Amy has been practicing and teaching yoga since discovering Ashtanga in 1999 and completing her first teacher training with Larry Schultz at It’s Yoga, San Francisco. She has practiced and taught up and down the California coast, sharing her love of the practice with people of all ages, abilities and intentions. Amy and her family happily settled on the Monterey Peninsula in 2009, where she found her teachers, Adarsh and Heleen Williams, and the wonderful community of yogis at Monterey Yoga Shala! Amy is the Owner and Director of Monterey Yoga.

Amy’s experience as a social worker over the years has allowed her to integrate yoga into her work supporting adults with developmental, physical, neurological and cognitive challenges. Her experience as a mom inspired her to teach yoga to kids of all ages and abilities. She truly believes the power and benefits of this practice are accessible to anyone with the intention and motivation to delve deeper into their internal landscape. Amy’s classes strive to offer an accessible and compassionate guide into this system, allowing students the space to find and connect with their own breath, their own practice, and their own unique way of being in the world.

Angelynn started her Ashtanga practice in 2009. Since then she has followed a practice of yoga and meditation every morning and it has become a fixture of her daily routine. She studied the Intensive Yoga Teacher Training under Adarsh and Heleen Williams and is honored to accept a teaching position at Monterey Yoga Shala.

Angelynn loves to share her experience of yoga with others. She hopes that with regular practice and support, she can help her students achieve stillness of mind and feel peace in their daily living.

Andrea was a practicing attorney, and a law school professor and dean. Her professional career helped her to hone her ability to explain and deconstruct unfamiliar concepts. Later, surgery and post-surgical treatment for breast cancer left her with a deep appreciation for the power of empathy and concern for others, which helps her to support her students.

Her teaching technique emphasizes coordinating breath and movement to help students cultivate strength, stability and flexibility.  She brings a mindful and gentle approach to sharing the Ashtanga practice with you, helping students discover this powerful tool and use it in their lives outside the studio. She is able to convey the Ashtanga techniques in a way that is empowering and supportive, allowing both beginning and experienced practitioners to develop a confident self-practice.

A former triathlete, Andrea came to Ashtanga to complement her intensive training in running, swimming and biking. As she learned and practiced, she came to realize that the spiritual depth and power of Ashtanga goes well beyond the physical discipline, and she has become passionate about sharing it with others.

Andrea aims to make Ashtanga accessible to all practitioners. Although her teaching is based on a foundation of tradition, she takes a practical and non-dogmatic approach. Classes are taught at a pace that allows and invites awareness and focus.  She brings fresh eyes to your practice, guiding you through the sequence while providing tips on how to make the sequence work for you. Andrea wants to inspire you and help you deeply connect to your practice.

Andrea continually strives to expand her knowledge and practice through classes and workshops with many respected Ashtanga teachers. After completing her 200-hour RYT training with Adarsh Williams and Heleen Zondag, she worked and learned with Kyongwha Kim-Nobis for two years. She frequently visits Tim Miller in Encinitas, California, where she works with Tim and with his staff of skilled teachers including Holly Gastil, Jen Rene and Natasha Teran. She has completed the primary series adjustment training under their supervision, and will complete Second Series training in July, 2019. She continues her in-depth asana and yoga philosophy studies with Leigha Nicole, a long time Authorized Ashtanga teacher in the tradition of Sri K Pattabhi Jois.

Vanessa Burkleo has been teaching restorative and corrective yoga for 2 years and is excited to expand her skills at Monterey Yoga. She currently holds a 200 hr yoga teacher certification from Monterey Yoga with a focus in Ashtanga Yoga. Vanessa started taking yoga in Seattle, Washington where she studied vocal performance and received her Bachelors of Arts in Music. Since then, she has been practicing and applying yoga to many facets of her life and found that yoga can improve concentration and overall performance levels.

Vanessa also holds Associate’s of Arts degrees for Kinesiology and Dance from Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. She is a licensed massage therapist with a strong background in medical massage and corrective exercise and she is a member of the Carmel Delights Dance company in Monterey. Vanessa has a zest for learning and a love for connecting with others to create joy.  Finding balance can be difficultIt in our modern world. Vanessa practices yoga to “live spherically, in many directions,” yet remain calm, centered, and peaceful in her core.

Bio Coming Soon!