Kelli has been practicing yoga since 2004, began teaching in 2011, and received her 200 RYT from YogaFit. Since that time, her yoga studies have been focused on alignment, body awareness and breath. Along this path, her continued education has included studies with Loren Fishman MD, Jason Crandell, and Leslie Kaminoff. The training with Dr. Fishman focused on his work with yoga for osteoporosis. She is very much inspired by Jason Crandell and his teaching of alignment based vinyasa. Kelli primarily teaches a vinyasa (flow) yoga class with emphasis on overall body balance.

Kelli first came to yoga when she was pregnant, and found that her usual physical activity just didn’t feel “right”. Her initial practice was at home with DVDs. But as she wanted to learn more, she broke from the basement videos, and began to practice anywhere she could. After the birth of her third child, she sought a teacher training. Having spent many years in health care, working as an Occupational Therapist with a specialty Certification in Hand Therapy she knows the importance of body awareness. In an outpatient therapy setting, working with patients following acute or chronic injury to the upper body, she learned just how detached we can be from our bodies and that the path to healing often involves reconnecting.

She hopes to help participants improve posture, overall body awareness and functional movement. She often incorporates body balancing exercises into practice. In a typical class, students can expect pose variations, an opportunity for physical challenge, as well as yoga insight to practice both on and off the mat. As a yoga teacher, she enjoys the chance to engage with students, one on one, to help them grow in understanding their own bodies

Shari was introduced to yoga in 2005 at the YMCA in Newark. The deep exhalation of breath is what first attracted her as she imagined letting go of pent-up stress with each exhale. Yoga was the only activity in which she could calm her racing thoughts and let go of her “to do” list. She soon found herself teaching yoga at the Y for about 5 years, then teaching independently in Granville and Johnstown, until, over time, the demands of her career and raising two active daughters found her practicing yoga only about once a week. In 2019, she joined the Granville Yoga studio as a student and reconnected with her love of yoga. She considers choosing to do her 200-RYT yoga teacher certification training online and during a pandemic as the best decision she made in 2020!

After 15 years of primarily focusing on yoga as a form of exercise to relieve stress and maintain flexibility, she now passionately explores the richness of all that yoga has to offer in addition to the asanas and physical practice. She enjoys studying and sharing the spiritual and philosophical elements of yoga and encouraging others to focus on what makes us all connected. Using the power of the breath to de-stress, to heal, and to tune in to the present moment guides her teachings.

Shari is increasingly intrigued by yoga’s effects and benefits on the aging mind and body and sharing those insights in her classes. She continues to explore how to safely balance challenge with gracious acceptance of what is. In that spirit, Shari also has earned her SAYF (Sustainable Asana Yoga Foundation) 20 hour certification, which focuses on guidelines and options for an injury-informed practice.

In October of 2022, Shari added a 20-hour certification in Restorative Yoga.

A true believer in the need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others, Katie completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2011 at CorePower Yoga in Chicago and continues to spread the love of yoga in a friendly, nonjudgmental environment. As a Licensed Independent Social Worker, she observed the uplifting and soothing changes in her mood and body through yoga and encourages her students to focus on themselves both physically and mentally.

I have always been an active, but not an athletic person. (Don't ask me to throw a ball!) I loved step aerobics in the 90s and wore the metallic leggings & tie-die T-shirts. Then along came kids, and my life became a juggling act. As an elementary school teacher and mom of two, I was pulled in so many directions. Life became more stressful with each year and time for myself was not a priority. Fast forward to teenagers and more challenging students at school. I needed to find more balance in my life. That's when I found Granville Yoga and with a breath of relief, I began my yoga journey. Just walking into the studio gave me a sense of peace.

This sense of peace and relief from the everyday stresses of life is what I hope to share in my yoga classes. I love a good flow and incorporate sun salutations with my favorite pose, three-legged dog, in my Vinyasa classes. I love to change it up, but that doesn't mean headstands! I believe everyone has a place in yoga. There's no competition or keeping up with anyone else. Don't ever hesitate to come to class because you think you are lacking in knowledge, skill, or flexibility. I offer lots of options. Listen to your body. You do you!

I live in Newark with my two dogs, Winnie and Pippa. I spend a lot of time chatting with my 23 yr old world traveler daughter and hanging out with my 26 yr old nature-loving son. I am a 5th-grade teacher at Newark City Schools and teach yoga for kids in the after-school program. I enjoy reading, spending time on my sun porch, and recently standup paddleboarding. I love to travel and visit yoga studios wherever I go. My favorite places are NYC, North Carolina, Bali & India. I am not a morning person, so good coffee is life!

I look forward to seeing you on the mat quieting your mind, if just for an hour.

Jen is a 200-RYT certified yoga instructor with an additional 100 hour Warriors (Trauma and PTSD) certification through Yoga Fit Training systems. Jen began exploring yoga in college and came back to the practice 7 years ago as a way to relieve stress and reconnect with the body. As a full time mom and part time Interventional Radiology technologist at a busy medical center, Jen understands the importance of taking time for your mind and body, as well as integrating yoga into our every day lives to help cope with any stressful situations. Jen has a special interest in helping bring peace to our veterans, active military and their families as well as those dealing with traumatic events, through the practice of yoga.

When Valerie first found yoga she quickly developed a love and passion for it. All the many pieces and parts that can be used both on and off the mat help guide her through life’s journey. She received her 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification from Yoga Alliance in 2020 and will be completing her 500- hour teacher training in the Fall of 2023. She also received her Qigong teacher certification in the Spring of 2023, and enjoys continuing to learn and grow as a teacher. She finds joy in sharing Yoga and Qigong with others and enjoys creating personable all inclusive practices that meet you where you are. Valerie believes everyone can find something to take with them after class, and we can carry that with us as we all navigate our way through life.

When she’s not on her mat she has fun spending time with her family and their two dogs.

Good Day, I am Leslie Newkirk. I began my Yoga journey with meditation. I was looking for an alternative solution for my persistent acid reflux. It was stress-induced and meditation worked!

Mind focus, clearing clutter from the mind gave me space to realize the endless possibilities with a consistent yoga practice.

I began going to retreats, turning up my physical practice and it brought me to the path of teaching. I began teaching my staff and after a few years brought it to the studio.

What to expect from my class:

Balance, mind and body

Strength and Awareness, feeling that line between discomfort and challenge

My style is a cross between Vinyasa and Iyengar, ABB: Always Be Breathing

I invite you to join me to see the world through the eyes of gratitude. Class will combine breath, movement, and spiritual awareness.

Megan’s first yoga class was in a college elective held in a basement at San Francisco State University, she would fall asleep during savasana almost every class. After transferring to Dallas, Texas to complete her BA in Psychology she moved home to San Diego following the sudden death of her father and to pursue a Master of Public Health degree specializing in Health Promotion.

As health and wellness began to take a front seat in her life due to studies and circumstances, running and yoga became a lifeline. On a whim, she signed up for a yoga teacher training around the same time she started dating her husband. Many dates were turned down due to “yoga school” but he held on! Megan became 200-hour RYT certified through CorePower Yoga in early 2011 and has been teaching ever since.

Megan has taught classes in San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago and Granville including everything from big box gyms, private studios, corporate wellness programs even designing specific programs for Gatorade/PepsiCo. She specializes in both gentle and power vinyasa and loves making yoga accessible to all bodies.

I know firsthand how yoga can make a difference in your relationship with yourself. After having an on-and-off relationship with my yoga practice I began to think that yoga wasn't for someone like me. Then I met a teacher that showed me you don’t have to do a headstand in a yoga class and that blocks are a beautiful tool to meet your body where it is. I began to learn that certain twists don’t feel good for me because my belly naturally takes up more space or I’m not able to reach the ground in some postures because my arms are naturally short. I now know these aren’t failures or bad things about my body (nor a reflection of who I am as a person).

Every body is different, so of course every posture is experienced differently! With this passion and deepened connection to yoga as a wisdom, I received my 200 hour teacher training through Heart & Bones Yoga Studio where I learned mobility-based asana practice, approaching yoga through a lens of accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. I began teaching in 2023 at the YMCA in Newark, OH, teaching all ages and abilities. I am currently enrolled in The Curious Heart, self-paced, program that teaches the foundations of mindfulness and meditation.

This is the approach I bring to class, honoring the heart of yoga by cultivating moments to build presence and awareness of self through postures (asana), meditation, and breathwork practice.

Marsha received her teacher training in 2014 with Janice George from Samyoga in Columbus, Ohio. Her desire to share this physically healing practice with others (particularly those suffering from scoliosis and osteopenia) stems from her own healing and is matched by her genuine appreciation of the practice in its entirety.

Karen was introduced to Yoga in 2003 by two of her high school AP Physics students who thought she would like Yoga (in other words, they thought she needed Yoga!) An avid practitioner from that day forward, she wanted to “pay forward” by giving the gift of Yoga back to all age groups. Karen received her 200 RYT from YogaFit and achieved E-RYT.

Karen has a special interest in bringing the benefits of Yoga to children and teens. She received her 95-hr Children’s Yoga Teacher certification through ChildLight Yoga. Her teaching journey continues with children and teen yoga trainings through YogaKids, ChildLight Education Co. and YogaFit. Karen developed and instructs a daily Yoga for Fitness and Wellness class at the high school where she teaches AP and College Credit Plus Physics. Her students regularly request that she open or close class with breath and gentle movement - especially before they take midterms and exams!

Karen’s Hatha and Mixed Vinyasa classes focus on flexibility, strength, balance and release. She likes to incorporate a variety of tempos and pose explorations using props. Her children’s classes weave educationally-based themes with age-appropriate breathwork and fun individual, partner and group poses. Karen’s young teen classes promote positive self-image through encouraging affirmations and supporting connections with the breath using individual, partner, group and restorative poses.

Kristen has enjoyed doing many types of yoga since discovering it in college 20 years ago. She first enjoyed the benefits to the body of flexibility, balance, and strength, but since pregnancy, she has learned the tremendous effects it can have on the mind and spirit as well. Kristen is a mom to two kids, a wife, and a choir director which is a very full life! But, she has learned the power yoga has to balance and destress and would like to help others on this journey. Kristen loves yoga because she believes it can help all people find their best and healthiest selves.

Anne brings a thoughtful and nurturing sensibility to her classes. Her balanced approach explores both the subtleties of human movement mechanics and the philosophical underpinnings of yoga. Anne believes that each class offers new opportunities for students to deepen their yoga practice both on and off the mat.

Anne took her first yoga class 12 years ago. Awkward, distracted, and embarrassed by her lack of flexibility and coordination, she surprised herself by returning again and again. Stressed by the demands of a busy career and family life, she believed that yoga could help. And it did. Anne credits the care and commitment of yoga teachers and mentors over the years and a commitment to regular practice for keeping her on the path. As a yoga teacher, she enjoys paying it forward by helping others discover how yoga can help enrich their lives.

In addition to teaching Hatha/Slow Flow and Chair Yoga classes, Anne enjoys teaching private yoga sessions, especially with a focus on healthy aging. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, hike with her dogs, and read, among other things, lots of yoga books!