Holly Gastil
Holly’s nurturing and light hearted teaching style reflects the flexibility she has gained, both mentally and physically, through the practice of Ashtanga yoga. She began the practice 16 years ago, and felt the call to begin teaching in 2002. Holly’s first teacher, Alison Lewis, encouraged her to study with Tim Miller at the Ashtanga Yoga Center, where she continues to be challenged and inspired in her yoga practice on a daily basis.
Susan Taylor
Susan began her yoga practice in 1995 and tried out many styles of yoga before finding Ashtanga yoga. Finally meeting Tim Miller in 1996, she found a true love for practice. Her studies were mainly with Tim and his student Christina Allen, who she apprenticed with in 1998, and has been teaching ever since. She is certified in many different modalities of movement and body work, however, her passion remains true to Ashtanga yoga. She has found that the key to a long lasting relationship with your practice is a good sense of humor. Because of that, Susan feels that a yoga class should be orchestrated in a fun, energetic, and light-hearted way. She believes yoga should be a celebration of life, a way to express your unique self, and a time to enjoy connecting with mind, body, and spirit.
Chungsue Bacigalupi
Chungsue has been studying and practicing Ashtanga Yoga since 2006 at the Ashtanga Yoga Center. She has completed Primary Series and Second Series Teacher Training with Tim Miller and continues to take various workshops to further her knowledge. In her yoga classes she emphasizes the link between breathing, alignment and movement in order to deepen the experience. She encourages her students to try more challenging postures as they gain flexibility and confidence while offering options for beginning students so that everyone can have a full and enjoyable experience. She was encourage by Holly Gastil to teach yoga and is very thankful for Holly’s guidance and friendship.
Jen René
Jen René has been teaching Ashtanga yoga for 15 years. Her practice and teaching are mainly influenced by Tim Miller, who has been her teacher for the past decade. Other sources of inspiration in Jen’s teaching and practice include Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor and David Garrigues – all of whom she’s logged hundreds of hours of study with.
Jen built and continues to direct a Mysore program she started seven years ago in Washington, DC. The thriving program sees about forty students a morning in all their sweaty glory. A team of teachers trained by Jen lead the program in her absence. Jen has taught students all of the Primary, Intermediate and Advanced A asana. But beyond asana, her biggest goal (and greatest reward) is to instill in students a devotion, faith and enthusiasm for the practice. Jen believes wholeheartedly that Ashtanga Yoga is for everyone – it can be beautiful, but usually it’s much more of a beautiful mess.
Kristin McCloskey
Kristin has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga since 2001. She completed her Primary Series and Second Series teacher training at AYC. She couldn’t be more grateful for Tim and all the amazing teachers who have helped her with her practice and who continue to inspire her daily. She loves teaching Ashtanga Yoga as it allows students to achieve things they never thought possible. In addition to teaching adults, Kristin shares her passion for teaching yoga to children of all ages. She believes that you are never too young or too old to start this journey.
Amy Willett
Amy’s passion for yoga is contagious. She has been a long time student of yoga and grateful for the opportunity to have taken Tim Miller’s teacher training in 2015. She enjoys learning and studying yoga…mentally & physically. Her philosophy of “everyday yoga” finds the opportunities & inspiration everyday to practice yoga on & off the mat…from raising a family to life’s everyday adventures.
Rachel LeShaw
Rachel was introduced to yoga as a college student in Vermont where she was a competitive runner. She was hooked by the non competitive atmosphere and, to further her personal practice, completed an Ashtanga teacher training in 2003 with Larry Schultz at It's Yoga in San Francisco. After teaching yoga in Bay Area public high schools, Rachel moved to Encinitas and completed the Anusara teacher training with Michael Fukumura in 2009.
Rachel began practicing with Tim Miller in 2011 and completed his Primary Series teacher training in 2014 and Second Series teacher training in 2016.
Rachel’s approach to yoga is “structured play." She loves watching her students become more comfortable in their bodies and gain confidence. Poses that seem impossible become possible when approached from a place of play, surrender, consistency, and good alignment. Her classes are challenging yet accessible to all levels.
