Meet our amazing teachers

Amy’s practice and teaching have evolved over more than 25 years. An RYT 240 from Asheville Yoga Center, she believes that the practice is inclusive - you bring who you are and what you need on any given day to the mat, and yoga provides. Some things that Amy always includes in her classes are safety and joy. As a trained massage therapist, Amy makes suggestions for alignment, depth, and ease that are anatomically appropriate for each student. She takes the practice of yoga very seriously, but believes that laughter, creativity and community are the heart of every class. She encourages feedback and will always consider herself to be a student, too.

Angela’s life journey is to deepen her understanding of the human experience. She was first inspired by the healing power of Yoga in college, when as a young anxious theater major, she experienced how purposeful movement and meditation could quiet the mind, strengthen the body and open the heart. She has been intently studying yogic texts, movement and healing arts in the pursuit of true contentment and holistic wellness ever since. As a teacher she loves to create an enlivened sacred space that empowers people to realize their true nature and connect to their lives with joy and purpose. Angela is known for her ability to make the ancient wisdom of Yoga fun, accessible and applicable to everyday living. She has a keen eye for alignment and offers her students a comprehensive and holistic approach to the physical, emotional and spiritual practices of Yoga. A  lifelong learner, she has had the opportunity to study with many master teachers, healers and enlightened individuals who have and still do guide her path. Angela has been teaching since 2002, she is a certified Pilates NCPT, GYROTONIC® level 2, and a 500 Hour Hatha Yoga Alliance Teacher.

Annie found yoga in 2017 when a studio near her university in sunny Santa Barbara, California offered free classes for students. Trying this new hobby became a fundamental force for change in her life as yoga took her on a journey of self love and self expression. After seeing how much joy and peace yoga had introduced into her life, Annie sought out her 200 hour yoga teacher certification so that she could share the bliss of yoga with others. In Annie's classes, students can expect a balance between energizing flows and mindful meditation. She loves to incorporate themes from poetry, music, and yoga's history into her classes to make her time with students about more than just the movement. Annie strives to create a safe and fun environment where everyone can feel free to express themselves in class, whether that's through taking an extra child's pose, hanging out in your favorite arm balance, or simply going with the flow. 

Dani Leah Strauss (she/her) went to her first yoga class at 13 and has been in relationship to the practice of deep listening ever since. She is certified as an E-RYT 500, and has trained in vinyasa yoga, yin yoga, Bhakti yoga, and the intersection of yoga and social justice. She feels so grateful to have learned from yoga teachers, rabbis, witches, activists, friends, ancestors, and the trees of Bolin Creek about the art of tending to this human body as a temple, a refuge, and a site for sacred connection and transformation. Her creative flow
classes are an invitation into curiosity, collaborative freedom of
breath and body, and the magic of the ordinary. As an extension of her yoga, Dani practices as a queer Jewish witch and ritual facilitator, a birth doula, and an intimacy and relational therapist in Carrboro.

Jill (she/her) took her first yoga class while pregnant, and hasn’t stepped off of her mat since. After practicing for over ten years, she decided that she needed more yoga in her life.  One yoga training led to another and just like that, she is a RYT-500 with Yoga Alliance.  She is continually learning about the body, mind, and spirit.  A deep interest of hers is the intersection between science and yoga. Ideas written in ancient texts come full circle as their tools are supported by modern research.  Expect classes to sprinkle in many variations and options, with the focus always returning to your own self as the expert.  Jill holds space for you to explore your body, feel into your personal appropriate alignment, and to pause from your daily life to become aware of your thoughts. She believes that being aware of yourself is imperative in order to be aware of others and the world around you.  “If we want yoga, we can not run from what it truly means to practice yoga. If we can breathe, we can do yoga.  If we can feel, we can represent liberation. And when we breathe together, we get a little more free.” Susanna Barkataki. 

While living in Los Angeles in 2007, I hiked past a free yoga class in the park every day for months. Finally, my curiosity led me to try it out, and after a few classes, I was hooked for life. During this time, I was going through some difficult life changes, and yoga taught me how to connect to my authentic self. I came through with a profound appreciation for the power of the practice. Inspired by this power and the desire to facilitate this process for others, I began my 200-hour teacher training in 2009 at Yogaworks and completed an apprenticeship through Yogaworks to reach my 500-hour certification in 2013. I taught classes in the Los Angeles area until March 2019, when I moved to North Carolina with my husband and 3-year-old son.

My classes offer a safe, balanced asana practice that emphasizes proper alignment. I encourage my students to find that they can exceed their own expectations by connecting to their breath. I lead classes with compassion, guiding students toward self-awareness. I believe that through linking movement with breath the mind is cleared, and we are open to connect to our true nature.

Kate is a classically trained ballet dancer and a certified barre and mat pilates instructor with fifteen years of teaching experience in dance and exercise. After graduating from the pre professional dance program at San Francisco’s City Ballet School in 2007, Kate moved on to dance professionally in contemporary dance troupes, touring musical theater productions, and as an independent artist all over California. Alongside her career as a performer Kate worked to develop dance programs for several prestigious performing arts schools in the Bay Area introducing the students to classical technique in ballet and barre. When she moved to Brooklyn, NY in 2016 she continued her teaching career as a barre instructor and in 2020 her class was rated the #6 "Best Barre Class" to take in NYC by ClassPass.com. In 2021 Kate received her certification in mat pilates from “Lila Core” and spent the last three years teaching mat pilates and strength & conditioning classes at various yoga and pilates studios all over New York City. 

Kate’s long standing passion for movement runs deep. Her goal in each class is to help guide her students towards finding that magical connection you feel when breath, technique, and strength join forces to build a full and satisfying physical practice. She is thrilled to be a part of the Recess Yoga community and can’t wait to see you on the mat! 

Lindsey (she/her) believes yoga, at its core, is a practice of self-care that prepares us for community care. Being able to hold a pose is one way to mark progress, but if yoga can help us treat each other with greater compassion and respect—well, now we're really getting somewhere. Students in Lindsey’s music-driven classes can look forward to an uplifting balance of centering meditation and invigorating asana. Her sequencing draws inspiration from Ashtanga, Jivamukti, and Power Yoga, with an emphasis on helping students feel strong and steady. She received her 200-hour certification from Carolina Yoga Company, and her 300-hour Advanced Studies certification at the Asheville Yoga Center. Off the mat, Lindsey edits books and teaches creative writing.

My classes offer a safe, balanced asana practice that emphasizes proper alignment. I encourage my students to find that they can exceed their own expectations by connecting to their breath. I lead classes with compassion, guiding students toward self-awareness. I believe that through linking movement with breath the mind is cleared, and we are open to connect to our true nature.

Matt (E-RYT 200) began his path in yoga by way of group fitness. He completed his Yoga Teacher Training with LifeTime Fitness in 2013 where he also taught several strength and Vinyasa Flow classes each week. During his career as a middle school teacher, he introduced his students to yoga and cultivated that into teaching three daily yoga classes as electives during the school day. Matt’s philosophy centers around the idea that yoga is for everyone, regardless of body type, age, fitness level, or any other perceived barrier. He is excited to bring his unique twist on Vinyasa based classes to Recess and invites all to come breathe, move, and play.

Rebecca is a RYT500 yoga teacher. She took her first yoga class in 2016  and has been in love with the practice ever since. Her daily practice is a vital part of her life. Helping her navigate whatever life has to offer and replenish her energetically and physically.

Rebecca's classes invite students to be compassionate and curious about their bodies through movement and breath. Her classes are designed to move the student inward, helping students recharge themselves so when they go back out into the busy world they are replenished. 

Rebecca finds inspiration from The Upanishads, The Bhagavad Gita, The Sutras of Patanjali, Nature and the Human Body.  Her main yoga teachers are Caroline Wybar, Lori Hernandez and Tiffany Cruikshank. This year she completed 100hr Yoga Nidra Training and a 14hr Lymphatics Yoga Training. Currently she is in a 1000hr YTT for Therapeutic Yoga. 

"All this is full. All that is full. From fullness, fullness comes. When fullness is taken from fullness, fullness still remains. OM shanti, shanti, shanti "- Isha Upanishad Invocation  

Sarah completed her 200 hr certification under Claudia Chambers at Respira Yoga in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her yoga journey began as a form of trauma recovery, and through it she fund healing, community, and a powerful connection to the practice and philosophy of yoga. Sarah’s   classes are breath and energy based, and  she facilitates healing, release, and deep relaxation while exploring the mind-body connection, and the subtle shifts in our inner sensory world. 

Tessa Joseph-Nicholas has been practicing yoga and movement since 1998. She is RYT200 certified, has completed teacher training workshops with her longtime ashtanga inspirations David Swenson and Beryl Bender Birch, and has studied yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonic, and bodyweight fitness with too many wonderful teachers to count. Tessa now works to apply her training in more classical forms to an accessible, healthy, playful vinyasa practice. Her classes may take a variety of forms, but her goal is always to cultivate joy, build energetic balance, and encourage healthy exploration of the possibilities. She considers teaching an honor and a privilege, so when she's off the mat, she also professes at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Katy completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training through Yandara Yoga Institute  in Pahoa, HI in 2017, where she became trained to teach vinyasa, restorative, and yin yoga. In 2019 she became certified to teach aerial yoga at the Boulder Circus Center in Boulder, CO.  In Katy's classes, she offers herself as a guide to the student's experience of linking movement and breath with emphasis on mindfulness and moving meditation.  She encourages students to meet their personal challenges on the mat - whether that means strengthening the body or soothing the mind. 

Tom Sowders, PHD, is first a student of yoga and second a sharer of it. He took his first class in 1994 and has been sharing yoga as an instructor since 2018. Tom earned his YTT 200 with Claudia Chambers-Conty at Y Respira Yoga in Raleigh, NC. Tom's style of yoga is informed by hatha yoga, ashtanga, and meditation. A major goal for Tom is to train the mind to be fully present on and off the mat in order to experience the joy that comes flooding once you remove the old layers of familiarity from the way you see the world. Can you tap into the power of your inner child in order to see your practice (and the world) with fresh eyes? That's what he wants to find out. Tom brings a background in studying poetry and music to his practice and teaching.

Ella works to ELLAvate the world by cultivating energy and advocating for authenticity on her blog and as a yoga instructor. She is a life-enthusiast, with a smile as her superpower. A lifelong lover of sweat-inducing movement as well as flexibility and grace, Ella began practicing yoga when she was just 12 years old. She earned her 200 hour Hatha and Vinyasa training from Yoga East West in Bali and began teaching at a studio in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida. 

Ella's combination of intensity with intention will leave you with a clear mind, strong body, and a deep connection to your soul.