Exciting times! Curvy Yoga just keeps on growing all over the place — have fun meeting this month’s FABULOUS teachers! And if you’re nearby, be sure to check out their class (and bring a friend with you)! 

Elizabeth Gallo

Location: Evanston, IL

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga became especially important to me during and since my first pregnancy. Yoga has become a way for me to feel comfortable in my body, and even more importantly, it has opened a door to a deeper, more peaceful and heart-centered way of living. For me, in many ways, my most important yoga is practiced off the mat and in my everyday life. As a former classroom teacher, I like to teach in a way that engages and makes everyone feel comfortable and capable. Teaching gives me a new perspective on my practice and keeps my beginner’s mind active.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Curvy Yoga is all about accessibility, and one of the goals of my teaching practice is to make yoga accessible to everyone. Many people fixate on the reasons they think they can’t do yoga — be it body size, injury, time, spirituality, whatever — and what I hope to do is show people that there is a yoga for everyone.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? In my classes, people — curvy and otherwise — can expect to have fun but also tap into the deep inner peace that resides in all of us. We will move, strengthen and stretch but also sit and be still. We’ll explore the beautiful duality that is Hatha yoga in a safe, nurturing, fun environment. I will help you find your yoga! All of my classes are curvy friendly.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? My favorite part of the certification process has been delving into the real reasons that yoga can and should be accessible to people of all body types and learning new methods and modifications to make it so. Working with Anna has also deepened my own practice immensely.

How can people get in touch with you? Starting July 5th, I’ll be teaching at Hip Circle Studio in Evanston, IL. You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter. I can also be reached via email at
elizabeth.gallo@yahoo.com . In addition to public classes, I am available for private or semi-private yoga — a great way to get started with an individualized practice.

Michelle Irick

Location: Hazel Park, MI

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Time on the mat, whether my practice or teaching, intertwines my heart, mind & spirit, bringing me such peacefulness about who and what I am.  It’s an avenue to express care and love for others as well as to myself.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Awareness.  That yoga is for every body.  To break the stereotypes seen in magazines, books, tv, etc.   Love of self regardless of the reflection in the mirror or the picture in our heads.  Being of curvy size for most of my life, I know first hand what it feels like to walk into a gym or yoga studio – the eyes, the looks and actually some sneers – it can damage the self-esteem and send the strongest person running.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? A place where any and everyone can come to practice in a comfy, safe place; they’ll learn that their practice is an individual journey.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? My calls with Anna!!   The fresh perspective on sequences has been wonderful.

How can people get in touch with you? People can connect with me on my website and via Facebook.

Robyn Lund

Location: Helena, MT

Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. My life is absolutely, wonderfully chaotic and hectic.  My practice is what keeps me connected to myself, strong and healthy enough to keep running with the life I have built.  Without it, I don’t think I could do everything that I am doing now.

Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? As a massage therapist, I see people everyday who are not able to live the life that they want.  They don’t have the tools that they need to feel good about themselves and feel capable of doing all that they want to do, and it seems many don’t know where to start to find those tools.  My goal is simply to offer something that might help people find what they need in order to start loving their life, at least for a little bit everyday.

What can folks expect when they take a class from you? People can expect to find a community where we can all learn together, laugh together, work together and feel good together.

What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Well, of course, working with someone as amazing as Anna was a blessing.  For me, really thinking about what my goals were, and embracing them, was the most inspiring.  It made me think about a bigger picture than just teaching the poses, about really being able to empower people through their own Yoga practice.

How can people get in touch with you? The best way is email, robyn@helenamassage.com or through my website, which will soon have yoga information, too.