What can students expect in your class?
A challenging (but accessible) creative flow with a playlist that will make you feel some type of way

Favorite yoga pose:
Supported Fish because it is the back stretch and heart opener dreams are made of

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Intentional, encouraging, fun, sassy

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
Yoga has so vastly changed my life in such positive ways that I want other people to experience that. If I can improve one person’s day, even just a little bit, I’ve done something meaningful.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2020)

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Fun, energetic, dancey

What can students expect in your class?
My main goal is for my students to have fun! I encourage students to go outside of their comfort zone and explore new challenges with an optimistic mindset.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
Teaching for my peers in teacher training. The support and empowerment I felt after teaching for them made me realize that I wanted to teach professionally.

Song or artist always on your playlist:
Billie Eilish or Doechii 🙂

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2024)

What’s your favorite CY class to teach?
To strengthen our body, we move it. To strengthen our mind, we still it. CYFlow does both! We move our body with breath when things are challenging and faster-paced so it makes us adapt quickly and builds endurance. I also love slowing it down so we can hear our flowing breath in stillness. There we build perseverance, patience, and focus. It’s the perfect balance.

What can students expect in your class?
A call to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine – the light in me LOVES the light in you!

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
The Humble Warrior – an open heart held by a firm foundation, it shows the strength of a warrior and the humility of letting gravity soften us with each breath we take. Also the NAME! Be strong. Stay humble. Joy!

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I can solve word jumbles in seconds.

200-Hour Certification: Yoga One (Charlotte, N.C., 2012)

Additional Certifications: 300-Hour YTT Yoga by Grace Morales (Charlotte, N.C., 2020)

What can students expect in your class?
Alignment, connection, and support

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
Take what you need!

What’s your favorite CY class to teach?
My favorite class to teach at CY is CYStretch. I enjoy guiding students with intentional stretches and breath work to help regulate their nervous systems.

Song or artist always on your playlist:
Drake is always on the playlist

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2022)

Favorite CY class to teach:
CYFlow and CYSculpt. There’s so much opportunity for a unique experience! No class with me is ever the same.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Motivating, challenging, and empowering

What inspires your practice right now?
Right now, my practice is inspired by the way anxiety shows up in my life. Each time I step on my mat, I’m choosing presence, softness, and a moment to feel safe in my own skin.

Favorite yoga pose:
Frog is my favorite because it creates spaciousness in my hips and low back, and it always leaves my body feeling loose and restored.

200-Hour Certification: Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2024)

Favorite CY class to teach:
Slow Flow and Yoga Sculpt because I love the STRENGTH component you get through both classes

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Slow, intentional, and focus on breath

Favorite yoga pose:
Balancing Half Moon, as I feel like I am floating.

Favorite way to move off the mat:
Walking, stair climbing, and lifting weights

200-Hour Certification: Samdhana Yoga with Melody White (Charlotte, N.C.)

Additional Certifications: Atha Yoga 200-Hour RYT

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Challenging, assists-full, meaningful

Favorite CY class to teach:
My favorite class to teach is CYFlow Thursday 5:45 a.m., a.k.a. “Horizontal Hot.” We listen to throwback tunes, hold postures and face the block wall so we can get a different view of our alignment and learn about our bodies in these postures.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
The sequencing, learning the body, and how it moved to help it.

What inspires your practice right now?
Life, every damn day.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga with Grace Morales (2013)
Additional Certifications: Pre- and Post-Natal Yoga with Amani Murray

Describe your teaching style in three words
Educational, precise, artful

What can students expect in your class?
I carefully craft my classes to align with my purpose as a teacher, which is to guide students with intelligently curated tools and practices for strength and ease for body/mind longevity. In my classes you can expect clear, articulate cuing to help you understand body biomechanics; precise and memorable details and approaches influenced by circus and gymnastics arts, combined with elements of artistry and musicality influenced by dance. I offer thoughtful messaging aligned with the yoga sutras, served in concise, easy ways for modern understanding, providing bite-sized, manageable ways for students to bolster emotional health along with physical health.

Favorite way to move off the mat:
I’m currently studying primal movement technique, and I enjoy the 1:1 work I’m doing with hand balance coaches with a background in European circus arts. I enjoy traveling to different parts of the world to train with different teachers, and I do this regularly.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
After being a yoga student for many years, I earned a teaching certificate because I wanted to understand more fully the academics behind yoga. That proved to be just a scratch of the surface. As I sought out more teachers from around the world and made the study of the practice a part of my life, teaching was important to me so that I could share with others the things I had invested in learning. What good is knowing something if you don’t share it? ❤️

200-Hour Certification: Yoga Shala (Charlotte, N.C., 2012)

Additional Certifications:
YACEP (continuing education provider), Yoga Alliance
300-Hour Chromatic with Matt Giordano
300-Hour YTT with Carmen Aguilar
20-Hour Thai Yoga Massage

What’s your favorite CY class to take?
A classic CYFlow! I love the balance of challenging movement and intentional breathwork. There’s something so rewarding about building strength, getting lost in the flow, and leaving feeling energized!

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
I first discovered yoga in high school while navigating some health challenges, and it quickly became such a positive part of my life! I fell in love with how it made me feel, both physically and mentally, and knew I wanted to share that same feeling with others!

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Crow Pose! I still remember the excitement I felt the first time I was able to do it! It reminds me how rewarding it can be to try something new and surprise yourself with what you’re capable of.

What can students expect in your class?
Expect some good music, fun flows, a little sweat, and lots of positive energy! My goal is to create a space where you can challenge yourself, have fun, and leave feeling a little more like yourself!

200-Hour Certification: ​​Charlotte Yoga (2023)

Favorite CY class to teach:
CY101 probably takes the cake. There’s nothing like seeing someone fall in love with yoga for the first time.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
Taking classes for so many years! I wanted to offer the same space and support I had received in classes I took. It just felt like magic, and I wanted to share it!

Favorite CY class to take:
CYFlow! I feel like I can come in and just move and let my day fall away. It’s truly a space to disconnect so that I can reconnect. I always leave feeling grounded, clear minded and better aligned!

Song or artist always on your playlist:
ODESZA

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2016)

Additional Certifications: Mindful Yoga for Cancer (Duke Integrative Medicine, 2017)

Favorite CY class to take:
CYFlow. Flowing feels like a moving meditation, which feels really good in my body and allows me to quiet my mind.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
My husband and I used to own a pizza shop in Colorado.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Authentic, challenging, light-hearted

Favorite yoga pose:
Grounded Warrior 3, because it feels like a really good one-legged hamstring opener.

200-Hour Certification: Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2012)

What’s your favorite CY class to take?
Really, it depends on the day and my mood. I’m grateful to have a studio that meets me where I am. I am loving CYSculpt because it builds strength that I can feel (and it REALLY WORKS). Plus, strength training is so important as we get along in years! I’m also very much drawn to the simplicity, space, and simmering power of a CYS*Flow class. The ability to unplug, slow down, and be still is such a gift in a fast, distracted, noisy world.

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Half Moon – hip opener, heart lifter, balancing – checks all the boxes for me!

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?
I’m on a mission to take every teacher’s class. This community is stacked with talent and the best way to grow is to practice with everyone. I’d like to collect classes from each teacher like little souvenirs!

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I took my very first yoga class at Charlotte Yoga back in 2003…and the rest is history!

200-Hour Certification: Yoga One (Charlotte, N.C., 2011)

Additional Certifications: Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Teacher (2014)

What can students expect in your class?
Students can expect a well-rounded practice that emphasizes slow, intentional movement, alignment, breathwork, and core stability. I encourage students to move with awareness, stay accountable in each posture, and develop a stronger mind-body connection while building strength, balance, and confidence.

What inspires your practice right now?
Right now, I am inspired by my future self. I want to age well, move freely, and continue enjoying an active and fulfilling life. My practice is an investment in the strength, mobility, and wellness that will support me for years to come.

What’s your current edge in your own practice?
My edge in my yoga practice is finding the balance between doing and being. As someone who is goal-oriented, I’m learning that growth doesn’t always come from pushing harder. Sometimes my edge is slowing down, staying present, trusting the process, and appreciating where I am in this moment.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I volunteer at a bunny rescue. I love bunny rabbits and all animals.

300-Hour Certification: Yoga Works (Costa Mesa, Calif., 2002)

Additional Certifications:
85-Hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher at Prenatal Yoga Center (New York, 2009)
Certified Pilates Instructor with IM=X (Charlotte, 2024)
Level 1, Level 2, and Art of Assisting with Baptiste Power Yoga
100-Hour Art of Sequencing Intensive with Mark Stephens
30-Hour Yoga Anatomy Course with David Keil

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Upbeat, balanced, intuitive

What can students expect in your class?
A solid workout, good music (possibly 80s or 90s inspired 😉), assists, and a final thought to set you up for a great week ahead

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
Life provides the cup – you choose how to fill it. Choose joy. Choose kind.

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?
Quieting my mind and leaving the day outside

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2020)

Favorite CY class to take:
It depends on the day. If my mind feels chaotic, CYS*Flow to help settle the internal chatter. If I’m feeling playful, a fast-paced CYFlow for the vibes, arm balances, and standing balancing fun.

What can students expect in your class?
I teach the way I like to practice. I think a class can be both challenging and accessible. I want to make you work – AND help you feel so, so strong.

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
What made you feel alive today?

One fun fact or hidden talent:
My husband proposed to me while we were climbing the first hill of my favorite roller coaster, the Gemini, at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2020)

Additional Certifications:
RYT-500, E-RYT 200, YACEP (continuing education provider), Yoga Alliance
300-Hour YTT at iShine Yoga & Wellness (Huntersville, N.C., 2026)
40-Hour Essential Yoga Anatomy with Jason Crandell Yoga Method (2024)
20-Hour Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing with Jason Crandell Yoga Method (2023)
20-Hour The Art of Assisting, Khali Yoga Center (Charlotte N.C., 2021)

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Relatable, welcoming, and authentic

What can students expect in your class?
Energy, reliability, and connection

Favorite yoga pose:
Figure 4 for strength, stability, and hip opening

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2020)

What can students expect in your class?
Expect a fun, upbeat flow with options to explore challenge, as well as moments to slow down. I strive to create a space where students feel free to listen to their bodies and move intuitively. My hope is that you leave class feeling reset and more grounded.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
I started practicing yoga at 15, first captivated by the physical challenge of the asana. Over time, I discovered that what truly drew me in was yoga’s ability to bring me out of my head and into my body. I’m inspired to teach so I can share that sense of balance and alignment with others.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2025)

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Grounding, powerful, intuitive

What’s your favorite CY class to teach?
I can’t choose one! CY26 is amazing to teach as it helps us slow down just a little to really gain strength and clarity about our minds and bodies. Vinyasa is a fun creative outlet to teach and expose students to a sequencing that is fun and challenging!

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
I found yoga was the one thing that settled my body anxiety when I started to experience uncomfortable feelings, little did I know at the time why but now it’s been such a great teacher and anchor in my life

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I changed my name in 4th grade. My birth name was Jessica – LOL!

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2016)

Favorite CY class to take:
You’ll find me taking CYFlow for the freedom and creativity of movement that it offers – and the sweat!

What can students expect in your class?
A strong power flow with empowering messaging, intelligent and creative sequencing, fun music and lots of hands-on assists!

What inspires your practice right now?
My students – forever my greatest teachers.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I’ve written two books – Ultimate Plank Fitness and The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions.

200-Hour Certification: Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2011)

Additional Certifications: 300-Hour YTT at Asheville Yoga Center

Favorite CY class to teach:
I love teaching a CY flow with unique transitions and lots of balance work!

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Challenging, inclusive, fun

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I’m an introvert!

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?
Really trying to land that Bound Half Moon…

200-Hour Certification: Shanti Yoga School with Johnna Smith (Charlotte, N.C., 2013)

Additional Certifications:
300-Hour YTT at Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2025)
Master Vinyasa with Stephanie Keach at Asheville Yoga Center (2012)
Yin Yoga with Shayla Worsey at Asheville Yoga Center (2012)
Children’s Yoga with Jane Anne Tager at Asheville Yoga Center (2012)

Favorite CY class to teach:
CYS*Flow. In such a fast-paced, stimulating world, slowing down can be the best medicine. S*Flow allows you to breathe deeply into each posture, engage the whole body, activate muscles we may not normally, and create a calm, grounded energy in the body and mind.

What can students expect in your class?
A great sweat, a challenging whole-body experience, and some good humor.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I’ve traveled to over 30 countries, studying different healing modalities because I’m a junkie for feeling amazing and living the most optimal, rich life.

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
My sister-in-law is a big yogi. I saw her in a handstand when I was 19 (partying in college) and I said “I need to learn to do that.” I got hooked from there on.

200-Hour Certification: Go Flow Yoga School (Charlotte, N.C., 2015)

Additional Certifications:
300-Hour YTT at Yoga Smatvayogala School (India, 2017)
Breathwork Practitioner Certification at Halotropic Breathwork (2020)
Advanced Breathwork Facilitator at Conscious Connected Breathwork School (2020)

Favorite CY class to teach:
CYFlow! I love to build creative sequences that are challenging, but also provide opportunities for everyone, no matter what level of practice, to feel successful and powerful.

Favorite yoga pose:
I’m not sure it’s a traditional yoga pose, but I love Wild Thing and Flipped Dog. It just feels like my body wants to go there every time I’m in 3 Point!

Favorite CY class to take:
CYFlow again. 🙂 For me, there’s nothing better than the rhythmic flow of vinyasa yoga. I love that each class incorporates the broad spectrum of stillness and breath to powerful and challenging postures. And I love that each teacher at CY weaves their own style and personality into their classes.

Favorite way to move off the mat:
I like to stay active in general, and it sometimes feels like I’m in constant motion! But I recently found a love for stand-up paddle boarding and I would do that every day if I could.

200-Hour Certification: Blue Banyan Yoga (Philadelphia, 2011)

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Dynamic. Intentional. Empowering.

Favorite CY class to take:
CYFlow all the way. The harder the sequence, the better, especially when it’s packed with planks and core work.

Favorite yoga pose:
My favorite pose is a handstand. It’s empowering, playful, and always pushes me to face fear with strength and confidence.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I take a yoga class everywhere I travel.

200-Hour Certification: Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2014)

Additional Certifications: E-RYT 200

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
I was first inspired by yoga in 2016, during my summer stay in Anchorage, Ala. This is when I fell in love with the practice. My passion grew quickly as I fell into the community at Charlotte Yoga. All of the teachers at CY played a huge role in my pursuit to be a yoga teacher.

What can students expect in your class?
A power-focused challenging workout, vibey music that aligns with the arc of a yoga class, and to leave feeling balanced and energized.

Favorite yoga pose:
Triangle. It’s grounding, opening, and strong, everything I love about yoga in one pose!

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Authentic, creative, challenging but empowering!

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2023)

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Heart-Centered. Meditative. Fierce.

What can students expect in your class?
Students can expect to be met with encouragement wherever they are in their journey. They can expect to feel empowered through breath-focused cues, challenged through what many have called sneaky-hard flows, and calmed by a strong, soothing, and meditative class.

Favorite yoga pose:
Final Savasana. It is beautiful in its fleeting span of time and surrendering in and to it is profoundly enlivening and clarifying.

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?
My edge is steady arm balances. I love the idea and practice of finding equilibrium in the midst of inversions. My goal is to strike a balance between ease and effort, sukha and sthira, in each breath of my practice.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2022)

Additional Certifications:
E-RYT 500, YACEP (continuing education provider), Yoga Alliance
300-Hour YTT at Asheville Yoga Center (2024)
85-Hour Prenatal YTT with Lily Dwyer-Begg (2023)

What can students expect in your class?

You can expect to be physically and mentally challenged while jamming to some fireee music!!

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?

My mom! She has been a yoga teacher for most of my life, and is my inspiration for my practice and teaching.

One fun fact or hidden talent:

I have surfed with Jonah Hill in Fiji.

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?

A press handstand!

200-Hour Certification: ​​Charlotte Yoga (2025)

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Malasana. Love a deep squat and how it keeps everything feeling good.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Encouraging, inquisitive, playful

What can students expect in your class?
Good music, a challenging flow, and freedom to explore and grow at their own pace.

What inspires your practice right now?
Gotta stay limber to play with my babies!

200-Hour Certification: Yoga One (Charlotte, N.C.)

What inspires your practice right now?

My practice is inspired by necessity — I need it because it’s my anchor. It helps me stay grounded, whole, and connected.

Describe your teaching style in three words.

Fluid. Artistic. Soulful.

Favorite CY class to take:

It depends on the day and what my body needs. Some days I crave movement and energy, and other days I need grounding and stillness.

Favorite way to move off the mat:

Dancing
200-Hour Certification: Wanderlust Yoga (Austin, Texas)

What’s your favorite CY class to take?
CYS*Flow. It makes me slow down! In the busyness and chaos of life, it gives me a chance to rest my brain.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Supportive, uplifting, engaging

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Dancer. It opens my heart and builds confidence.

Song or artist always on your playlist:
U2, Coldplay

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2020)

What can students expect in your class?
Students can expect a balanced flow that gently pushes their boundaries while keeping them grounded and supported. Every class is thoughtfully sequenced with purposeful movement, empowering cues, and a perfectly curated playlist that elevates the entire experience.

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
Every moment is guiding you somewhere important.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Supportive, intentional, powerful

Favorite way to move off the mat:
Dancing.  Life is always better when you are dancing.

200-Hour Certification: Yoga One (Charlotte, N.C., 2012)

Additional Certifications: 90-Hour Prenatal Yoga Certification

What can students expect in your class?
Lots of assists and bad jokes

Favorite CY class to teach:
CYStretch

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
You can’t miss what is meant for you.

Song or artist always on your playlist:
Jason Isbell

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2023)

Additional Certifications:
Sound Healing with Billy Zanski Skinny Beats
Thai Massage with Michael Sitzer
Art of Assisting at Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C.)

What can students expect in your class?
Mind, body, and spirit awareness. Achieved through connecting movement via breath and intention. To find purpose and activate change on the inside out. To leave feeling momentum, connected, and inspired. Sense of inner calm and mental clarity.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Intention, connection, strength

What inspires your practice right now?
Grounding, stability, mindfulness, strength

One fun fact or hidden talent:
Triplet boys

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2007)

Additional Certifications:
E-RYT 500, YACEP (continuing education provider), Yoga Alliance
300-Hour YTT at Yoga Alliance
50-Hour Yoga and Transformational Inner Work Facilitation with Seane Corn
25-Hour Chakra Immersion with Seane Corn
40-Hour Spirit Speaks Training with Seane Corn
50-Hour Teacher Taining with Bryan Kest
15-Hour Arc of a Class with Carrington Jackson
40-Hour CY26 Certification with Grace Morales
100-Hour Training with Tony Robbins

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Approachable, friendly, engaging

What can students expect in your class?
Students can expect demos to ensure proper alignment, laid-back music, and an approachable flow with options for advanced yogis and beginners alike!

Song or artist always on your playlist:
Mt. Joy

Favorite way to move off the mat:
Running! I’ve completed 6 marathons.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2024)

What’s your favorite CY class to take?
I love all of the classes we offer at CY because they meet me where I am at each day. CYS*Flow and CY26 help me to slow down, focus on my breath, and reconnect inward. CYFlow leaves me feeling energized and strong, and our workshops allow me to continue learning, growing, and deepening my practice.

What’s your current edge or goal in your own practice?
My current edge is slowing down by staying present, listening to my body, and honoring what I need instead of pushing past it.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Grounded – Intuitive – Inviting

What can students expect in your class?
Expect intentional movement, a thoughtfully curated playlist, and a supportive space to explore, learn, and grow together.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2025)

What’s your favorite CY class to teach?
CYFlow, CYS*Flow, CY26 and CYSoundBath. I like them equally for different reasons. They each capture different aspects of the yin and yang of yoga. The balance between effort and ease, strength and surrender, or movement and stillness…the full spectrum that yoga invites us to experience.

What can students expect in your class?
Expect a class that meets you where you are – blending mindful movement, grounding energy, and the rhythm of breath. Each class invites you to pause, to check out in order to check in, and to move with curiosity and ease. Expect to be challenged, but not pushed to struggle. My goal is that you have an experience that leaves you feeling centered, empowered, and more connected. And…inspired to come back.

Favorite way to move off the mat:
Dance has been a passion since childhood. It brings me joy, grounds me in the moment, and allows me to express emotion through movement. Whether dancing for myself or for an audience, my goal is to create an experience that awakens the connection between the heart, mind, and body. I truly dance for the joy of it.

One fun fact or hidden talent:
I am a three-time National Aerobic Champion and I have performed at the White House.

200-Hour Certification: Charlotte Yoga (2005)

Additional Certifications:
E-RYT 200, YACEP (continuing education provider), Yoga Alliance
200-Hour YTT at Y2 Yoga (Charlotte, N.C., 2015)
300-Hour YTT in progress
Positive Intelligence in progress
Mindfulness Certified (2024)
Sound Healing Certified (2023)

What’s a mantra or quote you love?
The older I get, the more I realize that some delays are divine and some detours are directions.

Describe your teaching style in three words.
Creative, powerful, and encouraging

Who or what first inspired you to teach yoga?
I come from a dance, gymnastics, and cheer background. Once I was in college and not doing any of it, I found and fell in love with hot yoga. Years later, I found a studio where I first got barre certified, then yoga, and haven’t looked back!

What’s your favorite CY class to teach?
CYFlow! I love connecting breath to movement with creative sequencing to get you out of your head and into your body.

200-Hour Certification: ​​YoBa Studio (Raleigh, N.C., 2022)

Additional Certifications:
Buti Movement (2026)
Mat Pilates
Functional Mobility