Yoga Teacher Training Graduates: 2011

Amy Gatto Klein

Amy Gatto Klein joined her first yoga class while earning her Master’s degree in recreation studies in 2001. Ever since that day, she has been hooked on studying the movement, philosophy and impact of yoga. After spending years studying and practicing on her own, she completed a 200 hour teacher training program with Laurel Hodory in 2011.

With a background and career experience working in public relations and event planning, Amy is currently keeping a very different schedule as a stay-at-home-mom to her two young children. She enjoys instilling mindfulness practices in between playground outings and walks around the neighborhood and treasures this season of her life as a chance to slow down and serve others.

Students of Amy’s note her nurturing spirit and confident ability to lead a class. Amy believes yoga is meant for every body, at every stage of life. Everyone who practices can experience benefits and Amy delights in seeing these metamorphoses on the mat.

Anne Weidinger

Anne found yoga about 10 years ago. After many years of professional dance and dance education, she was looking for a movement style that would physically challenge her, while being gentler on her body. The physical benefits were great, but Anne was amazed by the sense of calm and peace yoga brought her. Yoga provides a path of self exploration that continues to reinvigorate her and empowers her to live her life ON PURPOSE.

Anne has been teaching since December 2010. Her students have described her as “dynamic” and “inspiring”. Through her understanding of movement, breath and alignment, Anne helps her students develop their practice and self awareness. Her classes are creatively sequenced based on breath and flow.

Anne received her BFA in Dance Performance from The Ohio State University in 2001. She completed her Yoga Alliance Yoga Teacher Training Certificate with Laurel Hodory in June 2011. She is always a student- looking forward to the next chapter on her yoga journey! Anne’s discoveries continue to influence her, both as a teacher and yoga practitioner.

Contact: anne.weidinger [at] gmail.com

Hannah Siegle

Hannah Siegle came to yoga to cope with the effects of graduate school and stressful job as a high school science teacher. Through the wonders of the breath, movement, and mindfulness that is yoga Hannah chose to leave her teaching job and enter recovery for a 14-year long battle with an eating disorder and anxiety. Yoga has empowered her life and allowed her to step into her authentic self.

Hannah has been teaching since August of 2010 and in November of 2011 completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program with Laurel Hodory. She is now actively working on her training in yoga therapy to help attain her goal of working with those who struggle with mental illness.

Her classes are full of freedom and light energy. Her teachings focus on stepping away from the seriousness of life, and opening to the playfulness of life while creating a space for a strong body and mind.

Hannah is currently is working toward teaching yoga full time both in public classes as well as private as a yoga therapist through Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. She also tutors in after-school programs with Communities in Schools. In her free time she enjoys laughing with friends and family, her two Pugs, blogging, writing, and any activity outdoors. Hannah regularly blogs on her website Balancing on Two Feet where her current teaching schedule can be found and can also be reached at hannah.siegle [at] gmail.com.

Jamie Davies O’Leary

A lifelong competitive soccer player, Jamie found yoga in 2006 and fell in love immediately with its ability to help calm her mind, ease her stress, relieve tension, and find better sleep. She’s been practicing ever since and credits yoga for catalyzing her own healing process, finding a pathway of mindfulness, and creating the life she was meant to live.

Jamie has developed a special interest in bringing yoga to underserved populations, especially women affected by violence. In June 2011 with the help of several other committed yogis, Jamie started a coalition group, “yogaServe,” to bring yoga’s healing benefits to those with limited access to it. She teaches yoga to women at a domestic violence shelter and to workers working with traumatized women and kids.

She is certified in both Hatha and Ashtanga styles through Laurel Hodory’s RYT-200 hour certification program, and is passionate about teaching yoga to anyone wishing to experience the manifold benefits it brings. Jamie has completed workshops with Sean Corne and John Friend, and is drawn toward their respective styles of service-oriented yoga and Anusara. Jamie has a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University, is a former school teacher through Teach For America, and was named a 2004 Truman Scholar for leadership and likelihood to be a “change agent.” She views all of these experiences in teaching and learning as integral for developing her passion for social justice, writing, and activism.

Jen Simmons

As a Firefighter/Paramedic for 12 years, Jen saw chronic health issues and pain every day. She started practicing yoga ten years ago from a TV program. Initially it was just another form of exercise; one that she found surprisingly challenging, yet left her feeling terrific. It wasn’t until she suffered a stroke in 2006 did she realize the healing power of yoga. Her beloved career was lost. By using yoga to rehabilitate her body, she found not only physical and emotional healing, but a glorious new path and a grateful outlook on life. She learned that some of life’s greatest blessings come in challenging disguises.

Jen recently received her Yoga Alliance RYT-200 certification after graduating from 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory. She currently teaches Gentle Yoga for Arthritis and Beginner’s Yoga in rural Croton, Ohio. She intends to spread the joyful healing of yoga to rural areas as well as spread the word that yoga is for EVERY body. Jen enjoys spending time with her family and reveling in the quiet splendor of country life.

Julia Purdy

Julia was first introduced to yoga in 2005 when she signed up for a beginner’s series at It’s Yoga in Grandview, but it wasn’t until 2 years later that she was called back to yoga as a means of dealing with severe anxiety and panic disorder. Through asana, pranayama and meditation, she felt a great weight lifted and was able to breathe again. After experiencing the vast physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga she was determined to share it with others. Julia is trained in both Hatha and Ashtanga yoga and completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certification in June of 2011 with Laurel Hodory. This intensive training combines the intelligence of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system and the refined alignment principles of Hatha Yoga, incorporating hands-on assists and modifications. You can find her teaching at The Winchester Institute of Chiropractic Health and Wellness in Dublin, OH. Her classes are light-hearted and playful and allow space for each student to step into their own light, both on and off the mat.

Kristy Gerlich

Taking her first class as an undergraduate student, Kristy immediately took to yoga and has been practicing ever since. Ten years later, she has practiced across most of the country from San Francisco—where she really deepened her personal practice and awoke to the transformative powers of yoga—to New York where she challenged herself in advanced classes. A ten week stay at the Omega Institute in upstate New York solidified her commitment to exploring the yogic teachings and the mind, body, breath connection.

Kristy is an organic farmer who physically uses her body very hard almost every day. Yoga has been a literal life saver for her as a restorative balance to the daily aggressive tasks demanded by the farming lifestyle. Driven to share the peace she experiences from her own restorative practice, she enrolled in Laurel Hodory’s 200 Hr. Yoga Teacher Training. The training covered both Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga. New to teaching, she and is eager to share her inspired knowledge drawing from her own strong asana practice in the hopes of facilitating a co-creative environment with her students in the studio.

Mary Coleman

Mary began yoga as a home practice when she was searching for an alternative to her normal aerobic exercise. After spending two years practicing with the use of DVDs, she realized that she needed a teacher who could help her find the way. Mary began studying privately with Laurel Hodory (Columbus, Ohio) in 2009. The experience was transformative. Mary became a Certified Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance in November 2011.

Mary believes in the body’s ability to heal itself. In 2011, she became a Certified Health Coach, founding her health coaching business, “Celebrating Health, LLC”. “Yoga is a natural part of my philosophy for health and wellness.” Mary says, “When we align ourselves with the core principals of yoga, eat well, care for ourselves and reflect on our lives in a conscious manner, we begin to know a life filled with abundance, joy and passion. We all want to live our unlived lives, to know what it is like to wake up everyday filled with passion for what we do.”

Mary enjoys a vigorous practice but also embraces the enormous value of a restorative practice. “I believe that every body can do yoga. No matter what you believe your limitations to be, I believe that there is a yoga practice available to you, if you want it.”

“Since I was 16-years-old, I had endured daily shoulder and neck pain as a result of an accident. Truly for almost 30 years, I did not know a single day without discomfort until I began a regular practice of yoga. I still remember the joy that I experienced when, after only a month of dedicated yoga practice, I realized that I had no pain! The beautiful part was that after the pain was removed from my life, I could focus on developing my inner life without distraction.”

Mary is eager to share yoga and wellness with others and can be reached through her website at www.celebratinghealth.us.

Mathew Citriglia

Matthew’s introduction to yoga came via a P90X fitness DVD in 2009. It was nothing like he expected and was one of the most intense workouts he had ever experienced. He discovered yoga worked the entire body: it built strength, increased flexibility, improved endurance, and created a mental focus that shut off the rest of the world. He began to study the subject but was overwhelmed by the many diverse practices yoga offered. Fascinated by the subject matter, he joined a Yoga Teacher Training 200hour Program with Laurel Hodory in January of 2011 from which he graduated in November 2011. The training provided focus, direction and solid ground to allow the seeds of yoga knowledge to sprout.

Matthew seeks out a variety of yoga workshops to improve his knowledge and understanding of the practice. He loves the power of arm balances, the freedom of flying and the focus of binds. Students enjoy the passion and positive energy that he brings to class, along with ability to instill a sense of confidence in them.

As a Master Sommelier and Director of Education for Vintage Wine Distributor, Matthew spends most of his time instilling his knowledge and passion for wine, beer, sprits and sake to hospitality professionals and consumers. No matter how busy life gets, Matthew always makes time to break up his day with a wide variety of activities that will raise the heart rate and intensify life’s pleasure: Yoga, mountain biking, hiking, roller hockey, snowboarding, running, or jumping on a slackline are just a few of the activities he can be found enjoying.

Sara Fischer

Sara was introduced to yoga as a way to de-stress when preparing for her candidacy exam during graduate school, and has been hooked ever since. As a life-long dancer and athlete, she found that yoga created the perfect blend of strength, flexibility, and calmness of the mind. Her first love is a vigorous yoga style such as Ashtanga or Vinyasa Flow, however she also has a great appreciation for slower moving Hatha styles and the occasional Yin or Restorative practice. Sara’s yoga classes are athletic, sweaty, and fun, and are a blend of Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow styles. Sara has a passion for teaching beginner students, and hopes to bring yoga into the lives of as many students as possible. She has attended several workshops, and recently attended an intensive workshop with David Swenson. She completed her 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification in Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga with Laurel Hodory in June 2011, and is registered with the Yoga Alliance.

Sara received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology in May 2007 from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She will complete her PhD in Integrated Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Immunology in August 2011 from the Ohio State University. She hopes to combine her practical knowledge of science and medicine with the teaching of yoga in order to better serve her students in their yoga practices as well as their lives off of the mat. Besides practicing and teaching yoga, working in the lab, or spending time with family and friends, Sara works as a freelance medical and scientific writer.

Stephanie Frailey

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Indiana University in Business Management and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Notre Dame University. Stephanie sought out yoga during her pregnancy about five years ago to foster a calm mind and healthy body during a time of development and change. It worked! Since then, yoga has become a lifestyle choice, on and off the mat. Stephanie wants to share her passion for yoga with her students and cultivate the seed or “bija” in each of them through self expression.

She received her 200 hour certification through Yoga Alliance from Laurel Hodory in 2011. The training program focuses on both Ashtanga and Hatha styles coupled with alignment techniques through hands on assists and adjustments. Stephanie has traveled extensively and practiced/learned from a myriad of teachers in the US and abroad. She also participated in an intensive workshop led by Rodney Yee in Columbus this past year.

Theresa Colson

Drawing on her experience as an artist, studies of nature, and pursuit of a karma-neutral lifestyle, Theresa encourages her students to find their own expression through the practice of yoga, constructing new habits of thought and movement that will extend beyond the yoga mat. Like many, Theresa’s path to yoga came from a desire to become healthier in body, mind, and spirit after a challenging life experience. In addition to her yogic studies, Theresa is a jewelry designer (specializing in gemstone therapy), and holds a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from The Ohio State University. She loves to experiment and draw from many of the yoga schools and philosophies to explore new ways of seeing, whether in her artistic endeavors, the kitchen cooking up a storm, or in asana practice. She brings a sense of adventure, innovation, and humor to her teaching. Having experienced yoga as a powerful healing modality in her own life, Theresa is grateful to have the opportunity as a yoga teacher to not only guide her students, but also learn from them as they explore their own yoga path. She is eager to help light the way as students open to and deepen their connection with the wisdom and beauty of their own consciousness. Theresa teaches for the Yoga Circle and Conscious Columbus, student organizations at The Ohio State University.
Contact: tlcdesigns33 [at] mail.com, 614-746-7985

Tulla Zambetis

Tulla Zambetis works full-time and enjoys yoga for the physical practice. In 2011, she participated in the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory and plans to complete her certification in the near future. Through the training, she realized how much more there was to learn and found personal growth while deepening her own practice. Tulla’s goal is to teach and to help others realize the many benefits of yoga. She enjoys travelling, spending time with family, friends and her cats.

Wendi Bergdoll

Wendi began practicing yoga in 1999 when she was pregnant with her 3rd child. She was looking for a gentle physical practice that helped to maintain fitness and create a connection to her pregnancy. What she found was a mind-body/baby connection that she had never experienced before. Ever since, she has been a yogi at heart. She has continued to practice ashtanga and other forms of vinyasa-style yoga and developed an interest in deepening her practice which led her to the teacher training program. She remains interested in using yoga as a path to both physical fitness and personal growth and hopes to share that with others.

Wendi completed her Masters in Health Care Administration at the Ohio State University in 1993. She received her Yoga Teacher Training Certification (200HR) from Laurel Hodory’s program in June, 2011 and plans to continue exploring all that yoga has to offer. She has experience teaching yoga to teen athletes and introducing them to a potentially lifelong practice which benefits their strength, flexibility, and focus. She is especially interested in providing supportive, yet challenging yoga experiences that allow students to trust their foundations, find their strengths, and explore their possibilities.