Meet
our highly qualified, experienced instructors. Each meets or
exceeds the minimum required training in his/her area of expertise and all
are passionate, dedicated professionals.
I first tried
yoga in 2000 and really enjoyed it. But as it sometimes does, life got
in the way. Just having had my first child, it was often difficult to
find a sitter and spend the money on classes.
I
came back to yoga the fall of 2008. I had just come through several
years of personal upheaval and felt that I needed to find something to
bring me back into the person I had lost. Having always been an athlete
and finding a lot of solace in various activities, I knew that I would
need even more than exercise alone, I needed something to aide me in
finding my spirit. Then I remembered yoga. Even after my first class
"again", I had a very profound emotional response. That continued to
happen each and every time I stepped foot into the studio. Not only was
my spirit coming alive, but so was my body. I was finding and toning
muscles that, in all other sports I have participated in, had never
made an appearance before. Wow! What a feeling! I felt like I had come
home.
While
attending classes, I thought that maybe, "someday", it would be a
wonderful feeling to be able to give in return, what I had found. After
encouragement from various people, in July 2009, I decided to enroll in
a 200 hr. Teacher Training certification program through Yogaworks with Jeanne Heileman. It
did seem a sort of natural fit, as I had been, in the past, a certified
ski instructor. I also have taught snowboarding, and horseback riding. I completed my yoga teacher certification in December 2009.
I
look forward to watching you blossom and grow. See you in class!
I first began practicing yoga at the age of 16 to compliment my dance training. I began with the Iyengar discipline and spent a year studying Iyengar at the University of California Riverside. In 2007 I completed my 200 hour teacher training at the Inland College of Yoga. My knowledge of yogic philosophy and asana continue to grow and evolve and I share this evolution in class with my students. I am constantly inspired by students who move beyond their self-perceived limitations into places they never thought possible!
My classes focus on alignment. I teach Hatha and vinyasa style classes as well as workshops on inversions, arm balances, and alignment. I am also involved in teacher trainings, pursuing a 500 hour certifications, and studying physics at Cal Poly. Yoga has been essential in my life to help maintain balance and a positive mindset. I'm eager to share these qualities with you!
When I first considered yoga, I thought I would be
inadequate. But, because I was determined to find a fix for my back pain, I
continued with an open mind. What I experienced was more than I ever thought I would. Not only did I find pain relief, but I found accepting and
uplifting support through my instructors. I became captivated by the emotional,
mental, and spiritual peace I found through yoga. I was able to apply it to my everyday life to become a less-frantic, more centered, content version of
myself. I quickly realized I wasn’t inadequate and learned that no one is. I
fell in love with yoga and wanted more.
It was so life-changing for me, I felt inspired and
obligated to share with others, so I studied and earned my teaching
certification in November 2009 at The Expanding Light at Ananda in Nevada City,
Ca, where the realization of yoga as a lifestyle was revealed to me. I am an Early Childhood Education Major and have taught
preschool for many years, so my ultimate goal is to unite the world of Child
Development and Yoga and teach classes for children, for whom the benefits of
yoga are invaluable and limitless.
As your yoga instructor I will be supportive, uplifting, and
attentive of your individual needs and goals, while also promoting a sense of
community and fun in each class. It is my hope to share the opportunity yoga
gives us to find inner peace in this hectic world. I am excited to show you how
Yoga can be personal and unique to you. It truly is for everyone regardless of
age, gender, body type, personality, or religion.
I hope to see you in class. Joy is within You!
Kaylen
Lisa Darlene Harcourt -certified Interdisciplinary Yoga Instructor and Pranassage Practitioner (300 hours)
My yoga practice began "off the mat." A close friend invited me to Costa Rica and then changed her mind and went to San Francisco where she got a job. I went to Costa Rica anyway. After two years in Venice Beach, California living and working as a certified makeup artist, I defected to Costa Rica and loved it. I stayed in Costa Rica for three years and while there looked around for a new career. High fashion and special effects makeup no longer felt like an art, instead it was highly artificial. I preferred the natural sights and sounds of Costa Rica.
In Samara, Costa Rica, one day I happened to walk by a yoga institute and picked up a schedule of upcoming classes. Something clicked inside. My yoga experience began. As a kid, I loved gymnastics classes at the local recreation center and enjoyed body symmetry work. As an adult, gymnastics morphed into yoga. Only now, yoga transcended gymnastics and Hollywood makeup to become a deeply meaningful expression of personal authenticity.
A year later I found the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica. Although I was unsure of how I would actually teach, I knew this place was for me. Bringing my practice to the mat brought balance and made me feel grounded. Yoga is a way I feel and a way I can express myself. Anyone can practice yoga. Listening to oneself and feeling safe to look within can allow change and growth. By bringing body awareness through movement, Yoga practice can facilitate this profound personal change.
Yoga brought me from outer asthetics to inner asthetics. In Costa Rica I began teaching yoga on the beach in the sand where the breeze and the sound of monkeys soothed my practitioners. In my classes on the Central Coast I try to recreate this natural tranquility.
Shanti Namaste!
Lisa
5863 Traffic Way Atascadero, CA 93422 805.610.5910
