Trish MacNeil, a co-founder of UnionStudio Yoga, has been studying and practicing yoga for over 10 years. Throughout her practice and teaching, Trish has been a student of the Iyengar style of yoga - focusing on the importance of alignment and body awareness to gain strength and flexibility. Passionate about the benefits of yoga, Trish also teaches the value of incorporating relaxation and the philosophy of yoga into everyday life.

Trish has dedicated herself to the Iyengar style of yoga, is a long time student of Peggy McLoughlin and currently studies under the guidance of Patricia Walden.

phone: 978.886.7944
cell phone: 617.877.5384
email: trish@unionstudioyoga.com

Amy Buelow comes to UnionStudio with 10 years of self-practice and 5 years teaching experience. She became a certified Ashtanga Vinyasa RYT while living and training in San Francisco, CA. Amy went on to complete prenatal and postnatal yoga training and set up a successful course in Key Biscayne, FL. She holds a BA in Studio Art and Master's in Education.

The focus of Amy's yoga practice centers around techniques using yoga to find a sense of physical balance and mental clarity on and off the mat. Through teaching, she is able to share and inspire this self-progression for others. Her classes are designed to creatively link breath and movement, build strength and flexibility, and open the mind and body.

Makes learning and exercise fun by integrating yoga poses to include imaginary explorations of nature, animals and indigenous cultures with cooperative games, singing, chanting and story-telling.

Lauren Schnell recently appeared on the popular MTV show, Made, as a yoga teacher and nutrition coach. Lauren is a certified yoga teacher and holistic health practitioner that has been working with children, both as a dance and yoga teacher, since she was 15 years old. Lauren grew up learning and practicing bhakti yoga from her parents and later formally studied with master teachers, Lisa and Charles Matkin, former directors of Yoga Zone, and Shakta Kaur Khalsa, of Radiant Child Yoga.

Lauren formerly lead the children's yoga program at Ballet Academy East, NYC summer camp and teaches adults and children's hatha yoga at residential buildings, private homes, and now online with her new company . . .
www.organicgreenmommy.com

Roberta has been practicing yoga since 1987 with master yoga teachers Swami Padmananda, Patricia Walden, Zoë Stewart, Liz Owen and others. She continues to attend classes with mentor master Iyengar teachers Patricia Walden, Karin Stephan, and attends private sessions with mentor Iyengar teacher Liz Owen.

She has completed a 240 hour Hatha Yoga Certification program with AURA Wellness Center and is registered with Yoga Alliance - RYT 200 hour level. Recently she completed a 50 hour Meditation Teacher Certification program and has been an Usui Reiki Practitioner since 1989.

Roberta teaches beginners to advanced yoga practitioners. She also works with individuals who have physical challenges, specifically individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, scoliosis and amputees.

Roberta was featured in a commercial for Kashi's "Yoga and Healthy Eating" marketing promotion in 2006, and is featured in a yoga video, "Fertility Yoga with Monica Morell".

Suzanne is a long time teacher of Vinyasa flow yoga but always views herself as a lifetime student. She became exposed to yoga as a young child as her parents practiced Bhakti yoga and Meditation and regularly held Satsang at their house. Her studies include all styles of yoga and their disciplines as one complete definition of yoga. Her approach to yoga is not limited to the mat but rather infused into everyday living and breathing. She is known for a challenging class that softens you and structures it in a modern practical flow. Suzanne enjoys teaching large groups as well as guiding individuals to their own unique beat. Her passion of living consciously spills over into her professional life as she co-owns with her husband Boston Green Realty, a real estate office specializing in green properties. She lives in Andover with her two little boys and husband.

Yoshiko Gray graduated with a degree in Physical Education in Japan where she taught aerobics, swimming and fitness at Central Fitness Club, a Japanese chain of fitness and health clubs. She has worked extensively as a personal trainer. Her continued studies include alternative medicine techniques such as Thai Yoga Body Work, Reflexology and Ayurvedic medicine.

Yoshiko began studying Yoga in the United States in 2002 and became a Registered Yoga Teacher in the Spring of 2009. She was trained in Hatha Yoga and studies the Iyengar Yoga system under Patricia Walden and Liz Owen.

Jennifer began teaching so that she could share the benefits of yoga with others. Yoga has had a wonderful impact in her life and she believes all people could benefit from the unblocking of energy that results from a practice. She teaches to approach the postures with self-compassion, inviting students to learn from what feels right in their individual bodies. She is dedicated to creating a practice space in which each person feels safe, allowing for growth and expansion to occur. She feels fortunate to be apart of this community and have the opportunity to learn from fellow students and teachers.

Kristin began practicing yoga in New York City, after deciding she needed an outlet that provided a sense of serenity within the city’s non-stop chaos. As she deepened her practice, she found that in addition to serenity, the physical and mental challenges of yoga led the way to a more balanced, centered lifestyle. Kristin has studied with Natasha Rizopoulos, Yoga Journal’s Beginner’s Expert, and has earned her 200-hour, Yoga Alliance compliant, teaching certificate under Natasha’s tutelage. Kristin has also practiced with Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga and credits her ongoing yoga learning to local teacher Jen Ryan.

Kristin’s practice has been influenced by Ashtanga’s emphasis on connecting breath with movement and Iyengar’s emphasis on proper alignment. In her teaching, she combines these two core components with an equal interest in graceful transitions and honoring where one is in his/her own practice.

As a yoga practitioner and teacher, Gail Mann embraces a dynamic flow style with an emphasis on alignment, focus and the breath. Through her deep understanding of anatomy, Gail encourages students to explore their inner alignment within the fluidity of movement to uncover the natural flow of life both on and off the mat. Gail is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) who is completing a 500-hour certification with Barbara Benagh. Trained in Cyndi Lee’s OM Yoga and influenced by NYC Kula Project Yoga, Gail’s 20+ years of yoga practice combines her training in Iyengar Yoga with Judith Lasater, Anusara Yoga with Desiree Rumbaugh and Betsey Downing and Prana Yoga with Shiva Rea. Passionate about the benefits of yoga, Gail's excitement encourages and guides both novice and advanced students to find a sense of peace and relaxation while focusing on the present.

Kat Mansfield explored Hatha, Bikram and Ashtanga styles before finding her home with the breath and dynamic movement of Vinyasa yoga. Kat has studied with Bikram and Rajashree Choudhury, Diane Ducharme, Baron Baptiste, Tias Little, Krishna Das, Sharon Saltzberg, David Magone and Dharma Mittra. An intrepid learner, Kat continues to study all eight limbs of yoga and gratefully acknowledges the influence and support of all her teachers, both inside and outside the discipline of yoga.

Having run five marathons, Pamela Marshall began a yoga practice twelve years ago as a way to complement her running passion. After her first pregnancy she discovered vinyasa flow yoga; "This style blended the rhythm of my running with the flow of the breath and asana." Pamela began teaching in 2004 and in 2006 completed Todd Norian's extensive 300-hour Anusara Yoga Teacher Training. This method of yoga completely changed her practice and body; allowing her to access postures that were once impossible and made them possible and safe. "What I love most about teaching is sharing the skillful alignment principles of Anusara with students and witnessing them transform both in their poses and in their lives. It's very empowering for both teacher and student."

Chris has been practicing many styles of yoga for thirty years. In 2006 she completed a 500 hour Forrest Teacher Training Foundation course and in 2007, completed the Forrest Yoga Advanced Teacher Training (75 hours). She has assisted Ana Forrest at weekend workshops, teacher training intensives and the Yoga Journal Conference in Boston. In addition, she completed an apprenticeship at Back Bay Yoga in Boston with Lynne Begier where she taught for a summer.

One constant in Chris’ yoga practice has been an Iyengar Yoga focus. She is currently enrolled in teacher training in the Iyengar system with Patricia Walden and studies weekly with Iyengar teachers Patricia Walden, Peentz Dubble and Karen Wenc.

Chris is also a certified group exercise instructor and personal trainer and is certified in Yoga Tune Up. Yoga Tune Up takes exercises from many movement systems to help students gain the strength, mobility and mindfulness to do classic yoga poses.

More about Chris see www.tomariken.com.

Jenn Mosher is a Registered Dietitian and holds a Masters of Education.

She has completed 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2006 and is currently enrolled in an Anusara teachers program.

Jenn embraced yoga and other spiritual practices as a wellspring for tapping into her own human potential. She is dedicated to helping her clients and student learn the benefits of living their yoga. "Through listening carefully to what your body is telling you and honoring the messages, yoga is transforming and healing."

Her passions other than yoga include; rock climbing, golf, gardening and cooking.

Liz Owen, E-RYT500 and Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, has been engrossed in yoga as her life’s path for over 25 years and has taught since 1990. Combining the Iyengar yoga principles of physical alignment, meditation in action and cultivation of joy and insight, Liz's classes create a rich practice for all students. Her goal is to awaken each practitioner into a realization of the joyful beauty and light that exists inside the heart of every being.

Liz studies with world-renowned teachers, most notably BKS Iyengar and Patricia Walden, with whom she has studied since 1988. She teaches weekly classes in Arlington and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is on the faculty of Wellesley College. Liz is a presenter at Yoga Journal Boston Conferences and received “Best Yoga Studio” from City Voter’s A-list of Best Businesses in Boston. www.lizowenyoga.com.

Whether you are brand new to yoga or just want to dig deeper into proper yoga alignment and practice, this class is a great place to learn in a supportive environment designed for every willing student. We'll focus on the fundamentals that prepare your body for any class, and for life!

Tasha Weber has been teaching yoga for seven years and especially enjoys working to make yoga accessible to "every body." Brand new students and continuing students alike will benefit from learning about themselves through the physical practice of yoga in this supportive setting. The class is designed to allow anyone to discover and enjoy their own yogic path from a perspective of compassion, curiosity and joy.

Our study of yoga postures, or asana, is a fantastic practice benefiting the mind, body and spirit. In class we tone, stretch and detoxify the body. We create body awareness, and improve balance and focus. We also develop peace, relaxation and stillness that carry over into every aspect of our lives.

Taisha has had the privilege of studying with many fantastic teachers from a variety of different styles in the Midwest, California and now here in New England. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through the Yoga Alliance whose own studies continue. Her classes blend the precise teachings of Iyengar yoga with the flowing vinyasa style that can create the feeling of a moving meditation. A mother of three young children who juggles many life and physical challenges, she relates well to others dealing with such hurdles and helps them to embrace their own unique path.

Karen Wenc has been a student of Iyengar yoga since 1981, and has been teaching for over 18 years and teaching in Andover for 14 years. A former competitive runner, swimmer and cross-country skier, Karen's teaching style emphasizes developing strength and flexibility to prevent sports-related injuries. A Brookline resident, Karen teaches full-time throughout the greater Boston area, and has taught at the Yogashala in Santiago, Chile among other international venues. Karen is a longtime student of Patricia Walden, who Time Magazine called one of yoga's "leading luminaries."

Karen's illuminating classes provide you in-depth, technical cues on how to fully experience the asanas, while keeping your mind present as she describes the eight limbs of yoga and decodes obscure Sanskrit terminology. Towards the end you will be busy floating off to some other time and space, at which point she brings you back with her tiny bells to close out the class. Invigorating, mindful and relaxing.