Mandy is an experienced, registered yoga instructor at the 500-hour level, has been trained in Thai Bodywork, and is a continuing education provider for Yoga Alliance. She began practicing yoga in 2010 on a friend's suggestion that it may help with unexplained seizures she had been experiencing. Mandy was also grieving the loss of her mother two years previously and found the practice to be an emotional support in processing her grief. After several years of being a student, she traveled to Mal Pais, Costa Rica to complete her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2018. Mandy began teaching yoga the week of returning from teacher training and knew this was her life's calling. She opened Lunar Yoga in the fall of 2022 and in 2023 led several retreats, started Lunar Yoga's first 200-hour teacher training, and created the space for a warm and welcoming community.

Mandy finds that her yoga practice and teaching practice are constantly growing and changing. At the beginning of her yoga practice, she focused on finding a challenging class or mastering complicated asanas. After experiencing some injuries and illness, Mandy found the benefits of more calming and regulating practices and discovered a love for yoga philosophy and meditation. Her teaching styles include alignment, fast-paced vinyasa, nurturing yin, and restorative yoga. Mandy also facilitates sound baths, which is one of her favorite offerings for her students and an invitation to slow down and experience rest.

Outside of teaching and running the studio, you will find her gardening, making art, traveling, simultaneously reading three or more books, renovating something in her house or the studio, and playing with her three dogs, Theo, Jaxx, and Jackson.

Rebecca has been practicing yoga for over two decades and teaching since 2009. She was naturally drawn to aspects of the yoga practice early in her life, although she had never heard of moving meditation. Rebecca was diagnosed with scoliosis in her 20s. She turned to yoga to find the quietness she missed from running. Her yoga practice began simply—by incorporating simple movements and postures into her morning routine. After practicing on her own and noting the physical benefits, she wanted to learn more and enrolled in her first teacher training.

Rebecca's classes are mindfully sequenced with an attentiveness to alignment and integration that has grown out of her love for biomechanics and anatomy. Skilled in a variety of styles and traditions, her favorite style of yoga class to teach is one incorporating as many props as possible, she enjoys adding movements from modalities such as Somatics and the Feldenkrais Method to help students create mobility and untangle holding patterns in their bodies.

Outside of yoga teaching, Rebecca works as a somatic movement and clinical yoga therapist certified through the International Association Of Yoga Therapists. She holds a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy, is an experienced registered yoga teacher, is a Level II Reiki practitioner, and is a graduate of the Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation where she studied meditation and contemplative living. Her favorite meditation practice is wandering through the woods and observing the wildlife taunt her cattle dog, Gracie.

Laura's journey to yoga began when she was just 19 and experiencing an intense struggle with anxiety. After studying yoga at her university for 2 years, she became a student of Swami Jaya Devi Bhagavati in 2015. She graduated from Kashi Atlanta Ashram's 200-hour teacher training program in 2016, where she is now a senior teacher and facilitator of the 200-hour training program. Through her training, she received a spiritual name from the Kashi Yoga Lineage: Tara Devi Jaya, named for the Tibetan Buddhist goddess of compassion and liberation. Laura's classes focus on bringing an experience of connection to self, spirit, and breath with a focus on integrity, safety, adaptability, and alignment in asana (physical postures), as well as pranayama (breath practices) and guided meditations that allow her students to connect to mystical and contemplative practices in an accessible and genuine way.

Outside of the classroom, Laura is a psychotherapist and credits her path of studying yoga and meditation for leading her into her work in the therapy room. She received her Master of Social Work from Florida State University in December of 2022 and earned her associate licensure (LMSW) in May of 2023. Laura is a clinician at Align Wellness where her therapeutic style synthesizes body-based and contemplative tools like yoga and meditation with classical talk therapy skills and practices to encourage nervous system regulation, empowerment, and growth in her clients.

Chad started practicing yoga in June of 2017 due to low back pain. A career musician and pianist, hours of sitting and repetitive movements had taken a toll on his body. He found that through regular yoga practice, he was able to improve his flexibility, strengthen his body, and increase endurance in those long-held standing postures! Having started yoga later in his life with a sense of curiosity and mindfulness, he's still sometimes surprised to discover moving into poses that he never thought would be accessible when he first stepped on a yoga mat.

Chad's classes are all about finding balance. To achieve this, his classes sometimes focus on challenging postures, mobility, gentle movement, flowing with the breath, or a combination of all of the above. A professional musician and composer, he includes music/sound experience and various styles of breathwork into body awareness drills and exercises focused on vagus nerve stimulation. Chad will often incorporate Native American flute, crystal singing bowls, chanting, pan drums, and other instruments into his classes as a way to help his students settle into relaxation. Outside of class, you'll find Chad playing music, involved in philosophical discussions, or spending time with his two dogs, Max and Sky.

Kriss has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. Initially drawn to the practice as a physical fitness routine, she always saw it as a way to stretch and recover from the "real" workout. During a time of intense turmoil that threatened to turn her world upside down, she found yoga supported more than just her body. Her yoga practice provided the tools to help her put her life back together and find growth in body and spirit. Yoga has been her sanctuary and her healing journey inspired her to guide others toward healing and wholeness.

Kriss' classes are well-rounded and intentionally sequenced. She is trained in most styles, but she is drawn to more mindful and meditative practices like Yoga Nidra. Her favorite style to teach is Vin-Yin; she finds that bringing movement to slow the mind opens the door to allow stillness to soothe the soul. A cancer survivor and thriver, Kriss credits her journey through surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for giving her a deeper empathetic understanding of the special attention that some bodies and souls need. No matter the style of class, her goal as a yoga teacher is to offer students a space for self-healing, mental clarity, and an opportunity for laughter whenever it's needed.

Outside of the yoga studio, Kriss works in public education as a district specialist supporting schools to ensure every student has the resources they need to be successful. She is an avid dog lover, and as she puts it, her four dogs (Levon, Daniel, Harmony, and Rocket Man) ARE her spare time. She also enjoys the outdoors, being by the water, making earrings, and creating essential oil sprays.

Catherine found her yoga practice during a difficult time of her life. Yoga helped her find a stronger sense of self, become more in tune with her body, and gave her the tools to find mental and emotional well-being amidst tragedy, personal loss, and everyday stress. Catherine works as a Navy Gold Star Coordinator. Prior to this she worked for 5 years as a services coordinator with the Department of the Army Survivor Outreach Services serving Families of the Fallen. Her professional journey has also taught her compassion and empathy as she has learned how to walk into fire with others, hold space, and guide them out of the flames. These professional roles of learning to walk alongside others experiencing grief and trauma can be seen in her yoga classes in her invitation and encouragement to students to hold compassion and reunite with their inner selves.

Her classes use asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breathing), and meditation to encourage students to come home to their bodies and connect with their emotions. Her goal is for her students to feel safe in their practice and empowered when they step off their mats. Catherine's yoga teacher training includes 200-hour and 300-hour trainings at Universal Power Yoga in Boston as well as trauma-informed yoga trainings through the Veteran's Yoga Project and Trauma: Tantra Hatha Yoga with Holle Black, co-founder of Centering Youth.

Her Ashtanga class is a short form version of the primary series and also made a bit easier for all levels and we add some fun extra poses here and there for the element of surprise. It is meant to be a humble version of a serious healing practice.

Her warm flow is a format derived from Ashtanga with a sunA and sunB sequence then a “sunC” progression is added. After than we find our edge and then wind down slowly to prepare for Savasana. Lots of options to modify or accentuate this practice. Very lightly heated to encourage warming up the body get the blood flowing.

In her time off from Lunar yoga, She like to host yoga challenges for businesses to encourage movement during the day and brain breaks. She like hanging with her dogs and her husband doing yard work and heading to the lake.

She also host the “Yoga And Other $h!t “ podcast

With two of our Lunar Yogis Elizabeth Chavez Phillips and Rachel Reed!!

Kimberly is a compassionate and nurturing yoga teacher. She completed her 200 hour Hatha yoga training in Atlanta about 14 years ago. Over the years, Kimberly has been trained and certified in many yoga courses. She prefers to teach Gentle Yoga. In addition to teaching yoga, Kimberly is a Licensed and Certified Massage Therapist of 20+years. Her office is located inside our Lunar Yoga Studio. Kimberly specializes in Integrated Therapeutic Massage. Her goal is to make each and every client’s massage a unique experience.

In the late 1980’s, Kimberly began her career as a Special Education Teacher/Early Interventionist for children with varying exceptionalities. In 2002, she very slowly made a transition out of the high stress of teaching into the quiet, serene new world of massage therapy and yoga. The reason for this career change came after a diagnosis of (MS) Multiple Sclerosis, in 1999. Kimberly’s personal recovery medicine of choice was massage, exercise and yoga. It took Kimberly many years to learn how to relax. And, the biggest realization over time was that she wasn’t breathing properly. Her muscle tightness and tension was basically self- induced from not properly exhaling.

It was Yoga that truly taught her to breathe. Yoga taught her to quiet her mind. Yoga taught her to be at peace with herself. These internal lessons are what made her crave and fall in love with yoga. Her intention and desire is for all yoga students, including her massage clients to practice yoga on a daily basis, whether 10, 15, or 20minutes. “ Attending a full hour yoga class is amazing but do what you can do”.

Kimberly’s belief is, “ Whatever you do, do it mindfully. Take time to be present with yourself. Practice meditation, breath work and poses/shapes together or in pieces. Just practice. All the stretching, strengthening & attended classes are just parts of the amazing pieces of yoga. There is so much to learn. Enjoy and fall in love with your yoga journey. “

Esmeralda found her yoga practice recently in her late twenties, She always dabbled back and forth but it was never her preferred activity. Recently she's learned a lot about her self and found yoga calling her back to continue her journey of self discovery. Yoga has taught her a lot about patience, self love, confidence, taking things as they are and most importantly what is meant for her will never pass by. Like this practice and now this journey.