Ashland Yoga Center 

In her role as the Director of Ashland Yoga, Natalie oversees and manages all aspects of the organization, including events, teacher trainings, retreats, and the team of instructors. Serving as the main point of contact for AYC, she plays a pivotal role in establishing and nurturing the yoga community in Ashland. Natalie's journey in yoga spans over two decades, during which she has been a dedicated student. Having extensively studied under renowned teachers, she earned her credentials from the Yoga Therapy Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, her former place of residence. Despite a successful career as a radio host and producer in the Spanish media, Natalie faced challenges such as chronic lower back pain. Her personal healing through yoga inspired her to commit her life to assisting others in reclaiming their well-being. Driven by a passion for inclusivity, Natalie actively works to extend the benefits of yoga to marginalized communities, including inner-city children, incarcerated youth, and low-income mothers. This commitment reflects her belief in the transformative power of yoga and the importance of making it accessible to everyone.

Carlos is a Certified Yoga Teacher, college-graduate Fitness Trainer, and Certified Advanced Qigong Instructor and Internal Martial Arts teacher. He began his formal Mind-Body instruction more than two decades ago in the martial arts field; he then trained in yoga, cardio kickboxing, HIIT, and other fitness modalities. Carlos teaches cardio kickboxing, tai chi, qigong and core & cardio individual and group classes, as well as yoga classes and qigong series at Ashland Yoga Center, Ashland Hot Yoga and Court House Family Fitness. In his yoga practice, he incorporates some aspects of fitness science and physiology, as well as internal energy circulation for building physical strength from the inside out, cleansing and invigorating internal organs for optimal bodily functions, and strengthening the immune system to prevent disease. His classes are based on mind-breath-body harmony & coordination, with emphasis on proper alignment, uninterrupted awareness, chi circulation & core strength

Vanessa, E-RYT500, is co-founder of the Ashland Yoga Center and teaches Hatha Flow classes, workshops, immersions and teacher trainings with foundations in both Classical 8 Limb yoga and Tantric yoga philosophy, and deep inspiration from the beauty and vulnerability of the natural world. Vanessa’s classes combine vinyasa flow and sustained poses with focus on core strength and integration of breath, alignment and presence to unfold the ultimately spiritual nature of Yoga. She is known for her depth of understanding of alignment and ability to communicate these principles for greater stability, freedom and delight in students of all levels. Vanessa’s earliest training was the the 500 hr. Advanced Studies program at the Iyengar Institute of San Francisco; in 2003 she was certified as an Anusara Yoga Instructor. She has studied with many wonderful teachers over the course of the last 25 years and integrates wisdom and inspiration from them all into her teaching.

Tabbitha Bruce was born and raised in beautiful Southern Oregon where she now raises her three children with a fourth on the way. She spends most her time outdoors as fly fishing guide, and adventuring with her kids. Her passion for teaching and nature inspired her to become a yoga teacher in 2016. While she has taught many styles of yoga, the miracle of the body during pregnancy has shifted her focus towards prenatal yoga.

Manpreet is a Kundalini Yoga Teacher, singer, and mantra recording artist. Her Kundalini Yoga and Meditation journey began in 2006, never having taken a yoga class of any kind, she stumbled into her first kundalini yoga class and knew she’d found her “answer”. As a teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation she is devoted to sharing this user friendly yoga as a method for self healing and self empowerment. Manpreet believes in a modern approach to the practice and encourages practitioners with a “come as you are” attitude, to gently move out of their physical and meditative comfort zones and into the authentic Self. Manpreet embraces compassion and neutrality as the essential coping mechanisms for these highly pressurized times, and knows how the practicality of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation can elevate anyone who decides to participate. Join Manpreet for transformative and elevating classes, with an epic mantra music soundtrack, and may you be inspired towards your own magic, and magnetism.

After years of personal practice, Cat took the next step in her yoga journey with a 200 hour teacher training program through the Ashland Yoga Center in early 2021. She decided to pursue a 100 hour prenatal and postpartum yoga and movement training in Portland, Oregon through Next Wave Birth in the spring of 2023. Since then, she has focused on creating space for pregnant and postpartum people to care for their changing bodies at such an important time in their lives. Her prenatal classes focus on preparing the body for birth with gentle strength-building, breathing, and bringing movement to the pelvis, and her postpartum classes support birth recovery by reintegrating the core, reconnecting with strength in the body, and relieving tension from caring for baby.

Emmy Graham is a Harvard-trained epidemiologist who has found Kundalini Yoga to be a powerful technology for supporting our physical, mental and spiritual health and wellness. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for over 20 years.

Lisa E-RYT, TCTSY-F, teaches all levels of Hatha Yoga, is a certified Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator and offers workshops for those navigating grief and the many facets of loss. It is her sincere desire to offer a class that balances both strength and flexibility while cultivating an atmosphere of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Lisa encourages her students to inhabit their bodies with mindfulness cultivating deep inner presence. Her love of music, the human spirit and poetry are woven into her classes. Lisa’s inspiration to inhabit our bodies with intention and kindness comes from deep personal loss and the realization that no one can take care of your body, mind and soul but you. It is our privilege and duty to align all aspects of ourselves into balanced wholeness given our unique gifts and challenges. Lisa has found Yoga to be the portal to this process of inner peace and equanimity both at times of graceful passage and perhaps more importantly, at moments of fear and uncertainty. She has been teaching for the past 15 years in studios, volunteering yoga in the schools, the Hospice community, Winterspring and has taught at-risk teens through the Art of Yoga Project. She received her 200 hr. Yoga Alliance RYT certification from The White Lotus Foundation, but her teachers include every being she crosses paths with to include her family and the Grace of nature we are surrounded by. She is deeply grateful to Kristin Laak and Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois for their wisdom and knowledge of yoga philosophy and who continue to be instrumental in supporting her journey through The Sadvidya Foundation. Lisa is also a certified Integral life coach and can be contacted through Lisa@lifebeneaththesurface.com. “There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. Though it is secretly there, it draws no attention to itself. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility and our hearts to love life…This shy inner light is what enables

Briana is a creative and passionate health coach with twelve years experience guiding people toward a more integrated, and balanced life. Her lifetime of study in emotional, physical and spiritual wellness equips her to be an extraordinary resource, helping her clients achieve a life of balance, health and vitality. Briana's own journey of illness and healing led her to supplement her Sociology and Wilderness Studies degree from the University of Montana with training at the California College of Ayurveda where she became fully captivated by the philosophy and science of Ayurvedic medicine. Following her passion of building connections with people and cultural exploration, Briana spent several years working all over the world in youth development and adult wellness. She guided student trips, taught English and led health retreats in Thailand, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and India. In combination with her Mediation Certification and training in Nonviolent Communication, Briana worked as a residential counselor, case manager and program coordinator for Restorative Youth Justice. Briana’s education in holistic therapies, Ayurvedic herbalism and nutrition support her ability to provide a unique and specialized treatment plan for her clients. Briana is a graduate from the 2023 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Ashland Yoga Center. Briana is a wife and mother and has expanded her coaching practice to include Ayurvedic prenatal and postpartum support for women. Briana brings warmth and compassion to her practice with complete presence and focus on each person as a unique individual.

Wayne is a life-long musician who has studied the gong extensively under Gong Master Mehtab Benton. His authentic style of playing, infused with passion and intention, promotes deep relaxation and transformation. Wayne is the Founder-Director of Beneficial Sound, a 501(c)3 public charity committed to bringing wellness to the mind, body and soul through sound and vibration. He has a degree in Psychology, is a Certified Gong Practitioner and Yoga Instructor and is a member of the American Sound Healers Association.

Ginny Gillanders, an Occupational Therapist based at a local Medford hospital, specializes in working with individuals across different age groups, with a particular focus on older adults facing a range of physical challenges. With nearly half her life dedicated to practicing various forms of yoga, Ginny is a seasoned yogi. She identifies as an active mature adult and, in addition to her yoga practice, finds joy in activities such as weight training, cardiovascular exercises, camping, and boating. She's also passionate about gluten-free and Mediterranean cuisine, often whipping up delicious meals, and cherishes quality family time.

Mia has been a creator and devotee of movement all of her life. She found yoga at a young age and attributes this way of living to an ability to practice steadiness, love, and curiosity throughout life's hardships. Growing up as a dancer and majoring in Dance and Anthropology in college, she felt at home with the integral studies of yoga for its movement, history, and way of life. She studied traditional Iyengar yoga and started teaching in 2011 with the mission to weave ancient wisdom into the modern world. Each year she has dedicated herself to further deepening of study, bringing her all around the world to study restorative, yin, tantra, trauma informed yoga, and yoga for Women's Health. She is now a 500hr Registered Yoga Instructor, YACEP, Level 2 Relax and Renew Restorative Yoga Instructor, Certified Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher, and Certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Instructor, and Doula. She owns Move Create Ratiate, where she blends tools of women’s wisdom, breathwork, somatic movement, ceremonies, rituals, and yoga to nourish and balance women's health through all the rites of passage. Her work includes teaching classes, workshops, trainings, circles, and retreat experiences. Mia is dedicated to building community with each class and looks forward to the unique experiences and journeys that each person has that brings them to class. She has been grateful to teach in parks, studios, gyms, court houses, and homes. Mia is grateful to share her experience and reverence for this practice with the Ashland community.