WEEKLY STUDIO TEACHERS
Cat Ramer RYT 200- Owner
Taylor Huff (aka Tayoga)- RYT 200
My love for yoga began in 2015 after I sustained a knee injury that required surgery. Shortly after my recovery, yoga seemed like the perfect form of exercise. It was! My yoga practice started out merely as a way to stay in shape and has gradually evolved into something so much more. It is beneficial not only to my physical well-being but also my mental well-being, especially now that I am the mother of 2 boys. I became a Registered Yoga Teacher in 2018 and have been teaching at Elevate ever since. I love this studio. It feels like home. A home where I get to share my love and creativity for yoga and music. If you ever see Tayoga (my brand) on the teaching schedule, I hope you come on by. I bet I can make you smile! Namas(tay).
Emi Puzo - RYT 200
I am an RYT 200 and have been teaching yoga since 2015 when I discovered it through a college club taught in Arizona. I have taught both chair and mat yoga classes online and in person. My love for yoga stems from the way it allows me to be fully present with myself and the moment. I strive to make my classes accessible to anyone who wants to attend. My classes are a playful mix of challenge and rejuvenation. I can’t wait to share and grow with this community.
Angel Villagomez RYT 200
I have been teaching at Elevate Community Yoga for the past four years and have been practicing for much longer dabbling in a wide range of styles from yin to vinyasa, including a blend of the two in yinyasa. I’m always eager for new experiences to better my own practice and teaching and love to incorporate the beats that resonate with me the most from other instructors’ flows to create a unique, eclectic flow of my own.
Carol McKay
I have been practicing mediation for over 10 years and am a certified Mindfulness Meditation Facilitator. Meditation is the tool that helps us become more mindful. It’s been shown to help people manage stress, improve focus and concentration, and increase self-awareness. Mindful Meditation is very accessible for most people. I am passionate about sharing the benefit of meditation with others and helping them to find presence and calmness in their lives.
Sharon Taporco - RYT 200
“In 2010, I completed my first 200 hour yoga training in Vinyasa through Yoga Works in San Francisco. I credit this training for helping to deepen and enrich my own personal practice. Most recently, in 2017, I completed a 200 hour Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher training program in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in Rishikesh, India. I practice mainly within the traditional, structured Ashtanga style but I also sprinkle in Vinyasa because I enjoy the creativity and playfulness that it provides.
I like to guide my classes through movement focused on skeletal alignment, muscular engagement and attention to breath. I encourage you to show up to your mat, have fun, breathe and just do you.”
More of Our Teacher Family
Kaycie Hall - Founder & E-RYT 500
I have been teaching yoga since 2012, and it has taken me on a deep inner journey of sharing my passions and stepping into my sense of purpose. Yoga is so much more to me than a yoga posture or an exercise - I strive to share the mindfulness aspects of this practice and connect my students with themselves on a deeper and more conscious level.
Aside from yoga, I love all things fun. I spend my time training jiu jitsu, rock climbing, hiking, camping, and anything else that involves me having a good time.
Ann Lewis - RYT 500
I've been practicing yoga for several years and began teacher training solely to deepen my own practice by learning more about the anatomy and philosophy behind yoga. During teaching training, we studied numerous different styles of yoga, and when we came to Gentle Yoga, it spoke to me. I then decided to start teaching Gentle Yoga and am excited to share my style with the Elevate Community.
My classes are an expression of what I love about yoga - joy! I enjoy a light-hearted approach (never taking myself too seriously), releasing inhibitions, free of competition and comparison, stepping outside of comfort zones - all in a safe and fun environment where we can feel supported and connected in mind, body and spirit. I believe a yoga practice should support the well-being of the entire person.
I have been married nearing 40 years; I enjoy spending time with family & friends, traveling, cooking, gardening, and our mini schnauzer, Marvin. As a student of yoga, I appreciate all the teachers and styles of yoga that have contributed to my exploration of yoga, health and life. Teaching brings me inspiration and happiness. I look forward to practicing and sharing my knowledge of yoga with each of you.
Mary Garvey RYT 200
Pheonix Lam - RYT 200
Teaching yoga brings me an incredible amount of joy. It allows me the opportunity to connect back to a place within myself that loves without conditions and can give without expectations of anything in return.
The practice of yoga has helped heal and energize my life, awakening my inner child and freeing me onto a path of happiness and serenity. I’ve discovered passions for singing, farming, gardening and more fully appreciate the gift of simply being human.
I feel honored and blessed to be able to learn from and share an experience of yoga with anyone who is finding their way back home. =)
Em Schmidt RYT 200
Jake Murry
Samantha Wiesner - E-RYT 200, BSW
In 2013, I launched my yoga-teaching career while in Costa Rica studying Vinyasa Flow with Jennifer Yarro, Frog Lotus Yoga.. After suffering a spinal injury in 2015, I embraced a restorative practice. The healing effects of a slow practice and massage inspired my training in Therapeutic yoga at the Integral Institute of San Francisco with Cheri Clampett. In 2017, I made my first pilgrimage to Mysore, India where I studied Ashtanga Yoga and received my certification in Thai Yoga Massage.
Today, both traditional Ashtanga and Restorative Yoga influence my teaching. Exploring the balance between effort and ease has been incredibly transformative in my body, mind, and spiritual practice. In addition to anatomically lead movement, my classes offer a blend of guided meditation, breath work, and hands-on touch. I invite you to show up to your mat, just as you are.
Amy Cornwell RYT 200
Kevin McCaghren RYT 200
Jamie Lynn RYT 200
Georgia te Velde RYT 200
Veronica Tovar RYT 200
Annabel Ramirez RYT 200
I took an interest to yoga after searching for an outlet to cope with everyday stressors as life was becoming extremely fast paced and overwhelming. I felt called to take Elevate’s Yoga Teacher Training in 2019 and learned very quickly that yoga was a lot more than working with the poses. It was truly transformational and life changing. I continued my training in Restorative and Yin Yoga and it was there that I grew a passion to the softer side of yoga. After training, I knew that I wanted to serve this community through softer modalities and truly love what I do. I believe that everyone can be flexible through regular practice and stretching. Yoga has led me to a journey of inner work mentally, physically, and spiritually. This community has given me the opportunity to cross paths with some pretty inspiring and amazing people who I now like to call my Tribe.
Off the mat, I enjoy spending time with family, cooking, traveling, and relaxing. I invite you to explore what works for you and encourage you to experience your own transformation on and off the mat.
Ashley Garcia - E-RYT 200
I have dabbled in yoga since my early teenage years, but started to develop a serious practice in 2012 when I discovered the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series, and shortly thereafter began my yoga teacher training. Within weeks of being exposed to this traditional method, I was hooked, and began to transform body, mind, and spirit. This transformation is still taking place today on and off the mat, and has allowed me to find and pursue my own life path as fully as I can. I have been teaching Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga since 2013.
Yoga, and specifically Ashtanga yoga, has taught me the power of practice and the limitless strength that exists within all of us. I strive to teach and practice the same way: one breath at a time, simply and with a light heart, and with the expectation that myself and my students are truly capable of doing whatever we free our minds to do.
Aside from teaching and practicing yoga, I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer and run my own business called Ashley Purple Photo. I also really like pasta. the open road, swimming in the ocean, antiquing, and my cat, Todd.
Hend Saadeh - RYT 200
I originally turned to yoga to help me cope with the stress of life. As I’ve built a consistent practice, I’ve experienced physical, mental, and spiritual growth. Yoga has helped me access patience and hidden strength, both on and off the mat. I believe it can do this for anyone who chooses to seek it out. A yoga practice is both healing and empowering.
Outside of yoga, I enjoy climbing, learning about anything and everything, being outside, and hanging out with my dog. I look forward to guiding you on the mat!