HVWY
INSTRUCTORS
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Kelli finds joy in challenging her students while reminding them to remain humble. It was in 2013 that Kelli was searching for some clarity in life and a physical and mental awakening. Turns out yoga was the answer to all her questions! Her love and passion for the practice was growing rapidly and it only made sense to take the journey from student to teacher, completing her YTT in 2016 at The Yoga House in Kingston, NY. Kelli comes to her mat to find herself and her inner peace. She hopes to transfer these energies to each and every student she encounters. Her teaching style places emphasis on accepting where you are in your practice as it's exactly where you should be.
KELLI INGERSOLL, RYT-200
JACQUELYN NASH, E-RYT
Jacquelyn's philosophy on yoga is simple: to share yoga is to share peace. As an E-RYT, Jacquelyn is dedicated to making yoga accessible to all people and demystifying the "secret language" of yoga. Jacquelyn has experience teaching a wide range of students of all levels, and encourages students to be comfortable in their own skin, no matter what level class and no matter what asana they are in. Jacquelyn finds the teachings of yoga everywhere, and draws on life experiences to share the principles of the practice in a relatable way with her students. Her classes present creative and often challenging sequences that draw students inward, but also allow them to laugh, smile, and see themselves in a whole new light. Although a student and practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, Jacquelyn appreciates and incorporates different yoga styles in her classes to create a tailored experience for the practitioners who arrive on the mat.
MEL TOTH, RYT-200
Mel's classes focus on understanding the fundamentals of asana (poses) through the use of props (blocks, blankets, straps, chairs, bolsters) and movement exploration, while emphasizing the discovery of personal alignment, balance and relaxation. After many years of chronic injuries and pain related to scoliosis (curvature of the spine), Mel has found great relief through the practice of gentle and restorative poses and is passionate about incorporating both into her classes. By encouraging students to respect their physical limitations while exploring what’s possible, Mel aims to help each individual learn how to serve the unique needs of the body. As a former 4th grade teacher, tutor and Director of Eduction for several NY learning centers, Mel’s varied educational experiences have taught her to remain flexible in the face of teaching and learning challenges and receptive to new ways of sharing and receiving information. She is forever grateful to her first yoga teacher, Jill Gnassi, whose expert Iyengar instruction taught her how attending to small details could make a huge difference in life.
KELLI GILMORE, RYT-500
Kelli dabbled in yoga for about 20 years before she started practicing more frequently in her early 40s to rest some age and sports related injuries. A regular practice helped reignite her love for yoga. Kelli is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor, with a private practice in Saugerties. She realized that the life lessons she was learning on her yoga mat could be applied to what she was doing in therapy. Wanting to gain as much knowledge about yoga as possible that she could pass it on to her clientele, she decided to complete a teacher training. She finished her 200-hr yoga teacher training at The Yoga House in 2019 followed by a 300-hr training at Stone Wave Yoga in 2021. Her mission is to create an environment where students can feel confident and comfortable in their bodies while having fun and finding peace. She teaches classes in several locations throughout Ulster County, NY and can be found on Instagram at sunsalutingsocialworker.
KAREN HAWKINS DEKOSKIE, RYT-500
Karen took her first yoga class with Lisa Watkins while she was a graduate student at SUNY New Paltz. Fast forward 20 years, and you can now find Karen teaching a variety of yoga classes from restorative to mixed-level, vinyasa flow classes. Inspired by creative sequencing and a love for connecting movement with breath, these classes are designed for students of all levels. Karen completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at The Yoga House in Kingston, NY with lead teachers Leigha Butler and Jacqueline Nash in 2017. She further deepened her knowledge and practice bye completing the 300-hour teacher training program led by Maggie Heinzel-Neel and Michael Gould at Vitality Yoga in New Paltz, NY. In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and cycling, writing poems, and playing with her two amazing kids. Additionally, Karen is an English teacher at Walkill Senior High School, where she happily shares her love for yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with her inspiring and supportive students and coworkers. She and her coworker, Libbie Werlau, have established the yoga project Outside:In Yoga. @outsideinyoga & outsideinyoga.org
