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.

Chrissy began practicing  yoga in 2008 as a means to cope with mild anxiety, and instantly fell in love with the practice. She spent the next several years exploring the different types of yoga asana practices and cultivating her own personal practice. She also began incorporating yogic philosophy into her work in special education, which then inspired her to become a certified yoga instructor. In 2018, Chrissy received her certification from Gyan Yoga Breath  Ashram in Rishikesh, India. Upon her return home, she was able to immediately immerse herself into teaching, and since then has had the opportunity to teach a diverse group of people, including middle schoolers, seniors, and adults with special abilities. Using her experience in special education as inspiration, she has cultivated a teaching style with a gentle nature and warmth that her students can feel and appreciate.

 While there are many types of yoga out there, Chrissy believes that all yoga has the potential to impact every body, mind, and soul on the planet, and is excited to join the team at Monterey Yoga Shala, and to be a part of this growing yoga community. 

Bio Coming Soon!

Gui Ferreira or Quati ( capoeira nickname) started capoeira in Brazil in 1992 when he was 12 years old. He having been practicing capoeira since that time mostly in south Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul but also in São Paulo and Pernambuco places where he use to live as well. Also he has a University degree in Physical Education that is a plus on his experience where he can connect all the skills with capoeira as well and help kids and adults hit they goals and improve they performance.

He has been in United States for 7 years and teaching in Monterey for 6 years. Capoeira is his love and his life style too that create  joy, happiness, discipline, community, love to everyone that are connected with this art from Brazil.

Bio Coming Soon!

Rachel has been practicing yoga since 2003 and is a Kidding Around Yoga certified kids yoga instructor. She has had a life-long passion for helping children find joy and contentment.  She specializes in offering yoga classes to elementary and preschool-aged children of all skills and abilities.  Her classes give children tools and skills to gain confidence, cope with stress and feel their best in all aspects of life.

Rachel lives in Monterey with her husband and three children and is an at-home Spanish language instructor to her kiddos. She enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, running and engaging with her community.

Marybeth is a recent transplant to Monterey from Minnesota! She completed her 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training in April 2018 through Authentic Movements based in Uvita, Costa Rica. Marybeth recently completed her Kidding Around Yoga Training and is excited to be teaching kids since she is working towards becoming a school teacher!

Marybeth currently teaches adult classes at Union Yoga and kids classes at MY Museum and the Harrison Memorial Public Library – Park branch in Carmel. When she’s not teaching yoga, Marybeth likes baking bread and hiking with her goofy dog, Bast!