as humans, in both optimized health and when recovering from illness or injury.
Jamie believes that within the variety of activities one might choose from, it is when we become most curious about how our own mind and body functions in versatility, that we find true optimal health. Movement and mindfulness, carries us through not only specific activities we choose to attend to ‘stay in good health,’ but also through the routines of our daily lives where our choices and decisions have the greatest impact on our well being. Jamie strongly believes that yoga presents an opportunity for us to practice these philosophies and more.
Jamie holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree in Political Science and Psychology from Iowa State University. However, not surprisingly, Jamie found that she would rather move that sit all day. Having classically danced since the age of two, she was naturally drawn to yoga. However, it was when she determined that she needed to recommit to her own wellness and healing, that yoga became a truly passionate pursuit.
Jamie completed her first 500-hour training with Madeline Huish, of the Yoga Shala of Portland, OR in 2009. She also completed a 200-hour training with Tiffany Cruikshank in Portland, OR, in 2010. Most recently, Jamie completed a 300-hour Yoga Therapy Training with Annie Adamson, of the Yoga Union of Portland, OR in 2017. In addition to teaching public classes, Jamie is a Holistic Yoga Therapist™.
Jamie also holds a Personal Training Certificate through the National Association of Sports Medicine. She has taken countless other classes; all with the inspiration to really help the communities she is honored to serve.
Jamie stands united with those who are against hate and violence. All people are welcome in her classes. For more information about Jamie Busch, go to jamiebuschyoga.com. You can also find her on Facebook at Jamie Busch Yoga or follow her on Instragram at time4u2breathe.
Haley completed her 200 hr YTT in 2017 with Dianna Oppenheim at the Karuna Yoga school in Nicaragua. Her training is informed by vinyasa with an emphasis in physical alignment and breath work. In her practice, Haley celebrates authenticity and believes that yoga is a therapeutic tool to heal the physical and mental body and to bring forth an awareness of the present being.
Originally from Lake Tahoe CA, growing up in nature instilled core values in her that have directed her path as a healer and influencer of health. She obtained a B.S. in Kinesiology, pre physical therapy, from Humboldt State University in 2012 and has worked in numerous roles involving health and education including nutrition consultation, work trade for a permaculture farm and community, physical therapy/rehab aide, and more.
Haley moved to Portland last year to study naturopathic medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine. With the healing power of nature, she hopes to integrate her yoga practice into the various therapeutic modalities of a physician.
Liz trained in the classical hatha style at Himalaya Yoga Academy in Rishikesh, India in 2014. She has been teaching yoga to adults and children in South Korea, China, Dominican Republic, Wisconsin, and Hawaii.
A Wisconsin native, she recently relocated to Portland to attend National University of Natural Medicine. She is currently in school to become a naturopathic doctor, with the mindset to grow her tools for empowering individuals toward greater health and vitality.
She believes heavily in the power of mind-body and the practice of centering one’s awareness on the present moment. Through yin, restorative, hatha yoga and meditation, Liz aims to help you find calmness despite external noise. Come refresh your body, strengthen your spirit, and nourish your soul.
In 2013 I was struggling, breaking down, numb inside, and depressed. I started attending yoga classes because it was a safe space for me. Yoga was where I could go to cry, to feel, to release all of the shoved-down emotions that were screaming inside of me. In the fall of 2014 a friend suggested I take a 200 hour yoga teacher training with her, and I thought it would be nothing more than a healthy way to fill my time. This journey of teacher training led me to realize my own yoga practice as not only a place for physical release, but deepened my emotional, mental and spiritual practice. Yoga is still the first place I go to explore the deep inner discomfort when challenging emotions and situations arise. After that first RYT 200 I have embarked on a 300 hour training, which I completed in November 2017. Since then, I have delved into teaching Yoga Nidra, Yin, and Deep Stretch and Restore practices. Yoga humbles me, it makes me believe in a power beyond myself, something worth exploring and experiencing. I hope from my classes people leave feeling just a tiny nugget of this vast realm, their own expansive conscious connection to each other and the universe. I hope to hold a space where they feel safe in exploring whatever is happening inside of themselves, or simply a comfortable place to lay on the mat and soak it all in!
Born in Mexico into a family of Bohemians my father was a Healer, Yogi, vegetarian. He raised me to understand the value of self healing. I strayed for years from his teachings only to find myself with physiological problems. I started taking yoga classes in 2002 and quickly got my self back on track. I believe Yoga is a vehicle to physical, mental and spiritual health. I teach with the awareness that no two bodies are anatomically the same. With care and repetition we can revive the whole system. I’m trained in alignment based Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga style vinyasa. I truly love teaching and helping spread the joy and sense of fulfillment you get from a daily Yoga practice.
I love to teach children and families yoga because children are natural yogis. They are present and mindful and our most important teachers! I have worked with children in a variety of ways including children with special needs and it is such a joy to practice yoga together. I studied yoga in Goa, India in 2013 with Lalit Kumar (200 hour YTT) and completed Yoga for the Special Child training at Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia in 2015 with Sonia Sumar. I strive to use yoga as an additional tool for social emotional development and bring social justice themes into our practice as well. I am the founder of Root Child Yoga. Check us out on social media! Let me know if you have any questions or want to talk about child development and yoga!
Donica has been sharing the joys of movement with others her whole life. She has been a yoga teacher since 2008, a trained dancer from childhood through college, and a certified acupuncturist in the Portland area since 2016, donicaschmidtacupuncture.com.
Healthy movement and food-based preventative medicine are cornerstones of her acupuncture and yoga practices. In her classes, she focuses on alignment, physical awareness, and graceful breathing. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned yogi, you are welcome to join her vinyasa-inspired classes in exploring your own body’s potential for healing and contentment in movement. Hope to see you soon
I strive to create a safe and joyful environment for students to confidently explore their practice and tap into their inner strengths. I enjoy teaching classes based in vinyasa principles with the belief that students find centeredness through movement and breath. My classes tend to be challenging yet accessible, as I incorporate therapeutic elements of music and aromatherapy to supplement the flow. My hope is that you leave my class sweaty, grounded, and with more love for yourself.
Amanda received her RYT 200 hour teacher training from Karma Yoga in Portland, Oregon and has been practicing for over 10 years. She has a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Education from Portland State University and is a Registered Health Coach currently working at Providence Health & Services as a Health Promotion Coordinator.
When I am not doing yoga I enjoy my work with children in Montessori schools, and I love playing music.
I was born and raised in San Antonio Texas, and have lived in San Francisco California for the last 7 years. I received my degree in Painting from The San Francisco Art Institute, and became a part of the San Francisco yoga community in 2009 through Yoga to the People, an amazing all donation studio specializing in power vinyasa flow. I received my 200hr Yoga Alliance Teaching Certificate from YTTP in 2013.
In 2014, to further and deepen my study, I ventured to India to study Ayurvedic diet and the doshas, the Yoga Sutras, pranayama, chanting, meditation, bajans, slokas, The Bagavad Gita, ancient Indian cleanses, and the asana. In Kerela India, I received my 500hr yoga Alliance Teaching Certificate from Aarsha Yoga Vidya Peetham, under the guidance of Bhooma Chaitanya and Yogeshananda Saraswati.
Yoga is the practice of union. Feeling in Union with the Self, with all Beings. The physical components of Yoga are a means to navigate the body. With the breath, the postures, and meditation, the devoted practitioner finds physical balance, vitality, cleansing, peace, strength, openness, and interconnectedness with all Beings.
My teaching style is engaged and loving! I encourage creativity in the classroom, and an approach that is free of destination(other than union of course). I offer long holds in poses to allow the body to open and strengthen at once, causing the relationship to be deep and direct with the absolute accompaniment of breath. The breath is key; it is the compass. The breath can also send one to the cosmos! There is so much to explore. Practicing yoga is cultivating the courage to “look into the white fire of a great mystery.” I enjoy offering a safe place to breathe and feel and witness the body and the mind.
Aimee Renteria is from Lake Tahoe, CA. Growing up in a mountain town, she developed a love for outdoor activities and naturally gravitated towards a health conscious lifestyle. It seemed a likely choice to study health sciences. As a student- athlete, Aimee graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science, Health Ecology from University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). While studying at UNR, Aimee played soccer for the UNR women’s soccer team as well as coached for various competitive youth soccer travel teams. As a coach, she utilized her knowledge in health science to develop preventative injury, dietary and strength programs for the athletes. Upon graduation from UNR, Aimee continued to tailor her knowledge and skills at Tahoe Forest Therapy Services, in Truckee CA, as a therapeutic exercise specialist. Assisting patients and athletes with their individual rehabilitative programs to heal and return to their active lifestyles.
Davis Massage Institute, Alive & Well, Institute of Conscious Bodywork in Larkspur, CA and Sunshine Massage Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand presented the next building blocks for practical knowledge. Through the disciplines of neuromuscular therapy (NMT), neuromuscular reprogramming (NMR) and Thai massage, Aimee gained new insight to her own body, and a better understanding of how these unique techniques assist the body to maintain a pain free state; balancing the musculoskeletal and nervous systems to enhance function of joints, muscles and body mechanics.
To practice her new bodywork tools, Aimee found a home in midtown Sacramento at Body Advantage (BA), specializing in therapeutic massage. Originally, she was working for the owner of Body Advantage, a gifted body worker who was turning away new clients. Aimee came on board to take all walk-ins and new business. Over the span of six years, a shift from sub-contracted work evolved into Aimee working independently within the BA business model. Her offerings at Body Advantage were; Therapeutic Massage, Thai Massage, Yoga Therapy and a passion to assist her clientele with healthy choices and lifestyle routines. While living in Sacramento, Aimee was a member of the Associated Body Workers and Massage Professionals as well as the East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce.
Aimee has recently graduated from the Institute of Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy in Portland, Oregon. Ayurveda has given Aimee a lens to see health from a different perspective, showcasing natural ways to live a healthy lifestyle and stay away from disease and unhealthy living. Throughout the six years in her practice in Sacramento, there was a constant thought that more could be done to help people with their alignments. Ayurveda and yoga therapy have provided many new tools to help folks effectively and simply.
Aimee hopes to continue her studies at Institute of Ayurveda. Currently she is a teacher’s assistant for the year- long 300-hour program. In the future, she hopes to blend yoga therapy, massage and Ayurveda into a unique holistic blend of healing to offer the communities of Portland, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.