Dharma Yoga Teachers

Keith Kachtick is founder and director of Dharma Yoga and has taught meditation and yoga nationally and internationally for thirteen years. 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 prisons. 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 for Yoga Journal, Newsweek, Esquire, Texas Monthly, and the New York Times Magazine, and is author of two books on Buddhism: Hungry Ghost (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year), and You Are Not Here & Other Works of Buddhist Fiction. Keith was a presenter this year at both the Texas Yoga Retreat and the Texas Yoga Conference.

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 fifteen 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.DharmaYogaTherapy.com.

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.

Kelly Roadhouse is a Staff Teacher for the Yoga Studies Institute, certified in both the practice of Tibetan Heart Yoga and the philosophical teachings of the classics of yoga. Her classes are inspired by more than fourteen years of yoga and meditation practice and over 700 hours of teacher trainings. Kelly is a graduate of Diamond Mountain University's Advanced Buddhist Studies Course, a six-year exploration of Tibetan Buddhism, meditation and yoga, guided by her teachers Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally. Find out more at http://www.yogastudiesinstitute.org.

Alli Horan has been practicing Hatha yoga for over eleven years. She gained her certification to teach hatha yoga four years ago and has taught weekly at Dharma Yoga ever since. Alli is an Applied Clinical Nutritionist and was awarded the title of Ayurvedic Health Educator by the American Institute of Vedic Studies. Her yoga teaching is inspired by Iyengar, the dynamic and transformative flow of Ashtanga and Jivamukti, and the compassionate heart and meditative root of Dharma Yoga.

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.

Melissa Spamer has thirteen years of teaching experience, leading classes, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings in the U.S. and S.E. Asia. Her love of yoga led her to become an Ayurvedic practitioner and massage therapist to deepen her understanding of the body~mind. Her approach to yoga weaves together teachings from Angela Farmer, Victor Van Kooten, Rama Vernon, Shiva Rea, Kali Ray and her studies in the lineage of Sri Krishnamacharya. Melissa’s classes flow with the rhythm of the breath, infusing music, poetry, energetic anatomy and yoga philosophy, guiding each student on a journey into the art of living yoga. Find out more at www.lotusintheflame.com.

Kate Bero is certified in Dharma Yoga at the 300-hour level and has been practicing yoga for seven years. Kate recognizes that we often have emotions and memories held deep within our bodies, sometimes for decades, and offers her Dharma Yoga classes as an Awareness-based exploration of how to interact with this inner landscape in ways that are healthy and self-nurturing.

Ally Marie has been practicing elements of yoga all her life. As a former professional athlete, awareness of breath, connecting to the body and calming the mind served as the foundation of her sports career. These elements are now further explored and deepened in the compassionate and truthful framework of hatha yoga. Certified in Dharma Yoga at the 200-hour level, Ally incorporates rich, insight-promoting aspects from Buddhism and traditional Indian yoga with fluid, mindful movements of the body, yielding clarity and inner peace. For more information visit www.yogawithally.com.

Courtney Bell graduated from Dharma Yoga's 200-Hour Training in 2005 and has since been studying with Shiva Rea and exploring various traditions of hatha and vinyasa yoga, including Anusara and Ashtanga. A traveler and writer at heart, Courtney has a degree in Cultural Anthropology, is licensed in massage therapy, and leads popular yoga retreats in Costa Rica. Her Dharma Yoga classes balance attention to alignment with openness to organic flow, strength with ease, and mindful movement with awareness of breath. As a teacher, her intention is to offer an opportunity for her students to cultivate an inner place of power, clarity, and joy, as well as to better connect to the world around them. Find out more about Courtney at www.theyogacurrent.com.