Anne Ethier, LAPC

A student and instructor of fitness since 1990, Anne believes that the body is one of our greatest teachers. She was trained to teach yoga in 2006, and helps her students hold compassionate space as they connect body, mind, and heart. Anne's style is influenced by Hatha and Vinyasa Flow Yoga. In addition to yoga, Anne has training as a dancer, massage therapist, and counselor. (www.pathwayscounselingathens.com). Anne is also a proud wife and mother.

Chet Thomas, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor

Chet has been teaching yoga in the Athens area for several years. He began his yoga practice many years ago for the physical benefits and found it crept into other aspects of his life, leading to the desire to begin teaching and sharing knowledge of the Iyengar approach to yoga. Chet was certified as an Iyengar Yoga Teacher in 2009, the culmination of several years of yoga practice, study, teaching and a rigorous examination process. He likes the Iyengar attention to detail and alignment, which helps to prevent injury; the equal emphasis on strength, flexibility, stamina and balance; and the adaptability to all ages and abilities. He encourages students to expand their physical limits while deepening understanding and awareness of the mind-body connection.
Chet has attended workshops and intensives with several senior level Iyengar instructors including Patricia Walden, Manuso Manous, Dean Lerner, and Laurie Blakeney. In 2010 he attended the Iyengar yoga teachers conference in Portland, which focused on therapeutics and was led by Geeta Iyengar.

Emily Deitz, Certified Vinyasa Yoga Instructor

Emily has been regularly practicing yoga since 2009.  It was through her practice of Hot Power Yoga that she felt compelled to become a certified Yoga Alliance 200-hour  teacher.  She trained with Merri Benham, owner of Flip Your Dog Yoga, in Gainesville, Georgia.  Her practice centers around power vinyasa and loves idea that all movement is linked with breath, both on and off the mat.  She believes that yoga helps center her mind and body and provides calm and connection to spirit making her a better wife to her husband, Brian, and mom to her two girls, Briley Paige and Eliannah Jane.

Henry Pursner, Certified Vinyasa Flow Instructor

Henry has been a physical therapist since1995 and since 2004 has been practicing at Athens Therapeutics and Wellness Center focusing on the treatment of chronic pain and other disharmonies of the body. Henry fell in love with yoga after the birth of his second daughter in 2005 and found that it awakened a vitality, strength and poise that could be then expressed to his family and community. Henry had the pleasure of completing the Rolf Gates vinyasa yoga training in 2008 and through that process is inspired to share the gift of coordinating alignment, attitude and action. He has furthered his studies in the Anusara style of hatha yoga by completing an Anusara Immersion with Kelley Gardner, Stacey Millner-Collins, and Sarah Faircloth and is walking the path to becoming a fully certified Anusara instructor. He shares a great and deep gratitude for all the teachers in his life, the students that grace his classes, and the joy and love we all cultivate through aligning with what is most important to us over and over again through a steady discipline of hatha yoga.

Janette Hill, Certified Yoga Instructor

Janette has been practicing yoga since 1998, receiving her 200 hour training in 2008 from Stephanie Keach at the Asheville Yoga Center. With a Ph.D. in education, Janette is committed to the learning process, helping others reach their full potential - on and off the mat. Janette's yoga style is influenced by flow and hatha yoga, as well as the practices associated with aruyeda. She is also certified as a mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher. Janette is currently completing her YA 500 hour certification as well as her 500 hour certification in yoga therapeutics.

Michele Berente, Certified Yoga Instructor

Michele discovered yoga in 1998 and has been practicing yoga regularly since 2003. Her greatest wish is for her students to attain a sense of balance through their yoga practice, both on and off the mat. Michele received her 200 hour certification through Mitchell Bleier Yoga and Inner Bliss Yoga Studio in Cleveland Ohio. Her training is in vinyasa flow with a strong emphasis on alignment.

Rachel Greb, Yoga Sprouts, Owner and Founder

YogaSprouts' owner and founder, completed her undergraduate studies at Tulane University and was awarded a Master of Arts from Piedmont College specializing in educating children with emotional and behavioral disorders such as Autism.  During her studies, she came upon the excellent therapeutic benefits of yoga and consequently, became certified in children's yoga.  Since then, she has and continues to study yoga under renowned yoga instructors in several training programs, including Karma Kids Yoga and studying Anusara Yoga.  YogaSprouts' mission is to help all children and young adults achieve their highest potential and experience enduring health and happiness.

Sarah Whitaker, Yoga Instructor

Sarah believes strongly in the power of cultivation, whether of new attitudes, new orientations to life, or new skills. For her, time on the yoga mat is time to cultivate an attitude of lightheartedness, an orientation of openness, and the skill of balancing effort and ease in every movement. She began her fascination with movement first as a dancer and then as Pilates teacher in the US and France. Her initiation to yoga was through the Ashtanga practice and she has trained in teaching the Sivananda style of yoga as well as with Rubber Soul's Adventure Club. When she's not teaching yoga, she's writing her dissertation on mindfulness in K-12 classrooms, working at UGA's Center for Teaching & Learning, riding bicycles, or cultivating new hobbies.

Samantha (Sam) Goldman, Certified Yoga Instructor

Sam is a 200 hour certified Yoga Instructor. She came to yoga looking for something to balance the running and weight training she was already doing. She wanted to stay flexible and had heard that yoga had calming side effects (with two small children, that sounded wonderful!). Though Sam did find yoga physically challenging with strength and flexibility benefits; she fell in love with yoga philosophy. The spiritual aspect of yoga made sense. She noticed that she started taking what she was learning on the mat into her everyday life. Sam experiences yoga as healing physically, spiritually and emotionally. It gives her clarity to navigate tough times and reminds her she is connected to everything and everyone. "Yoga teaches me to get out of my own way so that Higher energy can work magic in my life," says Sam. In Sam's classes you can expect to find a fun and welcoming space to practice with fellow yogis.  In every class Sam intends to help others on their path to healing and living a fully conscious life: mind, body and spirit. Namaste.

SJ Ursrey, Vinyasa Yoga Instructor

SJ has been practicing Vinyasa Yoga for four strong years. She practiced lots of other kinds of yoga for many years before that, trying to find The One. Vinyasa had her at Hello. SJ received her 200 hour certification with Shiva Rea at Exhale studio in Venice, CA. SJ relishes Shiva's love of dance and fluid movement, which matches her own. And, as a musician, connecting movement with music is something SJ thrives on; her passion is integrating fluid movement into Vinyasa Power Yoga. For SJ, linking breath with movement is totally where it's at. Om, Shanti!

Stefanie Brooks, Certified Yoga Instructor

Stefanie found her love for yoga in 2009 and completed her 200-hr certification through Peachtree Yoga Center in Atlanta in Spring 2012 under Graham Fowler and Daniela Simina. Her long-time passion for a healthy mind, spirit and body inspired her dream to become a yoga teacher. Through her own personal meditation and faithful yoga practice, Stefanie has become enchanted with not only the physical benefits of yoga, but the discovery of the depths of calm awareness and deep joy in everyday life. She enjoys connecting with others and sharing her love for physical movement yoked with breath. Stefanie’s greatest desire is to inspire her students to grow spiritually and physically through dedicated practice.