We have a wonderful new Curvy Yoga teacher this month! I am excited to share them with you! To see a full list of our Curvy Yoga Certified teachers, please click here.
Lorena Lombardi
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga saved my life at a point when I was so overwhelmed with work, with my divorce and struggling with my weight. Then I finally found a teacher who didn’t single me out or make me feel different. I learned the true essence of yoga practice, that is, if you can breathe, you can do yoga! Years later, I’m happy to give back by coaching and uplifting others who can benefit from the simple lessons that our own breath and bodies can teach us.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Mostly to balance all the of the negative messages out there when it comes to our bodies. Offering a time where people can discover the joy within themselves simply by using their breath and improving their body awareness through movement. I would also love to work with other yoga teachers to show them how to be more accessible in their language…. and promote this Curvy Yoga Certification program. Wouldn’t it be nice that instead of being singled out, curvy people can feel welcome everywhere?! 😀
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? Grounding, gentle and fun, with the right amount of push to meet your personal goals! This is my main strength, which is why I work one on one with people who are interested, but maybe do not have all the motivation to practice themselves. Let’s talk about what you want and what you’re looking for and work together to get you there!
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? First off, Anna is intelligent, articulate and so well organized that the entire process was an absolute pleasure to go through! Through her Curvy Monthly videos, I found time again for my own personal practice and healing that I had been missing for so long. As a teacher, we give so much and we need to be fed as well, so this was exactly what I needed! Thank you so much!
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on my website, Facebook and on Twitter!
Gloria Lopez
Location: Edinburg, TX
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga has always been a part of my life. As a young woman in 1975 living away from family, it seems that Lilias Yoga on PBS was a constant in my life. That was forty plus years ago and yoga is still a constant. I am grateful that yoga has kept me healthy, strong, and flexible, both physically and mentally.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I bring a positive attitude about yoga to my community. A true love of the art of yoga. When things click, they class just flows and when things get stuck, I let my yogis know that these are just lessons that our body wants us to learn. It is, after all, the practice of yoga.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? I am here in a small south Texas town, where many of the women are yoga shy. My sheer love of yoga and that joyous environment will, I hope put my future students, at ease.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? My favorite part of the certification was Anna Jelly Guests knowledge. Every bit of information will be used, has been used by me in my classes. The turn-around on the homework and her personal comments made me look forward to seeing how Miss Anna would respond and advise. I have learned so much from this certification and am proud to be a part of the CURVY YOGA certified yoga teacher.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on Facebook!
Anna Trimm
Location: Lewisville, TX
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I’m an ERYT200, RYT500, retired clinical massage therapist and massage therapy instructor and now am Curvy Yoga Certified! I believe success in Yoga happens thru and with the breath and isn’t necessarily related to pose ability; therefore, Yoga is for everyone!
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I want to give people a place to be themselves, get good at being themselves, and live off the mat with that skill.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? I’m irreverent and fun. I teach a lot of Yoga Nidra and adaptive for injuries, so we do a lot of weird stuff. Everyone uses props, everyone breathes. It’s pretty great.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? I LOVE HOMEWORK AND FEEDBACK. And I love resources. And AGJ is an excellent teacher and I feel really lucky to have learned from her.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on my website!
Suzanne Nicklas
Location: Summerville, SC
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I have been practicing yoga for over 20 years and am still totally in love with it! I have an eagerness to continue to learn all that I can and to share with my students anything that may be beneficial to them in their lives. When I sit on my mat, it is truly “home” to me. My practice brings out the most authentic parts of me and is my spiritual outlet. It has evolved much over the years, ranging from athletic to more recently, a more grounded, meditative practice.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? For year I have watched yoga videos and admired pictures or beautiful yogis, selling all sorts of items in magazines.. They are all pictured as very beautiful, skinny and perfectly shaped individuals….no flaws. The reality is that all women are beautiful and none of us are perfect. As humans we are all both beautiful and flawed. The goal of my curvy yoga teaching is for each student to see their own unique beauty, regardless of their weight, size or shape.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? I like to empower my students to experience all that they can physically, spiritually and emotionally during practice. When I teach, it is from a place of compassion and understanding. I hope to assist students in building acceptance and self love.. These are things we are all working on throughout our lives. My sessions with students give them a specific time to focus on themselves and their bodies in a kind and loving way.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? I have loved working with Anna. She is a caring and insightful teacher, who I have been so happy to know and learn from. Each week that we held class, I was so excited to hear her thoughts and learn from her experiences. She has a way of making each person feel special and honored.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on my website and on Facebook!
Renee Elisaldez
Location: Long Beach, CA
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga gives me the opportunity and space to focus on myself, my body and my breath. I live a pretty busy life with 2 kids, and a lot going on career wise. Yoga helps me to find the peace in the middle of chaos, and gives me the tools to deal with the stresses of motherhood and life in general. It has taught me to both challenge my inner and outer strength, as well as to listen to my body and be gentle when I need to be more kind to my body.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I love the philosophy of Curvy Yoga in that is make Yoga accessible for all body types. It also offers yoga to people from a place of understanding and compassion. I want to offer that to my students, because I truly believe yoga is for every body, and everybody can benefit from yoga. I also want to empower my students to embrace their bodies, and give them the love they deserve.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? When people take a class from me they can expect a genuine person who cares about their well-being, and wants to share with them the great gift of yoga. I love to talk about my journey with yoga, hoping to inspire others on their own journeys.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? My favorite part of the certification process, was learning the modifications for curvy bodies. I found that I innately did some of these to accommodate my own curves, but was ashamed to admit to that. The lessons helped me to embrace those modifications as empowering.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on my website and on Facebook!
Kelly Pierce
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I started taking yoga classes for chronic back pain in 2005. Through yoga my pain dramatically decreased in addition to my stress level. That is when my passion began to want to help others experience what yoga can do for their bodies. I became a RYT in 2010 and have now taught over 1000 class hours. I feel so blessed to be able to share my passion of yoga with others.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I want to bring Curvy yoga into my community for those people who have struggled with body image issues and acceptance. My classes are open to everyone and can be done comfortably by every person irregardless of age, shape or size.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? When people take one of my classes they can expect no judgement. When they leave it is my goal that they feel relaxed yet energized and in a better mindset then when they entered the room.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? The favorite part of the certification process for me was getting to hear so many great new ideas from yoga teachers all over the world on how to incorporate curvy yoga into their teaching style.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on me via email Kellykirstie@gmail.com
Cyndi Allen
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. I took my first yogic breath in March of 2010. I was unbelievably stressed and really at an all time low health wise when I walked into the studio that day. Some friends had told me it would help me regain both mental and physical health, so I thought “Why not? It can’t hurt”. Little did I know what a powerful first step that was. I was hooked from my first down dog. I knew I was bendy so the flexibility was no issue, but wow…I had ZERO strength and I seriously had no idea how to breathe. I am forever grateful to those initial instructors and their patience. Those first few months, I pondered the idea of eventually teaching yoga but life got in the way as it tends to do, and I let my practice fade away for awhile. When I came back to my practice in 2012, I knew that teaching others about this important part of my life was no longer optional. I signed up for teacher training in 2014, graduated in June of 2015. I currently teach Flow, Level 1 Basics, Yin, Flow and Restore, Gentle Flow and a Body Positive Initiative class called #Youryogabody in and around the Chattanooga area.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Part of my yoga journey has been my recognition of the all too common theme of “who can and should be” doing yoga. I was and still frequently am the person who gets the funny looks and quizzical stares when I say “I practice or teach yoga”. Because my body isn’t a typical “yoga body” and hasn’t always been accepted into all yoga arenas, I have always tried to welcome each person and their body into my classes regardless of level or ability. . Curvy Yoga is a perfect way to do just this…allowing each student to find yoga on their terms and for their body.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? In addition, I offer modifications using tools to allow the body to enter an asana in the way that is best for that particular body. . My classes are light-hearted and often erupt in laughter, while being gently challenging and allowing the student to confidently explore and grow their own yoga practice. I offer modifications using tools and ther body’s intuition to allow it to enter an asana in the best way for that moment.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? I have loved getting to know Anna and the rest of my Curvy Yoga peers. Their knowledge, support and guidance has been invaluable on this journey and really cemented for me that I was on the right path. Knowing that I have a lifelong network of like minded individuals that I can reach out to at any time makes a world of difference.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on Facebook!
Marisa Sanders
Location: Palm Coast, FL
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. My yoga practice and teaching both come from the same place of setting an intention of love, grace and compassion, and building that energy to send those intentions out into the world!
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I want to create a safe space for people of all shapes and sizes to explore these amazing bodies we have, and to learn to give ourselves the love and grace we deserve, to remove the judgments and condemnations we hold.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? Lots of happy, positive energy, a fun, free to explore and learn environment, and a super blissed out, awesome ending vibe!
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? Learning how to be more inclusive, more open, and more authentic in my teaching.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on Facebook!
Katie Williams
Location: Defiance, MO
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. Yoga came into my life at the precise moment when I was ready for a change. It helped me conquer the self doubts I had been harboring over the years. My mentor showed me that yoga can help you express yourself. It is a safe place for you to feel what ever it is that you are feeling at that particular breath in time.
With her guidance, I dug deep and starting the teacher’s journey. I came out of it a renewed person. Now, in my teaching practice, I tend to prefer the small group and private setting. It’s more one-on-one. It becomes a more personal learning journey for the students as well.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? I hope to show the community to rock their curves.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? Students can expect a warm smile, a welcoming environment, and a space for their practice to grow safely. I like to modify the classes to the students needs. If they prefer a no Om Zone with no background music, I can accommodate. If they want fast or slow, power or restorative, I can provide that too.
For private sessions, I will want to meet in person with the student prior to their first session to gauge their individual needs and wants.
What has been your favorite part of the certification process?
My favorite part of the certification were the lectures with Anna, and her openness with all of us . She truly is a force for good in the universe. I loved the reflection questions; introspection has its benefits when learning new teaching methodologies.
Anna provided key insights to the world of Curvy Yoga. Now we get to share that same light.
How can people get in touch with you? People can get in touch with me via email!
Jamie Burch Elliott
Location: Des Moines, IA
Tell us a little about your relationship with yoga — both your practice and your teaching. When I first started going to yoga classes in a studio, I suddenly became aware of how big my body was. No one said anything. No one looked at me funny. But I felt like all eyes were on me.
Then I realized how yoga affected how I saw myself. I gained a confidence I never knew I had. I learned I was strong, beautiful and capable, no matter how much I weighed. My self worth was no longer determined by by pants size.
Why do you want to bring Curvy Yoga to your community? Going into any fitness setting is intimidating when you are overweight. I realized that by teaching yoga, by putting my body in front of students, that I could create a safe space and invite other people to try yoga. I’m bringing Curvy Yoga to my community to create that safe space, and to let people know that yoga is for everybody and every body.
What can folks expect when they take a class from you? People can expect a fun, inspiring class with lots of props and options. My classes are for experienced and beginner yogis alike. Students will learn how to work with their bodies.
You don’t have to be flexible. You don’t have to wear special clothes. You don’t have to look a certain way. All you have to do is show up!
What has been your favorite part of the certification process? I’ve loved learned how to modify poses for bodies that aren’t like mine. Before my Curvy Yoga certification, I could only teach based on what I had experienced in my own body. Learning how to work with all body types has been an amazing experience as a yoga teacher.
How can people get in touch with you? People can find me on my website, Facebook and on Twitter!
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