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Leslie Coombs, MA, ERYT
500
owner and director of The Avalon Yoga Studio
Leslie
began practicing Yoga in 1985 and readily incorporated Yoga into her daily life, her love of gardening and her 20 years of
teaching and coaching dance. She completed her Yoga teacher training in 2004 through a path of independent study and
completed her 500 hour training at The Himalayan Institute under the guidance of Sandy Anderson and Rolf Solvik. Leslie
brings a wide range of experience and training to her teaching including a masters degree in dance/movement therapy. Having
worked with many instructors from a variety of Yoga traditions allowed Leslie to develop her own unique style, which
can best be described as a slow motion flow. Leslie uses her extensive understanding of movement, a strong emphasis on
alignment and support and a gentle approach to provide a safe environment for students to explore the many benefits of Yoga.
She shares with her students a delight in the practice of mindfulness through movement and encourages the experience of being
joyfully present for each moment.
Sarah
Eyre RYT 200
Sarah
has practiced yoga for ten years and has studied meditation in the Buddhist tradition for over 16 years. She was led to deepen
her practice, and eventually to the decision to train as a yoga teacher, when she discovered that yoga and meditation were
enormously helpful in managing the chronic pain associated with multiple sclerosis. She completed her 200 hour teacher
training with the Avalon Yoga Studio in July 2011. Sarah’s gentle presence creates an environment in which students
are invited to move inward and explore the many benefits of yoga practice. She has a deep interest in yoga as a pain management
tool and continues to study this aspect of the practice. As an avid knitter, whose ‘day job’ is dyeing yarn, she
is also interested in teaching craft as a meditative practice.
Francesca Gibbs, RYT 200
Francesca has been practicing yoga since 2003 and completed the Avalon
Yoga Studio's 200 hour teacher training program in 2010. Yoga has been the key to mindfulness, self-awareness, and inner
peace for Francesca. Francesca currently practices law with the Office of the Attorney
General for the State of Maryland and finds yoga provides a great balance to her work. She is interested in providing
therapeutic instruction as well as a vigorous practice for students, depending upon their needs.
Cynthis Glynn ERYT 500
Cynthia is an experienced Eclectic Hatha Yoga teacher and 200/500 Hour graduate of the Yoga Teacher
Training Institute in New York, under the tutelege of Swami Ma Mokshapriya ShaktiSaraswati, Ph.D. and Marianne Mitsinikos,
E-RYT 500. Her classes emphsize breath and body awareness, alignment and the integration of mindfulness in yoga practice and
in life... and , above all, playfulness and love of yoga!
Cynthia has committed to a personal daily practice of yoga, japa mala and meditation for the past
9 years. Her heart, however, lies in yoga that is 'beyond the physical'; in yogic philosophy, japa mala and chanting(mantra,
bhajans, kirtans). She feels blessed to have practiced and traveled all around India in 2010, which was a truly profound,
life changing experience to'live' yoga every day in the land of its birth.
Sara Murphy RYT 200
Sara has studied yoga at The Avalon since 2005 and finds that yoga has had a tremendous
impact on her life and world view. She completed the Avalon Yoga Studio’s 200 hr Teacher Training Certification
program in 2010. Her gentle presence combined with a unique sense of humor bring a playful yet supportive atmosphere
to her classes. She holds a B.S. in Sculpture from Towson University and a M.Ed. from University of Maryland. Sara has taught art in Baltimore County Public Schools since 2003 and currently teaches at Halethorpe Elementary
School. She is particularly interested in combining yoga practice with creating art and co-teaches our
Children's Yoga and Art Camp.
Ginny
Pearce RYT 200
Ginny
originally began practicing yoga in the late 1970s to maintain fitness and acquire a better sense of body awareness. Through
continued study and practice she found herself drawn to the wider range of benefits of yoga practice, including
the unity of body, mind and spirit through yoga and began incorporating it into her daily life. Ginny has studied
with many instructors in classes and workshops and maintains a commitment to further study. She received
her teaching certificate from the Yoga Center in Columbia in 2001(originally not a 200 hour program) and in 2010 she
completed the Avalon 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training to satisfy requirements for the Yoga Alliance RYT. Ginny enjoys
sharing her love of yoga with others and helping her students reap the benefits of yoga that reach beyond the classroom to
provide a sense of balance, confidence and an overall feeling of well-being.
Kathy Reid RYT 200
Kathy Reid received her Yoga teacher certification
from the Columbia Yoga Center in 1995 and in 2010 she completed the Avalon 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training to satisfy requirements
for the Yoga Alliance RYT. Kathy teaches yoga in the Iyengar style with a strong emphasis on alignment and a creative
use of props. Kathy has taught all age groups and has developed a particular expertise in offering yoga to seniors and
those requiring a gentle approach to yoga. Her teaching encourages students to develop their own personal practice to gain
the full benefits of everyday yoga. Kathy is also a student of Tai Chi and enjoys blending the concepts of these two ancient
traditions
Kathleen
Rieger RYT 200
Kathleen has had
a life long passion for yoga. A few years ago, she turned to yoga as one path
on a journey of self-discovery. She soon discovered a never known centered calm
and an increased connection to herself. She has been practicing yoga at Avalon since 2009 and completed her Avalon 200 hour Teacher Training Certification in July
2011. Kathleen enjoys studying the yogic philosophies of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras,
the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads and continues to take workshops to deepen her yoga knowledge. She hopes to help students discover their physical power, connection between mind & body and reveal
the grace (their true spirit) they already have within themselves.
Melissa
Salazar-Goon
In
2003, a quest for alternative therapy began Melissa's yoga journey and
a path was set. Melissa took her practice to another level by completing her 200 hour certification training through The Avalon Yoga Studio. Believing
any “body” can practice and benefit from yoga, her practice has brought
her balance, strength and flexibility both on and off the mat. Her welcoming style encourages transformation from the inside
out. Through teaching, Melissa feels she's giving the opportunity to provide an experience that cultivates peace of mind and
inner awareness.
Missy Wheeler RYT 200
Missy is a longtime yoga practitioner and has taught Prekindergarten and Kindergarten children in the classroom
for 20 years. She has been using yoga concepts and techniques in her classroom and recently trained through Radiant Child
to teach yoga to children. She completed the Avalon 200 Hour Teacher Training in 2011. Missy's classes offer an
opportunity for children to experience a sense of calm and peacefulness while they have fun exploring yoga. |
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