Dharma Yoga Teachers

Keith Kachtick is founder and director of Dharma Yoga. A Bliss-certified yoga teacher (and a University of Texas Plan II graduate), he was from 1998-2005 senior instructor for the Lineage Project, a Buddhist nonprofit that offers meditation and yoga asana in New York City youth prisons. Before moving back to Austin, he taught at Bliss Yoga Center in Woodstock, was on the faculty of the Omega Institute, and led yoga and meditation retreats in Manhattan, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Italy. Keith's yoga classes, which combine elements of the Jivamukti and Anusara traditions, are infused with warmth and humor, his training in Tibetan Buddhism and the martial arts, and a love of music and world literature. He has written about spirituality and meditation for Yoga Journal, Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and the New York Times Magazine, and is author of two books on Buddhism: Hungry Ghost and You Are Not Here & Other Works of Buddhist Fiction. Keith offers a deep bow of thanks to the inspirational teachings of Tias Little, John Friend, Lama Surya Das, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as to the wonderful Dharma Yoga sangha.

Camilla Figueroa is Dharma Yoga's co-director, a master's level social worker and clinical therapist, and a certified teacher of Thai Yoga Massage, Dharma Yoga, and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy at the 650-hour level. She has been practicing yoga for thirteen years and brings to her teaching a love for Buddhist meditation and a powerful belief in the transformative capabilities of asana practice for emotional and spiritual growth. Camilla is deeply grateful for the guidance of Saul David Raye in her certification in Thai Yoga Massage, Katchie Ananda and Alexis Britton of Anusara Yoga, Thomas Fortel of Esalen, and Frank Jude Boccio for his Buddhist-inspired yogic philosophy. Find out more about Camilla's blend of yoga and therapy at www.AustinYogaTherapy.com.

Alli Horan has been practicing Hatha yoga for nine years and is a certified Dharma Yoga Instructor. She is working towards her certification to practice Ayurveda from the American Institute of Vedic Studies and works professionally as an Applied Clinical Nutritionist. Alli believes that yoga and Ayurveda provide a foundation for optimal health and wholeness, and her classes reflect this integration. She encourages her students to tap into their innate healing ability by quieting the mind, opening the heart, and finding the true expression of their consciousness within each asana. Her teaching is inspired by the wisdom of Iyengar, the dynamic and transformative flow of Ashtanga and Jivamukti, and the compassionate heart and meditative root of Dharma Yoga.

Sanieh Patricia is an eternally devout yoga student, having accrued close to 750 hours of teacher trainings and over 2000 hours of actual teaching time in the classroom. In addition to yoga, she has studied anatomy, somatics, tantric philosophy, Kashmir Shaivism, and Ayurveda, all with her long-time primary teacher Shiva Rea. A life-long singer, Sanieh combines music and mantra with the devotional ardor of Bhakti Yoga, bringing to her Dharma Yoga classes the joyous vibration of her big-hearted smile, beautiful voice, fluid practice, and a deeply rooted belief that yoga is not something done, but a way of being, both on and off the mat. Find out more at www.saniehyoga.com.

Shawn Kent has a Masters degree in Counseling, is a registered massage therapist, and is a certified Dharma Yoga instructor. Shawn works full time as a counselor at Austin Child Guidance Center where he runs mind-body therapy groups for adolescents in juvenile detention. He also works part time as a massage therapist, specializing in Thai Yoga massage therapy. Shawn brings a gentle, practical, and therapeutic approach to the healing art of yoga.

Gioconda Parker (ERYT-500) has been teaching yoga since 1997 and is the director of the Yoga Teacher Training at Castle Hill Fitness. She has led national and international yoga retreats and continues her studies with Rodney Yee, Mary Romeu-Keator, and Shiva Rea. Teaching in the Vinyasa style, she encourages students to connect with their breath, their body, and their inner being in a playful and encouraging environment. Find out more at giocondayoga.com.

Kelly Roadhouse is Dean of the Yoga Studies Institute and is one of only a handful of certified teachers of Tibetan Heart Yoga in the country. She has been practicing and studying yoga and Buddhism for more than ten years and is committed to passing on the Gelukpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism from her teachers, Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally. Kelly's teaching is firmly grounded in the classical tradition of yoga and aspires to help others realize their limitless potential both on and off the mat. Find out more at http://www.yogastudiesinstitute.org.

Jenn Wooten's yoga roots are spread through the Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa and Anusara yoga traditions. Her teaching style cultivates strength, grace, fun and loving-kindness. Her classes focus on the importance of discovering the inner teacher and an honest and authentic expression of yoga. Jenn has an academic background in anatomy and physiology, which informs her understanding of yoga as a therapeutic tool as well as a spiritual practice. She has 600 hours of advanced yoga studies and has taught more than 1,500 class hours in Thailand, Venezuela, Mexico and the U.S. She leads yoga retreats for women both locally and abroad. Find out more at: http://www.experienceshakti.com.

Sarah Smazal’s love for yoga began as a teenager. As a certified Dharma Yoga instructor, she believes in the power of turning awareness inward and exploring movement as meditation. Sarah continues to study various doorways to self-discovery and is currently working to become a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Practitioner. Before committing to the journey of teaching yoga, she traveled around the country working with cancer survivors and advocates. In her yoga classes, Sarah seeks to illuminate asana and meditation as transformative vehicles, offering her students the opportunity to integrate a personal experience of inner tranquility, outer clarity and universal love. Find out more at www.austinmobileyoga.com.

Mandy Eubanks is an Anusara Inspired RYT and has been accepted by Anusara Yoga for certification. Students in her class can expect to practice and learn the Universal Principles of Alignment and the life-affirming philosophy that embodies the tradition of Anusara Yoga. Mandy encourages a sense of community in the studio, and her classes are always taught with a heart-based theme. Her class environment is casual and lighthearted, but students can also expect to learn and be challenged. Find out more at www.mandyeubanks.com.