OUR TEACHERS
Root Yoga Center is incredibly grateful to have some of the very best yoga instructors and teachers in Denver. Each individual has a unique background and style that make their lessons and classes distinct. Here they are!
Alana Foeller
Training: B.A. Exercise Science & Adult Fitness, Minor in Nutrition - Metro State College of Denver, American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer, Vital Yoga Certified Yoga Instructor
Teaching movement through Yoga and Personal Training is a wonderful gift to be able to share. Through teaching Yoga, it is my goal to encourage the growth of my students with a practice that is both challenging and playful, and which will strengthen the physical body and the mind and foster spiritual growth as we apply these principles to all things in life. I believe a truly healthy physical body is a combination of strength, flexibility, and balance, and a calm mind facilitates these qualities.
I was initially drawn to Yoga for the physical benefits. As I practiced more, I became aware of the impact it also had on my mental and spiritual well being. I found myself more calm, joyful, and able to handle challenges. I have practiced many styles of Yoga, including Power, Ashtanga, Forrest, Anusara, Bikram, and Vinyasa. Having a diverse Yoga practice helps me to be a more versatile teacher and connect with students from different Yoga backgrounds. I love the physical challenges of Yoga, but I find the most opportunity for growth in the practice of quieting the mind and staying connected to the breath. Bringing meditation into my practice has helped me focus and connect with my deeper being. This is where I see the greatest benefits of Yoga, and it is my passion to share this with my students.
In addition to my Yoga practice, I enjoy playing outdoors; snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing, and camping. Good music, dancing, laughing with friends, having a wonderful family, and belonging to a supportive Yoga community makes me forever grateful for life!
Amy Baker
Training: BA Exercise Science; University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Ana Forrest 200 hour Foundation Teacher Training; Ana Forrest Advanced Teacher Training; Darren Rhodes and Christina Sell Anusara Immersion; so darn many I stopped counting workshops with Brock and Krista Cahill, Janet Stone, Rusty Wells, and Andre Ram. Co-Founder of Evolve Yoga Teacher Training 200 Certified Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Program. Founder “Yoga in the Eagle Town Park” in Eagle CO; a donation based outdoor yoga class that contributes 100% of all donations to Canine Companions for Independence and Operation KurmAlliance.
I am an eternal student of yoga, and am inspired daily by the notion that self inquiry and education lead to personal evolution. I believe that a strong, sweaty, challenging physical practice, with great tunes provides the opportunity for piercing introspection. I also believe that yoga is to be shared with all with no prerequisite. Each yoga practice is different and it is my goal to create space and modifications for all.
I teach from a place of personal experience and wisdom, but asks that my students discover their own truths. In classes I bring a contagious lighthearted humor and a wonderful charisma to keep things flowing. There is no pretense with me; no judgment... leave your expectations at the door and come laugh, play, and take the opportunity to look inward with each class and discover what makes you come alive so that you can go out into the world and do just that.
April Glaser
Training: 200 hour Core Power Yoga teacher training in Boulder. Thai Yoga Massage certification through the International Thai Massage Institute in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 17 years of dance training in ballet, jazz, and lyrical.
I feel that yoga is our practice for life. It teaches us how to face discomfort, breathe through uncertainty, and challenge our fears. To embrace the present moment, no matter what comes into our path. To breathe through the burning sensation in utkatasana, knowing that it will pass, just as pain passes in our lives when experienced fully. I teach to this philosophy; that every moment on our mat, is preparing us to show up fully for every moment in our life.
I have taught on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico, studied on retreat in Rishekesh, India, and lived in Chiang, Mai Thailand, both to teach yoga and study Thai massage. In my classes I draw inspiration from my travels, as well as the incredibly diverse group of teachers that I have studied with while spending time abroad. I am also deeply inspired by my students, because I know how much courage it takes to step onto our mats and face our authentic selves. For the past three years I have volunteered my time teaching yoga classes in Boulder to a group of breast cancer survivors through The Rocky Mountain Team Survivors Foundation. It's experiences like these that help me to become a more well-rounded teacher, and to appreciate the many beautiful shapes that our bodies come in.
I teach vinyasa classes at Root, although I also incorporate elements from Forrest, power, partner, yin, and dance movement.
Cher Aslor
Training: Certified Pilates Instructor, Dance background, Core Power certified in Power and Yoga Sculpt, 200 hour Forrest Yoga Foundation Training, Forrest Intensive and several workshops
To me personally yoga got me closer to finding balance in a hectic world. I love learning about myself from teaching others and i love helping people feel stronger, more aligned, and living from a place where they can start feeling their self esteem grow. Some of my favorite teachers are Anna Forrest, Shiva Rae, and Desiree Rumbah. I'm also influenced by snowboarding and surfing. I feel like my Pilates training helps me bring a lot of focus on alignment in teaching yoga and my philosophy is that from learning about your core and what that means anatomically can help us perform not only yoga but every sport better. I'm excited to be teaching at Root Yoga because of the enthusiasm for strengthening the yoga community here in Denver and for the amazing location on Platte St, and the opportunity to teach a Forrest Yoga inspired class that also incorporating Vinyasa and some Pilates Principals.
Cheryl Deer
Training: Basic, Advanced and Continuing Education Teacher Training Intensives with Ana Forrest; Forrest Yoga Guardian; Ashtanga Teacher Training with David Swenson; Studies in Iyengar, Power, Vinyasa, Anusara and Jivamukti yoga; 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance.
Cheryl’s masterfully taught yoga classes are deeply rooted in the Forrest Yoga philosophy. Dedicating herself to enlighten the healing and empowering qualities of Yoga over the past 13 years, she has taught more than 12,000 hours to people ranging from physically disabled to top level athletes. Many have found themselves mesmerized by her passion, moved by her honesty and changed by her insights. Her classes and workshops are fun and motivating, have great energy and will leave you awakened. Expect to receive great adjustments, connect to your core and flow through vigorous sequences delivered in a way that calls forth your intelligence, intuition and strength. In addition to teaching classes, privates and workshops in Denver, she also travels around the country assisting Ana Forrest at teacher foundation trainings. Cheryl was selected by Ana Forrest to be a Forrest Yoga Mentor, providing inspiration and guidance for other aspiring Forrest Yoga teachers through workshops and trainings. Her greatest teaching influence comes from her students.
“I want to be present and pure enough to reflect to my students their own light so that they can be as touched and rejoiced by it as I am. I believe the truths and peace we find on our mats have an instant effect on the whole world!”
To visit Cheryl's personal website, go to www.CherylDeerYoga.com
Crystal Hinton
Yoga is living radiant through our body, intellect and breath! It's a deep integrative practice that connects us to our heart, while reaping the endless physical/mental benefits. It's a shift in consciousness that allows us to see what's beneath the surface and engage in a way that creates more beauty. Raise the vibration!
I teach a strong, grounding, challenging, yet light and inspiring full spectrum class. I'm biased to sequencing the top 24 most therapeutic poses that help reverse the curves of everyday life. Sure to have you light on your feet, feeling relaxed, connected and open after class...I teach a slow flow heavy in therapeutics to create a dynamic balance of muscle energy and organic openings. Look forward to seeing you on the mat!
Janet Casson
Training: 200-hour certification from OM Yoga Center in NY, NY. + more than 100 hours of anatomy training at Zenyasa Studio, also in NY. The teachers who have most influenced and inspired me are Sarah Trelease, Margi Young, Megan Walsh, Matthew Sanford, Tias Little and Jason Ray Brown.
I have been a teacher since long before I was old enough to have a career as one. I have used my skills as an educator to teach drama, music, and yoga to students of all ages. Yoga is the subject I added to my repertoire most recently, in 2008. It is one I have delved into with gusto and curiosity. There are so many layers to explore. One need never worry that the subject will be mastered or that we could ever be bored. Each time we step onto the mat is an opportunity to learn more, dig deeper, and understand more intimately how we operate and how we relate.
It is my goal to create classes that are accessible and challenging, playful and insightful, smart and exploratory. I know for myself that I have explored a fraction as much as I'd like and learned just enough to keep me seeking more.
It is my privilege to teach Vinyasa and Restorative classes at Root Yoga.
Jenna Handloff
Training: 200 Hour teacher training from Samadhi Center for Yoga, additional training with Matthew Sanford and adaptive yoga
I am a lively yogi with experience in various styles of yoga, but my teaching is powered by my love for a Flowing Vinyasa. I create challenging classes with sufficient modifications and adjustments for all levels of practice. I feel very connected to my personal practice and feel that I am constantly learning from my students and my teachers. I enjoy being creative in the studio and I love to try new things, on and off the mat. I aim to create a space that allows everyone to explore their own unique connection to the physical body, and open the mind to the possibilities that unlock when you pair your life with asana. My practice was born 4 years ago when I moved to Denver and I longed for something other than a gym routine.
Now, my goal is to spread my love for this ever challenging expression of the free spirit!
A special thanks to all of my fellow teachers who have encouraged me to find my way.
Jodi Monet Herstine
I have studied with a guru swami Dharmananda since July 2011 in the Kriya Lineage of yoga asana and pranayam. I am also a regular practitioner of Reiki and Healing Touch Massage! I feel my calling, my mission on this planet in this human form is to help cultivate awareness within people and to assist in healing people as well as animals and to learn and teach! I have found yoga is one of the best tools to facilitate these powerful and necessary qualities. I LOVE Yoga in all forms and feel blessed and truly honored to be able to practice and teach what I love and fully believe in!
Jordan New
Training: BS in Biology. Minors: Holistic Health and Wellness; Spanish. 200hour, Yoga Instructor Certification, Samadhi Yoga Center. Certified Personal Trainer, with American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Yoga is more than just exercise; it is a way of Life! There are many paths to enlightenment. Yoga is one of the paths I have chosen. Physically, yoga has improved my skills at snowboarding, break dancing and every other physical activity I enjoy, while preventing injury. Mentally, the art of yoga has introduced me to meditation, teaching me centeredness, focus, and concentration of Mind. Spiritually, it has given me a stronger connection to my authentic self, the Spirit of Life and Divinity. I am honored to share what I have learned with others. My classes focus on control and fluidity of movement, agility, precision and coordination. With acquisition of these skills comes power. My mission is to empower and guide you to deeper body-awareness and understanding of your Temple (body). The human body has a beautiful and innate ability to heal itself. We can learn how
to activate that healing process through yoga and taking responsibility for our health.
I teach Mighty Root, and Vinyasa based classes at Root Yoga Center. Yoga means Union; One. There are many different sects and philosophies, but they are all still One yoga. I utilize tools from all variations, not solely a specific yoga type. All modalities of therapeutic healing movements are incorporated into classes, giving you the greatest benefit to heal in whatever way is necessary for your body
Kat Saks
Training: 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in NYC; Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training from Prenatal Yoga Center in NYC
For decades, I thought I wasn’t good enough. Whether through drugs, a demanding job, or a negative body image, I found countless ways to mask my true self. When I unrolled my yoga mat, I finally took a step towards self-acceptance. Through yoga I discovered the beauty of authenticity and learned to live from a place of truth. I knew I had to share this experience with others.
I invite my students to uncover and express their most powerful and authentic self. In every class, I co-mingle a wild playlist with a creative Vinyasa flow to encourage an atmosphere of playful challenge and self-discovery. Whether you’re moving to the beat of Lady Gaga, or musing on the poetry of Rumi, you’ll never come to the same class twice. But, one thing is certain; my class is a celebration. You can always expect to leave the room uplifted by the reminder that you are awesome – exactly as you are.
I graduated from Laughing Lotus’s College of Yoga in NYC and am also certified in prenatal yoga by the The Prenatal Yoga Center in NYC. I count Dana Flynn and Amy Ippoliti as two of my most influential teachers.
Kate Drazner
Training: CorePower Yoga 200 hour Power Yoga training; Blue World Yoga advanced Power teacher training
To me, yoga means listening to the intuitive wisdom of one's spirit through the energy that runs through our bodies. I used to spend so much time in my head and letting it rule my behavior. Yoga taught me to get in touch with my body and let it show me the true nature of my spirit. That's why I love Vinyasa flow; I love getting lost in the dance of yoga.
I don't walk into class with a planned flow; rather, I have an idea or theme in mind, but I let the desires, needs and preferences of my student’s guide me in creating series that take us on a journey to that intention. I prefer to teach classes that are physically challenging and that encourage students to feel what is going on inside their bodies.
Kate Mulheron
Training: Kate has practiced many styles of yoga over the years, classical hatha, vinyasa flow,Baron Baptiste, Forrest, Bikram, and meditation for many years. She completed Corepower’s Hot Yoga Teacher’s Training in December of 2008,studied with Ana Forrest in October 0f 2009 and has had training in many healing modalities including reiki and angel healing therapy.
Kate has had her hands in many pots in life; music, modeling, acting, children and teaching; but the constant love in her life for the past seventeen years has been her yoga mat! No matter what emotion that has flowed in and out of her life; loss, heartache, joy or just pure bliss; yoga has always created a place of grounding, clarity and you will always find a smile on her face after she practices time and time again!
Children and teaching have always been a passion of Kate’s and she is thrilled to be teaching Forrest yoga to the kids. A former Kindermusik teacher and mother of two, Kate knows the pressure and intensity our kids face every single day and she believes with her whole heart that yoga is a way for them to feel grounded, to create a breath that guides them to an inner strength and beauty that lies within. and a sense of release in a non-judgemental and joyful space.
Kate is truly honored to be able to bring her passion for this art of healing to all that cross her path!
There is a two way avenue between pupil and teacher involving love, admiration, devotion and dedication” B.K.S. Iyengar
Lauren Turnage
Training: 200 hour Forrest Yoga Foundation Training, Forrest Yoga Mentorship Program, Forrest Yoga Advanced Teacher Training 2011
Growing up I was encouraged to find what gives me life. Yoga gives me life. It gives me community, breath, asana and meditation, and fills my life with joy, laughter, love and many other things. But most important to my life is my spirit, and yoga connects me to my spirit. When I am embodying my spirit, I am full of life. My union is yoga, life and spirit. My devotion as a teacher is to use the gifts yoga brings me to help my students find what gives them life. I have been inspired by many teachers along my yogic journey. My inspiration comes to me from my core teachers and my students. Ana Forrest gave me the tools I need to live my dharma and help others find their own. Regina Zwilling gave me my determination and presence to be there for others. Cheryl Deer daily gives me my inversions and encourages my ability to love. My students motivate me to grow as a teacher and also as a student. I teach Forrest yoga, because I love the abs.
LeAnn Siederman
Training: I have studied under Chris & Lisa Matkin, Shiva Rea, Doug & David Swensen, Tao, Seane Corn & Rodney Yee. Although these are all amazing gurus, the teachers who have had the most influence on my ability to touch & teach others are unknowns.
My biggest inspiration is my students. It never ceases to amaze me that after a long draining day of work, they find the energy, determination and dedication to merely show up for class. I spent almost 23 years working in retail. I was a buyer, department manager, store manager & men’s fashion consultant in Manhattan. I have some of the most beautiful clothes and shoes & happily haven’t worn most of them in years.
When I was a small child, I always thought that being a flower delivery boy was the greatest job: people were always happy to see you & you always left them happier then before you arrived. Being a yoga teacher offers me the same sense of joy. Students are usually happy to see me and they (hopefully) feel much better after I leave! I also love that I get to wear my pajamas to work. I love to teach Warrior II. I find it to be such a powerful posture! You have to ground into the feet, lift through the heart center, and reach through powerful arms. To stand in a room full of warriors, to feel the energy, makes my cup runneth over.
Michelle Lee Weldon, LPC RYT
Training: I received my 200 hour certification in Vinyasa yoga, and have delved into a deepening study with Bhava Vinyasa, a healing centered flow and restore yoga. My teaching and practice are influenced by both Prana Flow and Anusara yoga. Yogis whose workshops I try not to miss include Shannon Paige, Chris Muchow, Douglas Brooks, Lorin Roche, Ana Forrest and so many more! My cup is literally overflowing with teachings I'd love to immerse myself in…
I teach because it is what I love to do MOST in the world. Vinyasa yoga is the culmination of everything I love and never knew I could put together in one cohesive practice. In my teaching, I weave the magic of movement and dance into yoga asana transitions and blend music, psychology, poetics and a little sanskrit into the landscape of your experience. I pretty much geek out on this stuff!
In my classes at Root Yoga, you can expect an integrated flow, with light hearted thoughts and a good deal of adjustments to encourage the deepening of your own practice. Outside of the studio, I am a Psychotherapist. In the studio, I bring some of my knowledge of neuropsychology and somatic psychology to help you move through the walls your brain sometimes puts up during practice.
But mostly, I love to move and I love to laugh… And you will experience both if you come practice with me!
Nicole Maurrae Landrus
Training: 200 hour Forrest Yoga Foundation Training in July of 2011
Breathe...if you acknowledge your breath, feed it magic, and wash it through your body you can make it through anything. Yoga came into my life when my spirit and body needed it most. Yoga saved me. Finding my mat brought me hope, pure happiness, strength and acceptance. Yoga has grounded me and helped me find balance in life and teach me how to handle real life with a positive and bright attitude. It has helped me connect to my spirit, my authentic self. Stepping on to my mat now brings me positive challenges, inspiration and a desire to shine.
I feel fortunate to have such amazing teachers and loving community around me, to support me, while I breathe through my transformation and begin to step into my wiser self. Laruen Turnage and Kate Mulheron have been my biggest inspiration. Their sparkle, love for yoga and spirit brighten my life and challenge me to be a better person everyday. I feel blessed to have such wonderful women in my life and honored to be a family member at Root Yoga Center, where I teach ground level Forrest classes...come join me!
Rachal Ahalt
Training: 200 Hour Teacher Training with Vital Yoga, 100 Hour Anusara Immersion with Madhuri Martin
You know what it’s like when you love something … how you want to share it with everyone…. even the people in line at the grocery store? Well, that’s yoga for me.
Discovering yoga was a huge gift: healing chronic pain, centering me, energizing my body. While I practiced for ten years before I felt ready for teacher training, I knew early on I wanted to share the love.
My teaching is reflective of my gurus. Classes are a mix of Forrest and Power with Anusara alignment (if you can imagine that!). Expect juicy flows, thoughtful sequencing and often a touch of cowgirl music, as we tap into life's force - exploring strength and conviction, learning the abundance of our capabilities - with a few laughs in between.
Come for the fun, stay for the gifts!
Sarah Frank
Training: Baron Baptist Style of Power Vinyasa Flow, 200 hour RYT at Yoga on 6th. I have also taken booster Yin Yoga classes and posture series classes.
Yoga to me is a deeper way to connect with my inner self. I come to my mat to connect with my potential, strength and inner beauty. Although I appreciate all kinds of yoga, I find I thrive best in yoga classes that challenge and push me. If you want to get to something you have never had, you have to do something you have never done. My personal motto is to “be the light”. By striving to be the best you can be, you not only shine as brightly as you can, but show others that they too can shine as brightly. For me, yoga is a way to harness that positive energy on the mat so that it can be carried out into life.
Yoga for me is fun so first and for most I want to make yoga fun for all my students. I strive to create a safe and playful environment that allows my students to explore their practice and discover what our beautiful bodies are capable of doing. I encourage my students to help design the classes by telling me what poses they wish me to incorporate in the next class, that way we can discuss that pose deeper and classes become more about us as a group than me as a guide. I very much encourage modifications and I teach that it is important to challenge yourself, but to also find the balance of being humble by accepting where you are in class at that very moment. You might not yet know how to do a headstand, that does not make you any less of a yogi, it just gives you a goal to strive for. I am also very hands on, instructing not only with my voice, through demonstration by actual physical adjustments. I believe that we all learn differently and I incorporate all different ways of learning into practice. You are your best teacher, I am just a guide on the journey with you.
At Root Yoga I teach Beginner Yoga, with a focus on Vinyasa flow. The class is one hour long and incorporates core work, inversions as well as the basic Vinyasa yoga poses. My goal is to help you discover your connection with yoga.
Sarah Weight
Training: Corepower Hot Yoga & Hot Power Fusion Teacher Training Program, 200 Hr Certification
I am happily addicted to the array of sensations- strength, balance, invigoration, and tranquility- that practicing yoga lets me find within myself. Yoga lets me make peace with myself and quiet the inner naysayer. It lets me feel alive. A principle I love and teach from is from the documentary Yoga Unveiled: "Yoga does not bring peace and relaxation to a person like a Valium. It quiets down. Yoga teaches a person to calm the body & mind so we can see our natures are calm and relaxed." I don't believe we are designed to be chaotic and stressed out; we are designed to feel joy and love. Teaching yoga fulfills me on levels I never thought possible before beginning this journey. I can't help but teach with a smile on my face. I love guiding and sharing the gift of yoga with others, teaching from a place in my heart of non-judgement and compassion, encouraging us to not be our own worst critics but to be gentle on ourselves. Indeed I am a student first, loving all that the students in my class teach me about yoga and about myself. My style is a loving, eclectic fusion of typical Hatha yoga postures, hot-style postures, and Iyengar-influenced postures. At Root, I teach Vinyasa Flow.
Sarah Wolfgram
Training: Corepower Yoga 200 Hour, Anjali Restorative with Shannon Paige, The Conversation Level 2 Vinyasa 300 Hour (In progress) with Shannon Paige
I am most inspired by the twists and turns of a vinyasa yoga practice, and love that each vinyasa class offers a new journey to a peak pose or state of being in the world. I am also called by the power of rest that comes from restorative yoga, and am rooted in an alignment based practice. I work closely with students to carve a space that suits their needs for building strength and confidence, discovering the power of rest, or shifting a pattern of movement to increase health and wellness. I believe that yoga has health benefits that can work for anyone and am passionate about making the practice available to everyone, especially beginning students. My trademark teaching quality is my voice, which is always nice, even when I ask you to do something challenging. :)
My class is a playful, expressive journey into the self to help each student uncover individual gifts as we practice together in a community setting. I believe that yoga has the power to change lives and transform communities, and can’t imagine a better gift to share. I teach students how to soften from a place of great stability and connect to a community space where they can be strong and steady with their own unique power and grace.
Ar Root Yoga Center, I teach Flow and Restore.
Root Yoga Center
Root Yoga Center offers the Denver community a variety of yoga classes, instruction & yoga workshops for beginner to advanced yogis. Our goal is to help people cultivate awareness and connection through yoga, and a balanced lifestyle – thus our moto is “Feeling is Living!”. Please join us at the yoga studio for one of our healthy lifestyle events, like our fall and spring nutrition programs, forrest yoga events, art events, outdoor classes and more! We now offer yoga teacher training. Don't hesitate to contact us with any questions. Namaste!