Teaching & Studio Team
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Michelle graduated from Believe You Can 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Jane Viscolosi in 2024. This past summer she taught outdoor vinyasa- style classes in various East Bay parks. Michelle enjoys teaching Vinyasa-inspired as well as restorative classes to students of all levels. She encourages her students to listen to their body to avoid injury and believes that yoga has something to offer everyone. She emphasizes the idea that everyone's best is different on different days, but believes that showing up for oneself on the yoga mat is a great step towards building both internal and external strength and health. Michelle began her own yoga journey back in 2017 to help improve her running. However, she found healing in her practice when recovering from multiple injuries, which inspired her to want to share yoga with others.
Why I teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because I love community outreach and want to be a part of an amazing group of teachers that makes yoga accessible for everyone.
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Adaptive Project Leader & Teacher
In addition to being Shri’s Program Manger, Robin (E-RYT 200 & Shri 80) is Shri’s Adaptive Project Leader and most senior outreach teacher.
Robin first came to Shri in 2013 as a student and after assisting with Shri's Adaptive Yoga Project for several months, Robin’s connection with the students inspired her to complete Shri’s Teacher Trainings. Robin teaches many groups within both the Adaptive and Seniors’ Projects, and she enjoys serving as a teacher’s sub across all of Shri’s projects, learning and integrating new teaching techniques from each class. In her role as Shri’s Teacher’s Advocate, Robin serves as a mentor to her fellow Shri teachers, supporting them on and off the mat with their classes. Robin also assists with Shri’s 80-hour “Path of Service” Yoga Outreach Teacher Training, guiding trainees from the start to their placement as a certified Shri teacher. Robin’s yoga classes are lively and fun with a balance of calmness and relaxation. Modifications are incorporated in all of Robin’s classes, making yoga accessible to students of all levels.
Why I Teach at Shri: “Why I teach at Shri is because of its dedication to the mission of making yoga accessible for every person, every body. Shri’s outreach classes challenge me as a teacher because yoga poses are adapted for many age groups or special populations. The mind, body, spirit elements of yoga are always present in each class and may not be what you might expect. Shri gives me the opportunity to share my love of yoga and its positive effects with men, women & children who might not otherwise be able to participate in a traditional yoga class. As the Teacher’s Advocate I am able to share my experiences with my fellow teachers which further spreads the benefits of practicing yoga and develops more community.”
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Crystal (RYT-200) has been passionate about yoga practice for 22 years.
In 2010, Crystal became a certified instructor through Tom Gillette and Shannah Green. In 2011, Crystal felt compelled to join the passionate mission of the SHRI team and completed the fun and inspirational Path of Service Yoga Teacher Training thereafter. Teaching on the Shri Recovery Team, Crystal has taught yoga at Eleanor Slater Hospital for ten years and has taught an Open class in the studio since the beginning. Having always been interested in psychology, Crystal is drawn to studying the Subtle Body and exploring positive shifts in energy.
Why I Teach at Shri: Because I support the mission and I am reciprocally supported; I respect and honor the genuinely kind and caring Shri Team and the energy that Shri attracts; I am inspired by Alison and in awe of the transformation she instills on all levels.
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Lisa (80hr SHRI) has been teaching adaptive yoga for 5 years. Bringing Shri yoga into daily practice as an occupational therapy assistant has had so many positive impacts on students with a wide range of abilities. The ritual, routine, and rhythmic movement incorporated into the SHRI chant has been so powerful and fun to not only share with students but also my colleagues. Lisa is passionate about sharing her practice with others that might not have had the opportunity to engage in a yoga practice without SHRI.
Why I Teach at Shri: “Because I love motivating others to move their bodies, calm their minds, and embrace all the wonderful benefits that yoga can offer.”
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In her classes, Kate wants you to feel supported, honored, respected, and inspired, as she has felt with the teachers she follows. A visual and kinesthetic learner, movement has always been a learning lab for her. An explorer of the inner-verse with a felt sense of inter-connection since childhood made yoga a natural draw over 25 years ago.
Kate received her first teaching certification (vinyasa) in 2004 at Eyes of the World from Tom Gillette (many bows, many thanks). She has gone on to receive certifications from the School of Phoenix Rising as a trauma-informed yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She also is an Ayurvedic counselor through the American Institute of Vedic Studies. Kate has worked in the mental health sphere and in community development for over 30 years. It’s this experience that first inspired her to become a yoga teacher.
Kate lives in Bristol with her sculptor husband who, happily, is her best friend. On the weekends they usually can be found in the forest, running and hiking amidst the wonders of nature.
Why I Teach at Shri: It is the vision and mission of service, delivered with heart and skill, that brought me here before the doors of the first Shri location opened. It is the the way this mission meshes with my own. All this and the community of teachers, students, and partners, keeps me here.
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In 2017 Denise completed her outreach teacher training with Shri Yoga. Denise has been teaching Adaptive Yoga for seven wonderful years. While teaching this community Denise searched for others ways to improve her teaching skills thereby receiving a certificate from Brain Longevity in June of 2021 and Kids Mindfulness Yoga with Kumarah in 2023.
In 2023, Denise received the Shri Spotlight Award!
Why I Teach at Shri: “Because Yoga is a life journey with an opportunity to deepen the capacity for self understanding and for sharing these gifts. The individuals whom I’ve met along this path have given me the ability to learn from them and to be a better person.”
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Damon first began his journey with Shri in 2012, attending adaptive yoga classes with his fellow artists from Flying Shuttles. After several years, Damon made the decision to become a certified yoga teacher and he enrolled in Shri’s 80 hr. teacher training so he could teach yoga to his peers. In 2017, with the support of his long-time staff person Nancy, Damon graduated from Shri’s teacher training Damon is an inspiration to both his teaching colleague and students.
His classes are fun and well planned with creative community building activities . Damon encourages students to participate to the best of their abilities. Damon currently leads a weekly class for members of his social service agency and Flying Shuttle Art Studio.
Why I Teach at Shri: "I love to help people, and I love doing yoga. It brings me joy to teach people who have all levels of disabilities."
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Yesenia was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in NYC. She is a transformational leader and wellness coach dedicated to helping individuals redefine success and live a more balanced life. After working in the corporate sector for more than 20 years, she took a major leap and transitioned to fully launching a new path. In 2024, she founded Mujeres Create Ventures and became a certified Sound Meditation Practitioner. She is also certified in Ayurveda Holistic Wellness. As Yesenia continues to evolve this practice, her main goal remains to bring moments of peace, joy and profound connection to people in both their personal and professional lives.
Why I teach at Shri: “I feel so lucky to have discovered Shri. It’s wonderful to see how they serve people of all backgrounds, ensuring that wellness and yoga are accessible to groups who have often been overlooked. As soon as you enter the studio, you feel the good energy and the loving atmosphere they have created for everyone.”
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Roberta ( RYT -200) has been practicing yoga for 50 years and teaching for 25, with the last 5 years at Shri. She considers her time at Shri teaching Seniors to be particularly fulfilling. In Fall 2024, she will complete her 300 hour Advanced Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga Certification.
The benefits of yoga for better physical, mental and emotional health have made it increasingly popular as an anecdote for our current stressful lifestyle. Its insights can come from almost anywhere; ancient yoga philosophy, a ball of yarn, new scientific discoveries, a song, a flower or a new way of breathing. All this variety finds its way into creative class content that deepens student’s understanding of yoga and their lives.
Roberta enjoys teaching Seniors for their wisdom, their laughter and their determination to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Why I Teach at Shri: Because Shri is home to continuous learning, creativity and supportive friendships. Because it handles administration, finances and marketing, teachers are free to focus on teaching. Things that seem impossible happen with regularity at Shri.
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Pawtucket resident Robin Nyzio practiced yoga at home for years until she took an in-person class at her gym 2 years ago. In 2023, she became a 200 HR Yoga Teacher with a focus on teaching accessible yoga and in 2024 she completed Shri’s outreach training program too.
Born with a minor birth defect that resulted in her first hip replacement in her 30s, Robin hopes to demonstrate that physical limitations aren’t a barrier to practicing yoga. When she’s not practicing yoga or working at the library, you can find her riding her bicycle, swimming laps, cooking, reading or gardening.
Why I Teach at Shri: Making yoga accessible to so many people is inspiring and uplifting. All the teachers, students, Alison and everyone involved brings so much positive energy to the studio and the classes. Once you step inside the studio or sit in on an outreach class, it’s easy to understand how important this work is for the community!
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Teacher & Board Member
I was introduced to yoga in 2010. I quickly saw the value it brought into my life. I started attending and assisting weekly classes at the social service agency I was and still am associated with. In 2022, I was hired to share adaptive yoga classes with those supported by this agency. Wanting to dive deeper, I found yoga classes at a local library with an amazing Shri teacher. This led me to advancing my yoga journey by completing the Shri Teacher Training course in 2024. I am now a certified Shri yoga instructor and lead yoga classes for my peers at Shri. Being able to support and guide others to relax and find their center brings me a great deal of satisfaction. Yoga has help me out and for that I am grateful to be able to teach anyone.
Alison asked me to join Shri’s nonprofit board in December 2024.
Why I Teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because it's my passion to doing something you enjoy a lot and seeing people that want to come relax and feel centered makes it worthwhile class after class. I am very happy to be a part of the amazing Shri community!
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Mary has taught dance and fitness for more than twenty-five years. She began dancing at a young age and grew up with a deep love of music and movement. She blends her fitness and dance training to create a fun, welcoming environment where everyone can explore dance and fitness Her classes offer a creative, varied approach to exercise. Mary believes people of all ages can discover a love of fitness through music and dance. She is committed to a safe, inclusive space that encourages everyone to participate and experience the benefits of fitness.
Why I Teach at Shri: I am honored to join the Shri family, where students of all abilities can share the love of movement and dance through music.
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Judson has worked with children, families and veterans for more than 25 years in a variety of capacities as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Jud’s passion for holistic healing, music and percussion led him to become a Certified Sound Healer in 2023.
Sound therapy and its therapeutic healing qualities, he believes, support one’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing by bringing balance and harmony to the mind, body and soul.
With monthly offerings at Shri, Jud uses sound bowls and other various elements to inspire a gentle, relaxing experience - a great compliment to other Shri classes.
Why I teach at Shri: I love Shri’s commitment to community and was drawn to their focus in working with adaptive and special populations.
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Catherine (Cate) Brennan completed her 200 hr yoga teacher training with Coral Brown at Island Heron Yoga in her hometown of Jamestown RI. Cate has been practicing yoga for over 10 years and firmly believes in yoga as a tool to help us connect to our body’s inner wisdom. Professionally, Cate is a Registered Dietitian and works with both the pediatric population and in the field of eating disorders. Cate completed the Shri Outreach training in 2025 and has also done additional training in oncology yoga. She imagines a world where everyone can find peace and trust within their body and mind.
Why I teach at Shri: Because yoga is meant to be shared with all people.
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Deb first became acquainted with Shri 12 years ago when was a teacher for the Pawtucket School Department transition program. After reaching out to Shri Studio which was walking distance from school, my students began participating in the adaptive yoga program where I saw firsthand the calming effects and focus yoga had on them. That was my first experience with yoga. After that I became very passionate about the benefits of yoga for my students and myself. In 2022, I retired from the school department and completed Shri’s 80-hour outreach training that Spring. I currently teach adaptive yoga classes and a seniors’ class at a local nursing home.either walk or utilize the RIPTA for our weekly yoga class. This was my first experience with Yoga. I felt very passionate about the benefits yoga was having for my students and myself. They would express that yoga helped them to relax and focus.
Why I teach at Shri: Because I totally agree with SHRI’S philosophy of inclusivity, which enables us to serve a variety of outreach groups.
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In addition to having 13 years of experience as an educator, Cole (he/him) is a wellness champion. He's a Creator for Peace Love, an expressive arts program focused on mental well-being, where he facilitates art workshops. Cole is also a certified Laughter Yoga Leader, fostering joy and connection through laughter exercises. Because of Cole’s passion about making yoga accessible and fun for everyone, he completed Shri Yoga’s 80-hr. training in 2024. Cole brings a welcoming and inclusive approach to all his classes. For Cole, yoga is a journey to holistic well-being. He believes in the power of community to support both physical and mental health.
Why I Teach at Shri: Shri gives me the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of others through movement and community.
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My background is working as a clinical social worker for the past 40 years. I am and have been a supporter of Shri’s mission for almost as long. I have found yoga to be a salve to soothe the mind and body, and a source of great healing. Wanting to explore this more, in 2022, I completed Shri’s 80-hr. outreach training and began teaching students how to use yoga as a tool to decrease anxiety and stress. Shri’s mission is powerful. Now, I get to be a part of that.
Why I Teach at Shri: I am honored to be a part of this incredible organization because now I am able to bring yoga to people in places where yoga is not usually an option.
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Growing up in Tiverton, RI, Carlin has always been very involved in music throughout his education. He played oboe in the Rhode Island Youth Philharmonic and at Providence College. He also played tenor and baritone saxophone. Carlin decided to leave the woodwinds behind due to restrictive breathing methods, however many years later he experienced his first sound bath in Joshua Tree at the Integratron. The therapeutic nature of the sound bath gave him colorful visuals and felt like a massage, reigniting his love for music and all of its healing properties.
In 2022, he began his work in learning sound therapy under Sara Auster based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work is focused on experimentation of sound and its healing qualities while bringing these experiences to the general public. Here he learned about a wide variety of healing sound instruments and their uses.
During the day, Carlin works as a special education administrator for schools in Fall River, MA.
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Ellen has been an enthusiastic practitioner and student of yoga for over 20 years. She has been teaching yoga for the last three years and she is thrilled to be uniting her passion for yoga with her passion for inclusion as a teacher at Shri Yoga. After moving to Rhode Island in 2021, Ellen was in search of her yoga community. As soon as she came across the 80 hour Shri Yoga Outreach Teacher Training, she knew she had found it.
Yoga is a practice that supports our physical and mental well being, and these practices can and should be made accessible to all. In addition to being a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, Ellen has recently completed her Accessible Yoga teacher training where she learned about the many ways the physical and mental practice of yoga can be adapted to meet each student exactly where they are.
At Ellen’s classes you can expect a centering moment to start, some warm up stretching and core awakening, followed by strength building standing poses and a quiet close. Ellen makes use of quiet instrumental music in her classes.
Why I teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because I want to support a yoga community that includes everyone.
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Debbie has been practicing yoga for over 30 years. After having served as a volunteer assisting student check-in, she decided to attend and graduated from Shri’s 80-hr. Teach Training in Spring of 2024. Debbie now teaches classes in Shri’s adaptive and senior projects. She’s a passionate gardener, world traveler and optimist.
Why I teach at Shri: I’m truly inspired by the mission of yoga outreach and the supportive Shri community where creativity and positive energy are generated and shared. My students motivate me and sharing yoga with them is a joy/privilege.
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Emily has had a love for art her whole life. She has a keen eye for detail, and a big mind full of ideas. Art, including drawing, mixed media, and videography, has always been an outlet for her. Emily’s main passion is to help others, and in her art class at Flying Shuttles Studio, she aims to make everyone feel appreciated and valued. She believes that creativity is in everyone, and learning how to tap into that creative side is a beautiful way of connecting with the world, as well as connecting with oneself. She loves to encourage others to undoubtedly shine their own light. She hopes her students at Shri will feel a heightened sense of confidence in their expression and individuality from trying the different mediums of art forms taught in her class.
Why I Teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because the environment and community are accepting of everyone, and spread immense care and support into bettering our well-beings.
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Joanne joined Shri in May 2022 after completing Shri’s Path of Service Yoga Teacher Training with Alison. She is a pediatric OT with 30+ years of experience working in the public schools, is a certified personal trainer and youth exercise specialist. She has dabbled in yoga for years and has always blended yoga and mindfulness practices into her OT and personal training sessions. Her belief is that yoga and mindfulness stimulates growth from the inside out, making it a powerful tool to improve overall health and well-being.
Why I Teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because I love sharing the powerful benefits of yoga to others! I feel blessed to serve such a diverse group of amazing students!
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In 2006, Cara’s passion for dance, movement, and fitness led her to begin practicing yoga.
Professionally, Cara has been a licensed massage therapist since 2003. Cara loves how, like massage, yoga has so many benefits for physical, mental, and emotional health. Her years of practicing massage has given her a unique understanding and appreciation of the human body, which inspired her to begin teaching yoga in 2021.
Cara, along with her 5-year-old daughter, began teaching a class called Mindful Movement for Kids. In 2025, she completed Shri’s 80-hour outreach training. She is currently teaching a seniors’ class.
Cara’s classes integrate mindfulness techniques and playful activities, inviting students to cultivate self-awareness, confidence, and joy in their practice. Cara is passionate about helping people of all ages and abilities to understand and connect to their bodies. She looks forward to guiding each student on their journey toward greater well-being and self-discovery through mindful movement and compassionate instruction.
Why I Teach at Shri: I love everything that Shri stands for. Teaching at Shri allows me to share yoga’s transformative benefits with a diverse community, supporting Shri’s mission to make yoga accessible to every body. I am grateful to contribute to an organization that opens doors for so many students.
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Liz has been practicing yoga since the year 2000 and has been teaching for the past eight years or so after completing Shri’s training in 2018. Teaching for Shri naturally complimented Liz’s day job. Liz's current classes are with youth working on mental health and encouraging yoga as a multifaceted coping skill. Personally, Liz enjoys yoga both a hobby and a lifestyle, doing her best to maintain mindfulness both on and off the mat.
Why I Teach at Shri: Because yoga is one of the most enjoyable pathways to better health.
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Nicole has been practicing yoga for 17 years. After hearing about Shri, Nicole was so inspired she attended and recently graduated from Shri’s 80-hr. Teacher training in the Spring of 2024. After that, she immediately began teaching in Shri’s adaptive, school and seniors’ projects. Nicole is upbeat and energetic. She brings this positive energy to her teaching. Seeing the students thrive and connect to their bodies and self is why she is so passionate.
Why I Teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because Shri believes in and supports of one another and sees the importance of community building through the practice of yoga.
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Ruth is a native Rhode Island girl. She started taking zumba classes in 2008 and found it be great exercise and that it helped with her coordination. Ruth’s zumba home is at the Common Fence Point Community Center in Portsmouth, RI. The zumba instructors there developed an All Abilities training program and this motivated Ruth to become an instructor. In 2023, Ruth completed the All Abilities training and became certified to teach zumba. In 2025, Ruth’s zumba journey brought her to Shri Studio where she now leads adaptive zumba classes.
Ruth loves traveling with her family and strives to keep up her zumba classes while on the road. In addition, Ruth enjoys square dancing as part of her exercise routine.
Why I teach at Shri: I love teaching at Shri Studio because it is a welcoming, inclusive, warm and comfortable place to teach zumba, where I can show people how to move more while having fun dancing and socializing.
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Susan began practicing yoga in 2000 while training for a sixty-mile fundraising walk. A lifelong cyclist and exercise fan, she quickly appreciated the balance that yoga brought to her fitness life. In 2012 she graduated from Kripalu’s 200-hour yoga teacher training program and began teaching in local studios as well as offering private instruction. A move to RI (Susan’s home state) brought her to Coral Brown’s 500-hour teacher training at All That Matters which she completed in March 2017. Susan also completed Shri’s 60-hour Path of Service Yoga Outreach Teacher Training in April 2017. Susan and her husband John enjoy their three grown children and three grandsons. Susan’s favorite past times include knitting, reading and spending time on the water.
Why I Teach at Shri: I enjoy teaching for Shri because it gives me the opportunity to share my love of yoga with populations who might not otherwise be given the chance to practice. I like seeing community build in classes as the students practice together and learn from each other.
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A classic “perfectionist, yoga has taught Becky to cultivate a softness and compassion in her approach to herself, life and relationships, and to slow down in the midst of everyday busy-ness allowing a sense of possibility to seep in. As you get to know Becky, you will find her personality to be filled with warmth and humor. She is a firm believer that laughter and spontaneous dancing cures many an ill. In May 2013, Becky completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training with Cathy Cesario of Spirit Tree Yoga & Healing Practices. Becky deepened her teaching skills by acting as the teaching assistant for Cathy and completed a second 200-hour teacher training with her in 2015. Since then, Becky also completed her 300-hour training experience with Linda Sparrowe, Jenn Thomas, and Usha Billotta of the Bhavana School of Yoga (October 2019). In 2022, she completed an 80-hour yin yoga training with Jennifer Thomas. Becky seeks to create space in her classes for relaxation into the physical postures, inviting in exploration and play, spending time with the breath, and introducing the components of yoga that have helped enrich her life.
Why I Teach at Shri: “Shri makes the practice of yoga universally available. Practicing together creates community in action.”
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Lauren joined the Shri teaching staff in 2013 after completing the Path of Service Yoga Teach Training with Alison and Cathy Cesario, Director of Spirit Tree Yoga. A registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance (RYT-200), Lauren teaches at the Bradley Hospital and in other outreach programs where she shares her deep passion for yoga with her students. Lauren also assists with fundraising activities. Her trainings and practice at All That Matters and Kripalu over the past 20 years has led her on a path to inspire others and shine the light of yoga into the community!
Why I Teach at Shri: I am inspired to teach at Shri to support and honor students in need. My journey in the path of service is dedicated to my Nephew who is on the autism spectrum, and my Mom who has been teaching yoga for over 30 years. Shri is a caring community, and my heart is full when I am able to reach out and make a difference through the practice of yoga.
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Wendy first experienced the transformative power of yoga after joining her Mom on a yoga mat in their living room when she was 15 years old. She loved how yoga helped her to slow down, to connect with her body and to find her true center, her authentic self. Wendy completed Shri’s 80-hr. yoga outreach teacher training in 2019 and in 2022, she competed Coral Brown’s 200-hr. integrative vinyasa teacher training, Wendy teaches yoga to kids and adults in special-needs populations and to the general public. She has worked as a pediatric physical therapist in a public school system for the past 21 years, and believes that everyone, regardless of ability, deserves the opportunity to experience the healing practice of yoga and mindfulness.
Why I Teach at Shri: Because Shri allows me to serve the community by sharing the gift of yoga with others through low-cost, accessible yoga classes.
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Alexandra has been an educator for many years and has always been drawn to the practice of karma yoga and the act of putting others before yourself. Having been a Shri supporter for many years, in 2024 Alexandra decided to attend Shri’s 80 hr. teacher training. The Shri training has helped her to teach students to be confident, curious, and accepting individuals who want to put their community first and help people around them. She loves providing students with the skills that can be applied to all facets of their lives, both inside and outside of the classroom.
WHY I TEACH AT SHRI: I teach at Shri because it combines two of my passions: a love for teaching students with exercising through moving your body.
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I am a community school resource coordinator who works to bring in programs and partnerships to help meet the needs of our students and families. Shri was the first partnership I established 7 years ago, and our students have benefitted from the self regulation and calming strategies they have learned from Shri teachers each year since. Fast forward to this year, and I am now a Shri outreach teacher. I am so excited to start this journey and bring monthly yoga events to our students and families. I have been married to my husband Jim for 23 years and we have two sons, Nathan & Cameron, who are away at college in DC and Pittsburgh!
Why I Teach at Shri: I believe in their mission of outreach and service. I love being a part of this community of practice!
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Wendy is a 500 hr yoga teacher and an Occupational Therapist. She completed her 200 hr yoga training in Kundalini Yoga in 2002, her 500 hr training from Kripalu in 2008 and her Ananda Meditation Training in 2014, Ananda Yoga Bridge training in 2015 and the Shri Yoga Teacher Training in 2024. She has also been a teacher assistant at Kripalu Yoga & Wellness Center. As an OT, she ensures proper alignment for safety and increased body awareness and to maximize the benefits of each pose. She is also a Reiki Master / Teacher and encourages awareness of the subtle energy inherent in each pose.
Wendy believes in the power of yoga and meditation to transform all areas of one’s life. She uses the soothing energy of her voice to encourage relaxation into each pose to build depth in one’s practice. She encourages awareness of breath and the practice of pranayama to work with the mind as the breath and the mind are intimately connected.
Why I teach at Shri: I love teaching for Shri & helping clients learn coping skills to deal with the difficult challenge of substance use. Working with Shri has been a wonderful experience because I am able to share my love of yoga with a variety of student populations.
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Wendy is a certified yoga teacher (EYT 500+) with over forty years of personal yoga practice combining the styles of Hatha, Vinyasa, and Kundalini. She understands the supportive nature of yoga and holds a welcoming space for students at all levels to explore mindfulness, breath work, movement, and individual development.
Wendy completed Shri’s teacher training in 2019 and immediately began leading classes in Shri’s recovery and hospital projects. She holds certifications of study from the Kripalu Center and ATM Integrative Vinyasa.
She continues her education attending workshops at Menla, Omega, and beyond. Off the mat, Wendy is an internationally exhibiting visual artist and a Board Member of RI's Hera Gallery and Educational Foundation.
Why I Teach at Shri: "Teaching for Shri allows me to offer a yoga practice to diverse populations who may not otherwise have access."
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Everett Hoag is a teaching artist at Shri. Dynamic and experienced, Everett is passionate about empowering young people through the arts.
With a rich background in the arts, business, design, and education, "Mister E" brings a unique blend of creativity and expertise to his role at Shri.
He has taught at prestigious institutions such as Brown University, Emerson College, Rhode Island School of Design, and Providence After School Alliance sharing his knowledge and skills with students of all ages.
Why I Teach at Shri: "I'm passionate about sharing the transformative power of mindfulness and believe that Shri's approach aligns perfectly with my values. I've personally experienced the positive impact of art and design on my own life, and I'm eager to help others discover the same benefits. Shri Yoga's commitment to accessible, inclusive, and empowering practices resonates deeply with me. I'm excited about the opportunity to contribute to a community that fosters growth, well-being, and a sense of connection."
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I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training through Sadhana Yoga School in 2016 and am currently completing Shri’s 80-hr. teacher training. Beyond yoga, I’m a passionate healer, writer, lifelong learner, and mom to three amazing young men and two adorable fur babies. I love family time, traveling, reading, creative expression, and finding joy in life’s little moments.
Why I teach at Shri: I teach at Shri because the community embodies inclusivity, safety, authenticity, and fun. I believe yoga is for every body, and I’m passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and comfortable showing up exactly as they are.
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Laura brings over three decades of trailblazing experience in fitness, cardiac rehabilitation, yoga, and mindful wellness, with a special focus on empowering midlife and older women.
A nationally certified Exercise Physiologist and 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, as well as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher-intraining at Brown University, she seamlessly blends science, spirit, and somatic wisdom in every offering.
Laura’s mission is both personal and universal: to remind women—especially Black and Brown women—that healing is their birthright. That aging is not a decline, but a spiritual initiation. That their story, breath, and body matter.
Drawing on her deep expertise, she weaves adaptive yoga, breathwork, and meditation into each class, offering not just poses but pathways to resilience, connection, and self-worth.
Why I Teach at Shri: “Laura is honored to lead classes that embody Shri’s mission of creating inclusive, traumas-ensitive spaces where students of all abilities can experience the healing power of movement and mindfulness.”
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Jasmine, who likes to be called Jazz, is Shri’s studio assistant through The Fogarty Center.
In her role, Jazz greets students, helps set up classes and breaks them down on busy studio days.
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Julia is a lifelong caregiver and advocate for others. As the parent of an adult child with special needs and the daughter of a parent who navigated dementia and vision loss, she understands firsthand the emotional complexity, strength, and grace required in caregiving.
Her life’s work has been guided by a deep commitment to improving the quality of life for others -- whether through raising critical funds for low-income urban schools, facilitating retreats for those in need of rest and reflection, or creating safe, nurturing spaces for growth and healing.
Julia brings a holistic, strengths-based approach to both personal and professional transformation. Her work as a coach, consultant, and retreat facilitator is rooted in a mind-body spirit philosophy that integrates self-reflection, wellness, the arts, and the healing power of nature.
Julia has a deep love for music, art, mindfulness, and creative movement -- and a special passion for supporting community through accessible, inclusive practices. Her service-in-action mindset is beautifully aligned with Shri’s mission and outreach programs.
Julia attended Shri’s 80-hr. teacher training in the winter of 2025. Soon after graduation, she began leading Shri Yoga classes for both adults with disabilities and seniors.
Why I Teach at Shri: “I am honored to join the Shri community in sharing practices that foster connection, creativity, and self-care through mindful movement, compassion and collective wellness.”
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Pa is Shri’s facility manager through The Fogarty Center.
In her role, Pa oversees all housekeeping duties at Shri, keeping the studio spotless and welcoming—from sweeping and mopping floors to sanitizing props and tidying shared spaces—so teachers and students can focus on their practice without distraction.
Pa’s attention to detail, steady presence, and pride in maintaining a calm, orderly environment make her an essential part of Shri’s day-to-day operations.