TEACHERS

Carol Hendershot

I found yoga in 1996 during a particularly difficult time in my life and it quickly became my main path to mental health and an incredible journey of growth and transformation. I soon realized that I wanted to share the gifts of yoga with others and began teaching in 2001.  I have studied Vinyasa Flow and Kripalu Yoga, became an Anusara Affiliate Teacher in 2003 and was certified as a LifeForce Yoga for Anxiety and Depression Teacher in 2005. I offer my gratitude to all the wonderful teachers that have so generously shared their knowledge, wisdom, and love, including Behnje Masson, Betsey Downing, John Friend and Amy Weintraub.

Katherine Florentine

My yoga practice began in the 1990's as I searched for peace and freedom in a body that was suffering the effects of an unbalanced life. After studying a variety of hatha yoga styles, Anusara yoga felt like I was coming home to myself.  It never ceases to amaze me how this practice enhances all aspects of life.  The answers to your life's questions are slowly revealed to you through dedication to your practice.  The challenge lies in being able to allow yourself to open up to it and listen to your personal dialogue. My heartfelt gratitude is extended towards my teachers John Friend, Todd Norian, Betsey Downing, Nischala Devi, and the inner teacher present in all of us.

Jana Kilgore

All my life I have been studying Eastern spirituality and philosophy along with nutrition, herbs, organic farming and cooking.  Years of healing my body/mind/spirit through meditation, travel and whole foods then brought me to hatha yoga in 2000. Finally, all the different parts seemed to fit together!  I have studied many styles of yoga with phenomenal teachers along the way. My first Anusara teacher, Desiree Rumbaugh, awakened the playful, evolutionary spirit within.  I am deeply grateful to her and the many other Anusara teachers I study with especially Behnje Masson and John Friend.  A long time student of Ayurveda and the body, I am a health consultant and certified massage therapist.  I am honored to serve.

Mary Ellen Troy

I began my serious study of yoga while working full-time for the  federal government in northern Virginia. This experience made me realize how much the practice of yoga can help one deal with the  pressures and stress of the work-a-day world. After receiving my yoga  teacher’s certificate from the Health Advantage Center in Herndon, VA, I taught there for a year before moving to Grand Rapids in 1998.  I have found in Anusara Yoga a lightness, freedom and openness that  was lacking in my earlier yoga practice. I am very grateful to John  Friend for making this possible and to Betsey Downing for introducing  me to Anusara Yoga. I am particularly grateful to Carol Hendershot  for providing such a beautiful environment in which to teach.

Mimi Ray

The first time I did yoga, I felt truly at home within this body and experienced the ability to simply “Be”; just as I was. When I moved to New York City, as a young designer, I continued to practice yoga and deepened my relationship to meditation, yoga and healthy lifestyle at Kripalu Center, visiting every opportunity I had. I moved to West Michigan in the 90s and began to study Anusara Yoga in 2002, continuing to study with John Friend and other senior teachers. Thank You to my teachers, especially Behnje Masson, Desiree Rumbaugh and Betsey Downing. It is a great joy to share this practice through teaching!