Yoga Teacher Training Graduates: 2013

Beverly Ochieng

Beverly Ochieng’s first exposure to yoga was attending classes with her father in Columbus, OH. Active in volleyball, basketball and track in her youth, she enjoyed the physical aspects of yoga and the pure joy of getting to know her own body. In 2013, Beverly completed Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and is registered as an RYT-200 through Yoga Alliance. Through her training, Beverly found new pleasure in getting to know her spiritual body through pranayama and meditation as well as her asana practice. She treasures the relationships she has forged with her classmates in teacher training and looks forward to the plethora of options available to her as a yoga teacher and lifelong student. She is excited to start teaching Ashtanga and Hatha yoga classes to her peers at Wittenberg University, where she studies psychology and is a NCAC All-Conference Triple Jumper.

Bonnie Finneran

Bonnie Finneran Recently retired from the Columbus City Attorney’s Office. A proud mother of three children, Bonnie continues her career teaching yoga to all ages. A former Irish Step Dancer with the Richens Academy, Bonnie attended her first yoga class in 2003 and has been practicing avidly since. Bonnie received her YogaFit certification in 2009. Inspired by the teachings of some of her favorite teachers—Lori Fannin, Gwendolyn Surrant—Bonnie enrolled and was received her 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Certification from Laurel Hodory and Faculty (Sally Walsh-Roberts and Mary Donovan) in 2013. The therapeutic benefits of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and healthy alignment of hatha yoga instruction she received proved to be an invaluable tool in her home practice and to her students. She also holds a certification in Pilates through YMCA of the USA. Her philosophy — “If you can breathe you can practice” is one she enjoys proving true as she teaches and inspires her students.

Carrie Hamilton

Carrie Hamilton Since 2003 Carrie Hamilton has enjoyed the mental and physical benefits that yoga has to offer. She has tried several different styles and feels that yoga has helped her through some very difficult times in her life. The desire to share this with others led her to obtain her certification as Registered Yoga Teacher (RTY-200) in 2013. Carrie has also studied polarity therapy, holds a B.A. in Psychology, a Black Belt in Shito-ryu Karate and a Green belt in Taekwondo. Her studies in psychology and polarity therapy enhance her understanding of both Martial Arts and yoga as they are disciplines that have mental, physical and energetic influences on the body. She works for The City of Columbus and enjoys martial arts and photography in her spare time.

Denise Kalos

Denise Kalos first came to yoga to cope with anxiety and stress in 2008 at Ohio Sate while studying for her master’s degree in applied statistics. She had always been intrigued by the benefits of yoga and certainly felt a special lightness after leaving her first class. It wasn’t until 2010 when she was introduced to Ashtanga that she knew yoga would be a life-long practice. She found yoga to be both grounding and challenging. She enjoys finding new energy in familiar poses and tries to approach life with the same positivity. Denise received her 200 hour certification in 2013 in Ashtanga and Hatha with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. Through teaching, she hopes to share the peace and wholeness she has found in yoga with others.

Diane Ernsberger

Diane Ernsberger, RYT 200, is the owner of This Yoga Works! in Central Ohio, where she partners with wellness programs to provide the benefits of yoga to corporations. Diane was introduced to the yoga in 2001 when she took a Hatha community class to add variety to her weekly workout routine. She soon discovered the benefits that yoga had on her body and her mind. The idea of becoming a yoga teacher intrigued her for years and in 2013 she enrolled in the Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty. Diane knows firsthand that when you share your passion with others the benefits are endless and it never feels like work.

Elin Jespersen

Elin Jespersen has practiced yoga since 1999 and has taught at her own studio since 2010. As a physiotherapist at a rehabilitation center, she has found practical applications for many elements of yoga to her work with patients. This sparked in her a desire to further her knowledge and understanding of yoga and led her to the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty, where, in 2013, she became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga. Influenced by the teaching of B.K.S. Iyengar and others, Elin is eager to expand the offerings at her studio to include greater variety.

Elin has a Master’s Degree in Public Health Science. She also has experience driving dogsleds and mountain climbing, enjoys kayaking and finds great pleasure in being outdoors, preferably with her daughter and her dog at her side.

Emily Hanafin

Emily Hanafin’s first yoga class was in an intimate setting in the mountains of San Diego, California in 2003. She fell in love with how the poses made her feel powerful and physically and emotionally balanced. Her practice continued to strengthen over the years and helped her become a loving mother of two. Emily was asked to take over teaching a yoga class in 2011, which sparked her interest in learning more about yoga and led her to Yoga with Laurel Hodory & Faculty where she was certified in 2013 as an RYT-200. Emily hopes to inspire her students to take time every day to appreciate their bodies and how the teachings of yoga can transfer from our mats into our lives.

Emily Olsen

Emily Olsen holds a B.A. in Exercise Kinesiology and has been teaching group fitness and personal training since 2001. The wear and tear on her body motivated her to take her first yoga class in 2012 and it was love at first class! Yoga immediately filled a spiritual void in her and challenged her mentally more than any other class she had experienced. In 2013, Emily completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. She currently teaches yoga in numerous studios around Dublin and Powell.

Emily enjoys the creativity that comes with sequencing her classes. She challenges her students, both on and off their mats, and injects elements of play into her classes to remind students that yoga doesn’t have to be serious. A little laughter is expected in every class.

When not in the fitness or yoga studio, you can find Emily volunteering for local animal rescue Peace for Paws Ohio. She spends much of her time helping home shelter dogs at risk of being euthanized. Emily sews and sells pet collars and donates the proceeds to her rescue. In addition to her own 2 cats and a dog (all rescues), Emily almost always has at least one more foster dog in tow.

Geetanjali Vashisht Geetanjali

Geetanjali Vashisht Geetanjali had her first introduction to yoga during her school years. She carried the early teachings with her across the ocean when she came to the US from India after her marriage. What started out as a playful practice, turned into a very meaningful practice when the stress of life in a new place started taking its toll. Her yearning to understand the mind-body connection brought her to the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program with Laurel Hodory, where she received her RYT 200 certification in 2013.

The knowledge and tools she gained from her teachers helped her delve deeper into herself, pushing her further on the path to self discovery. The regular challenges on the mat and the ability to overcome them rejuvenated her spirit. Her yoga practice has brought out the best in her. She hopes to inspire others to do the same.

Gunnhild Breirem

Gunnhild Breirem’s first encounter with yoga was more than 20 years ago at a university yoga class. Her practice was inconsistent until three years ago when she fully committed and began to practice regularly. Gunnhild finds joy, serenity and peace of mind through her practice, which has become such an integral part of her life that she can no longer imagine life off the mat. In July 2013, Gunnhild became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty.

When she’s not on the mat, Gunnhild is a singer, voice teacher and choir conductor. She loves sharing her time with family and friends and spending time outside in nature. She is the mother of two grown sons and the proud grandmother of a little baby girl.

Heike Horrmann

Heike Horrmann has practiced yoga since 2006. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that her practice became a more integral part of her life; not just exercise but an exploration into herself. In 2013, Heike completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty and became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. Heike’s practice has been influenced by such teachers as Anne Devismes, Jordan Bloom, James Fox and Lea Loncar.

Originally from Berlin, Heike has lived and worked as an architect in Trondheim, Norway since 2003. She is drawn to the mountains and the sea and enjoys attending concerts and festivals, hiking, and preparing meals to share with good friends.

Jackie Theibert

Jackie Theibert took a yoga class from a teacher who came to the child care center she worked at when she was 19. She asked her teacher how she got into it and her teacher responded “once I started doing yoga, everything in my life got better.” That made Jackie wonder how this magical yoga could do such a thing. Jackie started practicing regularly several years later at a vinyasa studio full of high energy, open minded, and talented yogis and started to understand what her teacher meant by “yoga makes everything in life better.” Feeling the all around positive effects from yoga, Jackie was inspired to become a yoga teacher to deepen her practice and share the wonders of yoga with others and received her certificate from Laurel Hodory & Faculty in the spring of 2013. She loves working with children and taking on several different artistic endeavors, which shows in her upbeat and creative style of teaching vinyasa style of teaching to adults and various active themed styles to children.

Jenna Durban

Jenna Durban played soccer at Otterbein University up until a career ending injury the summer before her senior year. Having played sports her entire life, she searched for something that she could sustain throughout the different stages of life. Through her injury rehabilitation Jenna stumbled into a home yoga practice. During this time she became aware of the internal conflict of what the mind wants and the body needs. She started recognizing how our bodies are silenced daily, put on the backburner and disconnected from the mind. In 2013, Jenna completed Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and was certified to teach Hatha & Ashtanga Yoga. Her classes explore the forgotten conversation between the mental and physical self, working to place a balanced importance of both facets. When she’s not on the mat Jenna enjoys hiking, cooking and hanging out with her husband, Kyle.

Jill Endres

Jill Endres was introduced to yoga in 2003 when her sister dragged her to a yoga class. She went into the class filled with assumptions and was pleased when she found it challenging and enjoyable. She began to go to class regularly. Being into fitness Jill viewed yoga as just another workout. It was in 2009 that Yoga found Jill, during a difficult time in her life yoga became more important and less about the fitness. Jill began to expand her style of practice and found herself loving all different forms of yoga. Jill currently is in the business world, but her background in Psychology and counseling has helped her depth of understanding the psychological benefits of yoga. Jill is a strong believer in giving back to her community, and is actively involved with the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO), and has provided free “self-care” yoga for SARNCO, and believes strongly in sharing the gift of yoga. Jill is an avid tennis player and runner. In her down time she spends time with her two wonderful dogs, Sandy & MoJo. Jill received her 200 hour certification in 2013 from Laurel Hodory and Faculty. Jill’s teaching style has been described as vigorous, strong and challenging.

Jill Reyna

Having been a gymnast as a child, Jill Reyna enjoyed the challenges that yoga offered to her flexibility and strength. When she established a regular practice, she realized that yoga was effecting her “off the mat” through increased mindfulness and learning to breathe into a place of calm. After relocating to Columbus in 2013, Jill completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga. She enjoys the creativity and play in the practice and believes in the importance of being able to laugh at herself. Her classes offer a break from the chaos of life and an opportunity to connect mind, body and spirit.

Jill holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology (Xavier University) and Nursing (University of Cincinnati) and is certified as a Baby’s First Massage instructor. She enjoys trying new foods, dancing, bicycling, reading and spending time laughing with her husband and three children.

Kathleen Crowley

Kathleen Crowley was introduced to yoga in 2002 when she decided to take an introductory class with Laurel Hodory. She was immediately impressed with both the physical aspects of yoga and more importantly its underlying philosophy. The mind-body connection helped provided Kathleen with balance in her otherwise demanding life as an attorney and eventually inspired her to want to teach yoga to others. Kathleen has attended workshops given by Bryan Kest and Tim Miller, and in 2013 received her certification in Ashtanga and Hatha from Yoga with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. As a teacher, Kathleen hopes to spread the benefits of the mind-body connection and help others develop a healthy lifestyle through the practice of yoga.

Kinder Roth

Kinder Roth is a West coaster at heart, born and raised in Oregon…then moving to the Southern California sunshine. In 2011 she re-located to Columbus, OH with her husband and beloved Pomeranian and now resides in German Village. After a major foot injury and life on the road for her job with Free People, she began looking for some kind of oasis. She started doing yoga as rehabilitation for her injury and solace from her fast-paced lifestyle. She quickly fell in love with yoga and all it has to offer. When she saw the impact her practice had on her life, she became an advocate for yoga to all her friends and family. Then she knew; she wanted to spread the love and teach yoga so others could benefit from it as much as she has. She received her 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certificate in the Spring of 2013.

Kris Wilson

Kris Wilson first started teaching in the group fitness industry in 1997. After attending different styles of yoga classes she attended a seminar on meditation taught by Laurel Hodory. She was thrilled to learn the physical benefits of the pranayama (breathing) practice. It was here Kris felt drawn into Laurel’s in-depth knowledge of the benefits of yoga, Philosophy and anatomy. After an intensive 200 hour teacher training with Laurel and faculty, Kris received her certificate in March of 2013. As a teacher she wants students to feel comfortable and have a sense that they belong, no matter what their level of practice.

Lana Goldberg

Lana Goldberg became a devoted student of Yoga after experiencing its transformational and empowering magic in the late 1990s. After exploring various styles and falling in love with what yoga represented to her, she decided to deepen her knowledge by becoming a certified teacher.

Lana completed Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty and in 2014 registered with Yoga Alliance as an RYT-200. She also received her Yoga Tune Up® teacher certification from Jill Miller in 2012 and has studied with Steve and Robyn Capobianco and Max Strom.

As a teacher, Lana looks beyond physical movement to create a spiritually rich, healing, and safe practice that addresses tightness and lingering injuries in the body and fosters emotional freedom in the higher self. She is excited and honored to share a healthy, fulfilling and graceful yoga practice with her students.

Prior to studying yoga, Lana was an avid Ballroom and Argentine tango dancer. She loves music, books, learning, traveling and spending time with people she loves. When not on her mat, Lana works with a Life Science company in Massachusetts and chases her son in local parks.

Leah Moody

Leah Moody first became involved with yoga in high school for the physical relief from running. The mental and spiritual aspects quickly had her addicted and she has practiced ever since. She attributes yoga as the only way for her to control anxiety and keep her hip-flexors open all from the same practice. She enjoys the stability and peace that a yoga lifestyle brings to her otherwise ungrounded life as she engages in international travel several times annually to study less-commonly taught languages.

“Yoga helps to ground me no matter where in the world I may be. Unlike languages, cultures, people and materials, the yoga lifestyle has no limits and it is one of the few things that I can take with me wherever I go.”

A current student in the Master in Public Health program at Ohio State University, Leah has a special interest in small, organic farm food production and women’s health issues. She enjoys staying in touch with her yoga lifestyle by spending time in nature, playing the piano and eating vegetables.

Her yoga philosophy in the classroom is that in order to love and help others, you must first love and help yourself. In class, she will usually speak to the importance of staying in touch with nature in order to attain personal and spiritual awareness.

Leah was certified in 2014 in Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga by Yoga with Laurel Hodory and has taught at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center at Ohio State for two years. She will graduate in 2015 and plans to spend time in Asia doing public health outreach under either the Peace Corps or Fulbright grant.

Mari Rui Nygard

As a student of classical music in Oslo, Norway, Mari Rui Nygard found yoga to be a needed support and comfort. She uses yoga as part of her music education and performance to enhance her focus, as well as to maintain her physical health, a sense of calm and an open heart. Over the years, Mari has practiced many different styles of yoga, including Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram and Ashtanga, with teachers throughout Europe. In 2013, she completed the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty in Trondheim, Norway.

Megan Ferguson

Megan Ferguson is a devoted mother and fitness enthusiast. She started taking yoga classes as a natural way to help alleviate anxiety and augment her cross training. Shortly thereafter she discovered that a regular yoga practice helped her to find strength in herself as well as peacefulness through the mind, body and breath connection.

In 2005 Megan completed a yoga teacher training program to deepen her practice but did not pursue teaching certification. Eight years later she re-enrolled in the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory & Faculty, this time with the goal of sharing her passion for yoga with others through teaching. She received her certification in Hatha and Ashtanga yoga in November 2013.

As a yoga teacher Megan wants her students to feel inspired by their yoga practice and understand that yoga is a powerful vehicle for change no matter who you are. She also wants to impart the message of yogi Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa—yoga is not about self-improvement, it’s about self-acceptance.

Michelle Mineo

Sparked by curiosity, Michelle Mineo began her yoga practice as treat to herself for her 30th birthday. Over a decade later, her practice has anchored her through many milestones and transitions. Guided by her curiosity, Michelle has explored a variety of yoga styles, including classes in Ashtanga, Bikram, and recently kundalini. Her desire to share the gift of yoga led her to enroll in the Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory and Faculty, where she became certified as an RYT-200 in November, 2013. Michelle comes from background of service, having worked as a speech therapist for over 20 years. She enjoys an active lifestyle, as the mother of 3 boys as well as tri-athlete and half-marathoner. Her personal mantra, (courtesy of Lennon and McCartney), “And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.”

Perry Finley

Perry Finley, RYT 200, M.A. Sport Management, began practicing yoga in 2008 during his first year of undergraduate at Ohio State and has been practicing ever since. He earned his 200-hour certification through Laurel Hodory and Faculty in 2013. A former athlete, Perry’s passion for sports initially sparked his interest in the physical aspects of yoga. But fairly quickly, the transcendent qualities of the practice hooked him, enhancing his spirituality and relationships. He was drawn to yoga’s ability to increase mental and bodily awareness while helping him overcome his chronic ankle injuries and elevating overall strength and stamina. Perry firmly believes that the tools for a happy, successful, fulfilling life lie within and that each student has the ability to recognize and harness these qualities and abilities through focusing inward. His students have describes his classes as motivational, heart-felt, energetic, and fun. When he’s not on the mat, Perry has a passion for music, the outdoors, and travel.

Richard Georgoff

Richard Georgoff, a practicing Podiatrist for the last 26 years, started his fitness journey with marathons in his early twenties, triathlons in his thirties, Spinning/Body Building in his forties, and finally yoga as he entered his fifties. He also recently became certified in Muscle Activation Technique, a physical therapy modality to balance the muscular system. He has been a fitness and wellness education presenter at local and international fitness conferences and has an intense passion for nutrition. Richard believes that most healthcare issues are the result of improper nutrition and lack of proper wellness and fitness practices.

Through Yoga, Richard explored a different understanding of body movement, while still seeing connections between all his prior fitness experience and medical knowledge. The doors of yoga philosophy began to open when Richard was exposed to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras during Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty in 2013. Through contemplation of the Sutras he experienced a spiritual cultivation, of sorts, and picked up the nickname “Raja” from fellow classmates for his ongoing humbled study of what it means to live a yogic life. His most loved word and lifelong goal is Balance!

Sarah Pierson

Sarah Pierson began practicing yoga in 2004 and soon shifted her focus to mediation, after seven years if deep meditation practice with Dr. Reggie Ray, Sarah reintroduced asana yoga to her daily practice as a way to bridge meditation and movement. In doing so, she found a new depth to the practice of yoga and an additional tool for becoming more fully embodied in her life.

Sarah received her 200 hour yoga teacher certification with Laurel Hodory in May 2013. Sarah encourages her students to explore meditation in movement. Through this, her students have the opportunity to experience their lives in a fuller, more embodied way.

Siv M. Haugsdal

In July 2013, after four years of practicing different types of yoga, Siv M. Haugsdal became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. Through her study she deepened her own understanding of yoga and of herself. She gained awareness of her own strength and abilities, including a solid foundation of human anatomy and its application to her own practice. With her increased confidence and self-esteem, she looks forward to applying the wealth of new information to her own practice and someday perhaps to others through teaching yoga.

Vibeke Jamtoy

Vibeke Jamtoy is a full-time mother and skin therapist who is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Gender studies. In July 2013 she became certified to teach Hatha and Ashtanga yoga through the Yoga Teacher Training Program with Laurel Hodory and Faculty. As a yoga teacher, Vibeke brings a natural ability to provide hands-on assists that helps students safely achieve optimal alignment in their postures. She maintains balance in her life by limiting her teaching to one class per week, which allows her time for her work, studies, and of course, her beautiful daughter!