who we are

Hello! I'm Michelle Marlahan, Fairy Queen here at It's All Yoga (in case you're curious, this is how the fairy thing came about. A little crazy, I know.). We are a group of passionate and skilled teachers who serve to make yoga accessible and fun for every body.

This studio was born out of a dream to have a space where people can be themselves and open to their own experience without apology or expectation. It has become a hub of community, friendship, and service.

You can find out more about all of the instructors below. You can also stay in touch with me on my blog, where I share free meditations and sequence videos, as well as teaching and personal stories.

Poke around and feel free to say Hi or send comments or questions. We'd love to hear from you.

In case you'd like to learn a little more about the house rules...

here's 13 Things We Believe:

There's no one right way to do a pose (we'll help you find your right way)
Disconnecting from the internet and computer (and wow, do we like to be connected through Facebook and Twitter) will keep you from internet hangover and horrid posture (think hackerback), and will help you reconnect with yourself
Cute yoga pants aren't going to make your pose any better, nor make you happier in the long run
Any type of body, build, shape, weight, or frame can do yoga---you can also be any age
Chocolate deserves its fair spot on the food pyramid
It's chintzy to charge for mat and towel rentals (borrow ours for free along with all our other props)

Read more...

meet the rest of the teachers

Alicia Patrice The path that brought me to yoga begins in a community education class in Athens, Ohio. I had no idea it would change my life in the ways that it has and continues to do. That was in about 1993 and I've seen yoga benefit my life beyond comprehension. I try to take as many classes in as many styles as I can find. This curiosity influences my teaching, allowing my classes to have a flow that doesn't quite fit into any one style. This is not to say that I've created my own style, but that I draw from many streams of wisdom.

My classes are known to be sweet, but also challenging in ways both physical and mental. To me, yoga isn't just a physical practice, it is something more than that. Every person defines "more than that" in their own way and that's part of what makes it all beautiful.

When I'm not teaching yoga, I'm stumbling at learning how to garden and I can also be found dancing in the Dances of Universal Peace. I believe we are all on the same path Toward the One. The Sufi teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan and others speak directly to my heart.

The community at It's All Yoga is very much like a family to me and I'm honored to be part of it.

Althea Moynihan My personal teaching style integrates emphasis on alignment and form with a Vinyasa style of coordinating breath and movement. I am a certified yoga teacher, and completed an intensive, residential Teacher Training program with Ganga White and Tracey Rich at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. I teach specialty yoga classes for corporations, parent groups, children and health care facilities in the greater Sacramento area.

I am also a registered nurse, with a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and a Master's Degree in Public Health. I have worked in a variety of healthcare settings nationally and overseas as a clinical nurse, consultant and health educator. I have been in the dance and fitness industry for over 20 years.

Bob Reed I began a focused study of yoga in 2008 when It's All Yoga became my yoga home. Yoga has deeply influenced my life physically and spiritually. Through yoga and meditation I am exploring parts of myself that have been long hidden. Often a child's curiosity emerges and I enjoy the wonderment of new discoveries. It is my intention to bring this aspect of my practice to my teaching - an exploration of the mind, body, and breath with wonderment and curiosity.

Each of us has a unique path. At the core, however, our experiences are shared. It is through an understanding that the human experience is universal that our individual practices, needs, and interests can be nurtured and supported.

In 2009, I completed a 200-hour teacher training program at It's All Yoga. I have wanted to teach as a way of sharing the benefits of yoga with others - of returning what I have received. My yoga practice is spiritual and supported by ancient teachings and current teachers. The practice is continually evolving, as is my teaching. It is a tremendous privilege and honor to be able to teach among my teachers, among my friends, and in this community.

Carrie Meyer One way I define yoga is the absence of conflict. Although I'd submit that yoga cannot actually be taught, conditions leading to the realization of yoga may be facilitated. As a facilitator, I'm a kind of yoga "conductor," suggesting certain structural arrangements of the physical body with attunement to the subtle body so that within a few meditative breaths, the mindbody may be experienced as a clear vessel of consciousness. Whereas my classes are a personal distillation of established yoga traditions (including classical Ashtanga and Iyengar-style), somatics, and creative intuitions, they invite a comprehensive practice of breathing-edge flow in which intensity is self-regulated and the main objective is to awaken one's whole Self.

My offerings are the culmination of Life's journey. Residing and traveling in mostly Eastern countries for nearly seven years in the 90s elicited within me a merger of such archetypes as the wandering mystic, meditative thinker, and healing artist. Since my first yoga teacher trainings in 1999, I began "teaching" in 2001 and completed a master's degree integrating Eastern psychology, somatics, and holistic health in 2003. Along with my hypnotherapy/energetic healing practice, I give talks and workshops on practical themes of consciousness and healing, supporting individuals in embracing the universal principles and unique expression of their own nature.

My hope for everyone sharing practice with me is that, by the moment of Namaste, your heart may know itself again.

Kim Wagaman It is from a place of sincere gratitude for the awakening, awareness, and healing that yoga brings to my life, that a yearning to share the wonders of yoga with others has risen.

I have been practicing yoga for the last 9 years and began teaching yoga in 2006. My yoga roots are in the Iyengar tradition and have spread over the years to include a variety of practice methodologies and ideas. It is my desire and emphasis in teaching to offer the potential for self-healing with yoga, and greater awareness of the body mind continuum. My teaching also emphasizes the cultivation of breath awareness for relaxation, pain, and anxiety management. In asana practice there is a focus on releasing tightened and overtaxed muscles, and strengthening weakened muscle groups. I enjoy cultivating a more subtle and focused exploration of the body's vastness and in doing so encourage a focus and a concentration that readies the mind for beginning meditation.

My own limitations with a severe scoliosis have shaped and influenced my practice and teaching significantly and I continue to explore and discover the transformative and healing qualities yoga can offer. I have a certification to teach those with scoliosis, and am in the process of completing a 500-hour certification program.

Leili Khalessi When I took my first yoga class, I didn't expect to fall in love with yoga so quickly. I tasted what it was like to quiet the mind and find freedom in the body, and couldn't get enough. Stepping onto the mat has taught me so much about myself, and my practice continues to be inspired by this inner conversation.

As a teacher, I try create a space where others can feel free to explore the body and calm the mind. I invite a sense of playfulness to the practice, as well as the opportunity to connect with what is happening in the moment. Lately my focus has been on balancing strength and ease, in the physical sense and beyond.

Madeleine Lohman Years of working in a cubicle staring at a computer screen convinced me that I needed a career which would involve my mind, soul and body. Taking the leap into teaching yoga and massage therapy was exactly the life change I had in mind. Now it is my great privilege to provide support so that others may take their own leaps - into themselves.

After practicing yoga for a dozen years, and teaching for six, my classes have evolved into an exercise of mindfulness in motion. It is my hope that each student experience stepping on their mat as a homecoming, an opportunity to create space, clean out the clutter in body and soul.

In addition to the classes I teach at It's All Yoga, I also offer occasional workshops on the chakras, and teach Yoga Without Limits for adults with developmental disabilities. All levels of ability and mobility are always welcomed in my classes!

Michelle Marlahan When I was first learning about yoga in the mid 90s, it felt like all these separate parts of myself came together and finally made sense (well, most of the time).

These days, my yoga is inspired by poetry, nature, slowing down, and a fascination for the human body. As a teacher, I encourage curiosity and interest in the process rather than reaching a final destination.

In class, we balance the seriousness and instruction with levity and lightness and fun! In yoga, there is enough room for whatever comes up.

When I'm not teaching, writing, or working behind the scenes, I love hiking, taking photos, daydreaming, making funny sounds on my guitar, and hanging with my horse.

Sethyne Gavin My first Yoga class was at a gym. Before that I had tried aerobics, running, a master's swim program and weight lifting, but the challenges of yoga have held my interest for the last 10 years. Four years after my initial class I felt I needed to share my experience.

That's when I became a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. Following my path, I've since taught at large gyms, several studios and private sessions. As part of my desire to grow spiritually, I wanted to collaborate with Michele Marlahan, the owner of It's All Yoga. Greeting each morning with Yoga's practice/path gives me insight as to how I treated myself the day before. Every day is a new chance to begin anew.

What I try to share is the experience of how it feels to be free; separated from our mind chatter and at ease within our physical bodies with space to process the emotional baggage. These are only two examples of the things that limit us in countless ways. It's how consciously you work within your limits that is the Heart of Yoga. Using my experience as a guide, I encourage exploration in the postures through focused attention and awareness of the breath. My style balances strength, suppleness and compassion with an emphasis on finding ease in the practice.

I praise all my teachers, which includes the students. They have shown me that a sense of humor and a compassionate soul are wonderful companions to have while on the path.

Tami Hackbarth Bio coming soon!