Teacher Bios

Linda Alley-Sarnack
Yin Yoga
Linda Alley-Sarnack has been practicing yoga since 1992. She is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and has been certified since 2003. Linda has received the wisdom of many yoga teachers, among them Anne Cushman, Anna Forrest, Paul Grilley, Shiva Rae and Janice Gates. She is currently studying with Mark Whitwell in the lineage of T Krishnamacharya. Linda is also a dedicated practicioner of Theravadan Buddhism in the lineage of Sayadaw U Pandita, and has studied with teachers Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, Philip Moffitt, and Anna Douglas. Starting in October 2007, Linda will begin training in the Mindfulness Yoga program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. Linda currently teaches Yin Yoga at Providence as well as Hatha yoga classes to teenagers at Tucson High Magnet School.

Tom Beall
Hatha
Tom is a certified with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 level instructor. He is also a Professional Level Kripalu Yoga Instructor with 30 years of experience teaching yoga. His background, in addition to Kripalu yoga, includes studying Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini, Anusara, and Vinyasa yoga. Most recently he has been studying with Mark Whitwell in the lineage of T Krishnamacharya. Tom brings to his classes a sensitivity to the needs of individual students without sacrificing the community aspect of a yoga class. He encourages students to have a mindful and safe yoga experience in each class.

Cheryl Bucky
Hatha
Asana, yoga-related philosophies and their application in everyday life has been a part of Cheryl’s life for 25+ years. She has felt for many years that if you can breathe, you can do yoga. Her recent contact with the Krishnamacharya lineage has affirmed this belief and as a teacher of yoga, she hopes to pass on to students the benefits of a breath-centered asana practice. Cheryl welcomes with gratitude those seeking a gentle yoga class, and offers a practice that all can participate in. Cheryl has graduated from Providence Institute’s 250 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program, and also from the 350 hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Program. Cheryl is also a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance

Ellen Campbell
Yoga for Women, Hatha
Ellen Campbell has been practicing yoga and meditation for over ten years. She has experience in a variety of yoga styles including Vinyasa Flow, Kripalu, Kundalini and Yoga for Women. Ellen completed her Yoga Teacher Training at the Providence Institute. She has traveled to India on several occasions, practicing meditation at the ashrams of Sri Ramana Maharshi and Satya Sai Baba. Ellen received her MFA from the California College of the Arts and shows her mixed-media work both locally and nationally.

Tim Darmetko
Taoist Yoga
Taoist yoga, Tai Chi, Ba Gua and internal martial arts teacher. Certified instructor and certified Chi Gong massage therapist (Korean, in the lineage of Korean Master Dr. Myung Chill Kim). Certified in reflexology (Asian). Studied craniosacral from Vince Black, O.M.D. and at the Upledger Institute; member of the International Association of Healthcare Practitioners. (I.A.H.P.). Tim combines Chi Nei Tsang, visceral manipulation, Tui Na and shiatsu into his treatments. He currently works at the Providence Institute as a movement instructor as well as a bodyworker and maintains a private practice.

Sophie Everatt
Hatha
Sophie is certified through Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level. She completed a 250 hour training through the Providence Institute in June of 2003. Sophie is also a flamenco dancer and practitioner of Zen Shiatsu. Her classes reflect the Hatha style with focus on alignment and music.

Donna Goodhart
Restoratives, Hatha, Community Hatha, Privates
Donna Goodhart has been studying yoga since 1970. She is the Director of the Yoga Teacher Training programs at Providence Institute. She teaches privately, as well as several group classes at the Institute. Donna is one of a few worldwide to become a certified yoga instructor by Mr. TKV Desikachar and the Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation in Chennai, India. She is also registered as an E-RYT 500 through Yoga Alliance. Donna has been studying exclusively with the Desikachars in the U.S. and at the KYM - Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram - a Yoga Education and Healing Center inChennai, since 2002. She is currently participating as a student with the Desikachars in their first International 4-year Yoga Threrapist Training. Her mentor is Kausthub Desikachar, son of TKV Desikachar, and grandson of the the late legendary Yoga Master T. Krishnamacharya. The focus of her study, practice and teaching is to maintain the integrity of the ancient teachings while making the many tools of yoga as a healing and transformational paradigm accessible and relevant to individuals in their everyday modern lives.

Mary Graham
Hatha
Mary Graham has been practicing yoga since 1998. She graduated from the Yoga Teacher Certification Program at the Providence Institute in June 2004. Her class is a gentle Hatha class incorporating pranayama and asana. It is an early Monday morning class that she hopes will provide students with a calm and relaxed, yet alert way to wake up and start to their week.

Allisa Herrett
Hot Room, Yoga Fitness, Hatha with Beats
Allisa has been inspired by yoga since she was 12 years old. Allisa’s study of movement and breath continued with dance in college and Professional Choreograpy projects. Allis has studied under several accomplished yoga instructors, some of whom graduated from the Providence Yoga Teacher Training Program. Allisa specializes in hot room yoga. She has been an instructor at Providence since June 2006 and will be completing the the 200 hour teacher training program in April 2007. From her personal experience with yoga, she wants students to know that with a regular personal practice, Yoga increases ones self-confidence and joy and brings all around well being to the body, mind and spirit.

Jen Harman
Hot Room Yoga
Jennifer completed the Hot Room Yoga Teacher Certification with Jenny Providence in 2000. She has been teaching Hot Room Yoga for five years. In 2003, she continued her study of yoga through the Providence Institute with a 250 Hour Hatha Teacher Training Certification. Jennifer has also been a licensed massage therapist for seven years with additional certification in shiatsu, craniosacral therapy and sports massage.

E.J. Kerwin
Yoga for Backs
E.J. is certified through Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level. He completed the 250 hour teacher training through Providence Institute. E.J. has studied with Robert Birnberg in Krishnamacharya’s lineage. E.J. enjoys encouraging a therapeutic environment in his classes.

Jim Lipson
Hatha
Jim’s yoga training includes a 40-hour teacher training in Anusara and a 200 hour certification program with Integrative Yoga Therapy. His teaching reflects all aspects of his background and experience with Kripalu, Anusara, Kundalini, and Bikram. Jim’s teaching and personal practice focuses on the breath as a foundation.

Felicia Lowery
Felicia is registered through Yoga Alliance and completed her 250 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Providence Institute. She is also a certified Life Force Yoga Practitioner at the 50 hour level and will complete the advanced course in 2009 with Amy Weintraub. Following a strong interest in Yoga Therapy, she continues to study with Maria Mendola and Joseph LePage and will complete the 500 hour training through the Integrative Yoga Therapy program Spring 2009. Felicia is also experienced in the yoga of the childbearing year with over 20 years of midwifery and childbirth education experience as a Certified Professional Midwife. Her Yoga classes have a focus on linking movement to the breath and creating a spacious practice with a meditative pace. She enjoys introducing students to the wonderful life-giving tools of bhavana, mudra, and mantra as well as pranayama and asana.

Michelle McCallum
Yoga For Kids
Michelle has been practicing yoga for 35+ years. She is a certified Hatha Yoga Instructor who veres toward the little people and has been an youth educator in the arts & Yoga since 1994. Her classes are geared to fun, awareness of not only the physical but spirit of the being. The little people think, problem solve, move in many different ways & most important giggle! Michelle also teaches the larger folk yoga in the traditional manner along with a few giggles.

Kate Nagy
Hatha
With almost 1800 combined hours of training at the Providence Institute in yoga, personal training and holistic body therapy, Kate incorporates her knowledge into the combination of classes she teaches. From Gentle Hatha to Vinyasa, Kate’s classes allow for an individual experience of movement and breath. Kate is also a working artist and displays her work regularly.

MaryGrace Naughton
Hatha
MaryGrace has been practicing Yoga since 1987 and she has been teaching Hatha yoga since 1999. She has taken 60 hours of training in Anusara and 250 hours of training through the Providence Institute. She has been teaching meditation for a year and has been on numerous silent meditation retreats ranging from 3-10 days. She has completed an 8-week Dharma Intensive with Anna Douglas one of the founding teachers at Spirit Rock.

Roxane Ramos
Hatha
Roxane was first introduced to yoga in 1978 through a one-time high school workshop and continued to practice daily at home, tuning in to her local PBS yoga program. Since then, she has studied with various instructors in California and Arizona, including Rodney Yee for seven years, a teacher whose Iyengar-inspired, philosophical/anatomical approach continues to influence her practice and perspective. In 2005, she completed the 250-hour certification program at the Providence Institute. Her classes focus on breath, movement and refinement of poses to aid in nourishing the body and stilling the mind. As much as possible in a group setting, Roxane strives to meet T.K.V. Desikachar’s precept that yoga should be appropriate to each student, addressing individual needs while offering a profound and comprehensive sense of well-being for everyone.

Melissa Schwindenhammer
Pre/Postnatal, Hatha
Melissa’s yoga experience started when she was sixteen. Her practice consisted of Hatha Flow, Ashtanga and Bikram yoga for many years. In college, her studies focused in Fine Arts and Art Education. After three years of teaching middle and high school art, she pursued the necessary training to teach yoga. Her comprehension of yoga includes practices of Pranayama, Meditation, and Chakras. In addition, Melissa has added Prenatal/Postpartum Yoga, Women’s Wellness, and Yoga for Children as areas of study. She has taught yoga to friends, family and staff for many years. She strives to keep the learning environment in the class stimulating, challenging, safe and caring. Her students learn to build strength, flexibility, and balance on mental, physical and emotional levels through asanas guided by an intimate relationship with their breath. She enjoys being resourceful and innovative in her approach to showing others the way to their own creative and inspiring practice. Melissa is currently training to become a doula.

Carrie Stover
Hatha
Carrie Stover has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. She graduated from the Providence Institute Yoga Teacher Training, and is certified by Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level. She has also obtained a prenatal yoga certification through Yoga Connection. Carrie is a true believer in the transformative power of yoga and feels truly honored to guide her students as they embark on this journey.

Amanda Tronsdal
Hatha, Yoga Studio Coordinator
Amanda has been practicing yoga since 2000 and has been teaching yoga since 2008. She has worked at the Providence Institute since August 2005. She currently holds a 250-hour Yoga Teacher Certification from the Providence Institute and 200 certification with Yoga Alliance.

Vivianne Uyeda
Anusara
Vivianne has been practicing yoga for ten years. The styles in which she has studied include Bikram, Iyengar, Ashtanga and more recently Anusara. Her classes have a strong emphasis on alignment in order to prevent injury and to develop more freedom for postures to unfold as well as deepen. In addition, since the main focus of her own life practice has been about living more presently and fully, there is an equally strong emphasis on breath, mindfullness and full enjoyment.

Karine Zinkowski
Hatha, Vinyasa
Karine Zinkowski completed her Yoga Teacher Training at the Providence Institute and is also a certified Prenatal Instructor through Janice Clarfield at OM Yoga in New York. She offers flow style classes incorporating arm balances and inversions. The practices are strengthening with emphasis on softening and letting go in the poses. Breath and fluid movement come together in her practice in order to allow the prana to move freely in the body. She holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.