the yoga underground

Brittany

Brittany was raised to use her imagination; with a father who brought moon rocks home from work (his office had a rocket on the roof — as all financial planning offices do) Brittany spent her time trying to fly off the back porch, dig to China, and turn her four brothers into girls (she still doesn’t have a sister, but her brothers have grown on her. And Alex paints his nails, so there’s that.) A Colorado native, Brittany learned to love the outdoors after years of stubborn “ I HATE CAMPING ” arguments. Brittany loves flowers, plants, and outer space (in a magical way, NOT in a scientific way) and spends time reading, hiking, road biking, writing, and using her fiery personality to create adventures, make life interesting, and get into trouble. For Brittany, yoga is a lifestyle that weaves together creative, open-minded thinking, kindness, passion, strength, and love to create a tapestry of beauty woven throughout every aspect of her life — whether she’s in a handstand, stuck in traffic, or taking a nap with her puppy.

Rumi

I love my mom. I love my frens. I love my boyfren kovu. I love to snuggle. I love to hike and swim and also fetch and I love to play keep away and I love namaste because that means I get to get up and see my frens. I love you.

Amber

Amber was raised in the best-kept secret of the United States: North Dakota. Growing up she was always involved in sports and staying active. As a result, eventually she tried yoga, but mostly to explore the physical benefits. Much to her surprise and delight, yoga provided mental and spiritual benefits as well. Finding that yoga has the ability to aid a person understand his/her self better and to live more in the present moment, she wanted to share this great find with others. In her free time, Amber also likes to take care of her horse, do Muay Thai, and eat candy…lots of candy.

Callie

Callie was born and raised in Seattle, Washington; technically from a city called Sammmamish, but no one can pronounce that! She loves wearing her moccasin slippers, watching Gilmore Girls and eating oatmeal. She grew up dancing and thought that was where her life was headed until she decided to follow her heart in a new direction. She is now at BYU majoring in Exercise and Wellness and minoring in Contemporary Dance. She loves yoga for it’s ability to strengthen the mind, body and spirit. She is all about positive energy, and uses yoga open her heart and reenter the world with a brighter perspective.

Jocelyn

An artist and maker in almost every sense, Joss is inspired by the mountains, simplicity, Tolkien, Snape, Bob Dylan, McGyver, folktales, Lagertha, those people who convert buses into homes, the many indigenous cultures of the world, and those striving to be their best selves. She’s a thankful Possibilitarian studying Cultural Anthropology and travels the world whenever she gets the chance. Yoga was brought into her life by means of a “Yoga at Home” DVD and a psychedelic 70’s Rock blacklight yoga class with her good friends every Thursday night in the first years of college. It changed her life. She hopes to bring yoga to people who don’t think they can do yoga, in more unconventional ways, because that’s what worked for her. Don’t be surprised if every class has a weird theme with a matching playlist, demanding you to use your imagination! In a subtle way…

Russ

Russ Lee is the most talented yogi in the world, he can scratch the back of his left ear with his right little toe, (but he is far too humble to brag about it, since he has achieved enlightenment, twice.) There are rumors he sold his soul to reach his level of skill, but those are simply rumors. He gladly gave his soul away at the tender age of 14 for a pack of skittles and a metallica t-shirt. He has never regretted that decision. Russ has accomplished the goal of letting his ego go to the point that now he is better than everyone else. He strives to share his many gifts and talents with the world for the purposes of brainwashing and domination. Namaste.

Jes

Jes was born in, and raised just outside of Seattle Washington. She grew up climbing trees, making "potions" with her sisters, and digging for GeoDucks in the Puget sound. She was a competitive swimmer into her University days. Her amazing highschool swim coach taught yoga to the swim team every Friday. Jes' favorite parts were the "naps" at the end. That started her love for yoga! Now she teaches yoga and has a mini doppelganger child who teachers kids yoga with her. She loves connecting with her wild-child side during kids classes, and connecting with all levels of Yogi's in grown-up classes.

Dean

Dean Judd was born and raised in Provo, Utah. He’s been doing yoga for fifteen years and still can’t touch his toes, but he has a mean handstand. Dean’s two favorite things are beer, yoga, and Mexico. He also doesn’t like writing this kind of thing and would rather be working in his yard, skiing or boating.

Holly

Holly Lambert was born and raised in Springville, Ut. Her husband, three children and extended family are her best teachers and support. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, loves working with the youth and pretty much demands fun wherever she goes. She has a passion for helping others find their divine potential and letting go of their egos. Holly’s love for yoga started yrs ago when she discovered it’s ability to help open her mind, body and spirit to all that is good in this world, and bring to the surface her truth. She is on a mission to connect, lift others, work hard, and most importantly see the good in everyone. Come and play with me! 🙂

Christine

Christine is a California girl raised in Idaho and Wyoming surrounded by 5 siblings, a big garden and lots of pets. Her yoga journey began in 1990 with classes at her local rec center. She was looking for physical exercise, but soon realized there was so much more to the practice. The transformation and healing that took place in her body and mind were amazing to her. Fast forward to 2010…. On her post divorce-find-herself tour, she traveled around Asia and landed on the island of Bali where acquired her 200-hour teaching certification in early 2011. She loves being Nana to her three grandchildren, performing weddings and endlessly traveling in her 1998 Volkswagen camper van, aka “The Gypsy Van”. “I feel very blessed have yoga in my life. I am a student and continue to learn from every person I meet. What a gift to be able to share this soul healing practice at home in Utah and wherever life and travels take me. Namaste!”

Amelia

Amelia was raised in Mapleton, Utah as the wild middle child with with a head full of dreams and a personality hard to keep up with. As a modern dancer of 15 years, movement in general is one of the most natural and easiest ways for her to communicate and express herself. After studying Martial Arts for 12 years, receiving her black belt, and in turn teaching others, she realized that teaching movement was something that she loved and needed to do. After running away to live in the South of France and then off to Disney to twirl around with princesses, she came home to start a Masters in Health Administration in order to ’help others do what she can’t.’ She is on a journey to ebb and flow with what others need and bring out beautiful pieces of people through yoga that otherwise would have stayed hidden.

Rachel

Rachel Woerner was born and sadly not raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had the boring, normal childhood of an Air Force brat until her family settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado when she was 10. Never much of an athlete, Rachel once dislocated her knee at the movies. That embarrassingly unfortunate incident made her realize just how uncoordinated she was, so she started doing yoga at home in her basement. Yoga was the first thing that made Rachel feel like she wasn’t hopelessly clumsy; it was love at first down dog. She loves helping other people step outside their comfort zones and connect with themselves in new ways. When she’s not in the studio, you can usually find Rachel curled up somewhere taking a nap. Just kidding, she’s in grad school working on an MPA and never sleeps, ever. Rachel loves to travel to new places with her husband, eat every snack, and sign ASL at any chance she gets. She hopes to make the world a better place—one person at a time through yoga, and on a broader scale by working in the government to help make positive changes. But don’t worry—she’s far too much of a goof to take herself or the world too seriously. 😉

Kathleen

Kathleen was born on February 16, 1984. An Aquarius, girly tom-boy, and adventure-seeker, she's always looking up just in case...

Kenny

Although he's sure that he's actually made out of pizza & glitter, Kenny was born and raised in Salem Utah to a family of humans who taught him how to love. In a recent interview conducted by a very famous person, Kenny said: "I just love yoga! Like, I REALLY love it. I also really love rainbows, misty mountains, the Kuiper belt, pink, and beluga whales. Any other questions???" So there you go. In his past life as a dolphin, Kenny learned how to approach life with a sense of play (as well as how to do echolocation, jump really high, and flirt with mermen). On and off the mat, Kenny emphasizes moving and living intuitively, playfully and with compassion. He believes that yoga can put you in a state where you're existing physically in earth space, but spiritually in rainbow heaven. It's a cool experience. Kenny believes the goal of every yoga class (and life!!!) is to unite body and spirit turning the whole self into a giant crystal that will disintegrate into a fine glitter prepared to peacefully be blown away by cosmic wind and assimilated into the universe during savasana. Kenny also likes art. & the moon.

Mo

Mo is Om backwards. Om is the all-encompassing cosmic vibration of the universe. Mo has been practicing yoga since she was 13 years old and feels like the more she learns, the more she has to learn. When Mo isn’t doing yoga, she likes to read, go on walks, play outside, swim, and plant plants. She loves kids, old people, and everyone in between. She loves meeting new people and connecting with ones she’s known forever. Her motto is “Flowing not knowing where I’m going” Namaste

Jake

Jake was born in Provo, but only lived there for 8 months as a newborn, the rest of his growing up was in Southern California. Jake first tried meditating when he was 7 years old, and would also try to bend spoons with his mind and hypnotize his family to do his child bidding. By 14, Jake was obsessed with consciousness. He discovered meditation at 18 years old with the help of some plants (wink wink), and by 19 committed to a daily practice that will be lifelong. He discovered asana through googling “how to meditate longer” and then fell in love with the philosophy which led him to the 8 limbs of yoga, which he takes seriously. Yoga & its many tools helped him to transform from an extreme train wreck of a person into a much more authentic & childlike version of himself. In a yoga class, Jake is often in a handstand or some sort of arm balance, and is a very calm & playful guy who hoards knowledge of yoga. Warning: when asking him questions about yoga, buddhism, or meditation, the conversation might go on for a very long time.

Sarah

Sarah was so well traveled as a child—from Argentina to England, from Germany to Jamaica—she couldn’t help but feel broadly connected. She loves the food, cultures, and people of the earth. Her dad grew up in Hawaii, which meant that the moment she could walk, she was in the ocean. Whether she has a snorkel in mouth or a board under foot, when she’s in the water, she’s in her element. There’s nothing she loves more than to play, especially with young kids. Sarah is a seeker. From her new age grandma, she learned to seek meaning and truth from nature and the universe. Later, she found a connection with the divine during a year and a half of seeking in Scotland and Ireland. Sarah loves deeply and is an emotion-full person. She believes yoga is far more than a series of physical acts. To her, each session can be a journey of mind, heart, and spirit.

Adrianne

Adrianne digs the connection to life in the beauty that is truly everywhere. She grew up in Orem, Utah, a caboose to an established Canadian family of eight in the 80s. Adrianne was born to a loving set of parents who inspired her dream of butterflies and rainbows and to seeing the good in all things. As she reached high school, she found her body needed regular maintenance bundled in love (from a virus, they say, she contracted as a child) so her heart lead her to mountain biking, skiing, the academic world and to yoga: a practice she deepens every day. If you really want to make her smile and beam, a simple smile will do the trick.

Iva

As a kid in communist Czechoslovakia, Iva ran around the woods, read books on top of abandoned WWII bunkers and wondered about the origins of everything and always asked lots and lots of questions. Some questions even got her in trouble! Iva was always a dreamer, she dreamt of making this world a better place ever since she was little. An eternal optimist and an old soul, Iva sang her way out of childhood and teen years until she came to America to study music in college. Iva has lived in lots of places around the world, but her favorites are her home, the Czech Republic and Utah.

She found yoga in the Czech Republic and the rest was history. When she isn’t taking care of her blended family of five kids, she hangs out with her cat, dog and her pot belly pig Olive. She likes kids. A lot! She likes kids for their ability to see magic in everything and for always saying yes to new things. Iva teaches over 400 kids yoga and creative movement at a Title 1 elementary school because she strongly believes that the privilege of yoga is for everyone. She loves how yoga changes kids, especially the ones who have had a rough start. And yes…she does like using her songwriting and singing skills in her yoga classes as well from time to time.  
 
Creating change by doing small things every day might just be her most favorite thing of all.