Our Amazing Team
Our Amazing Team
Our incredible yoga teachers and facilitators have been hand selected to lead our retreats around the globe. Each one offers their unique interpretation of yoga and its forms of expression. Here at Yoga & Adventures Worldwide, we believe that it’s ALL yoga hence our creative retreats incorporating art and yoga together. Our yoga teacher trainings offer new teachers a chance to earn their 200-hour training as well as seasoned yoga teachers to earn advanced teaching certificates in 60-hour increments. No matter which teacher or retreat you choose we are certain you will fall in love with our leaders just as we have!
Alison Buchanan

Alison’s motto is “strength comes from within.” By leading from the heart, and believing in our innate power, she feels that every one of our goals is achievable.
Alison brings this philosophy to her teaching, where she aims to create challenging, yet playful sequences. Her classes are holistic and mindful, and always tuned to what students need in the moment. Deep down, Alison is an alignment and anatomy nerd who loves to share her knowledge with the aim of helping people move better, and thus feel better, in their bodies.
Before moving to Seattle, Alison was a longtime teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has taught yoga professionally for 12 years, and continues to advance her yogic studies with dynamic asana and mediation teachers nationwide. During yoga retreats with Alison, you can expect her to be an engaged leader who offers a strength-focused yoga class in the morning, and a restorative/meditation class in the evening. She’ll be a person with whom you can authentically connect on-and-off the mat. She’ll also be an active participant, who’ll happily go adventuring with you, and then reminisce about it all over a glass a wine at the end of the day.
Come experience adventure, excitement, restoration and all-around fun with her on a life-changing retreat.

Amy Appel

Amy is a former elementary school teacher who graduated from NYU with a Bachelor of Science in education. She has been practicing yoga for over eighteen years. She decided to take her passion and train to share her love of yoga with others. She is known for her compassionate teaching and attention to detail. She is eager to help her students learn and work to their fullest potential. Amy is an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher who trained through Yoga Journey in Boca Raton, Florida. She has worked on the faculty to train students to become yoga teachers.
Amy has a way of keeping it real and fun while maintaining the integrity of the yoga practice. She blends the physical and the spiritual, sharing that we can take these lessons with us off the mat. She often works privately with her students for one on one instruction. Amy practices with a variety of teachers, attends workshops and travels to keep her ideas fresh. She is happily married, living in Boca Raton and the proud mother of four wonderful children and one precious grandson.

Andrea Manitsas

The Intro…
My beliefs are always shifting and deepening, as with everything. Right now, this is the ethos that drives my spiritual practices and my teaching:
Life is really hard sometimes. And tragic. And awe-inspiring.And easy. And outrageous. And insane. And boring. And beautiful. And mundane. It’s everything that it can be, revealing itself to us in each iteration as the moments unfold. Yoga evolves with the tides of our lives, and can offer us a thread to the sacred, a deep connection to ourselves as we wander the paths before us. A yoga practice, like many other things, is an invitation to commune with the self, to put down all the external stimuli and have an embodied experience. Honestly, we have never needed sacred, self-soothing and adoring practices more than we do now. I have found this great tending to the self essential to a meaningful life.
The Bio…
Over the last 10+ years of teaching in the Bay Area, Anj has become known for a potent class with a whole lotta soul and a creative, whimsical flow. She believes that a yoga class is a powerful place to forget ourselves and remember ourselves all at the same time.
Anj is a passionate guide, weaving students through a rhythmic, music-filled, breath-guided journey on their mats, encouraging the whole tapestry of the human experience to be felt, held, honored. Her classes often incorporate mantras and chanting, philosophy, meditation, visualization, lots of sighing, essential oils, challenge and space for a personal unfolding.
Anj has studied a lot over the last 20+ years, and chronic illness/pain has led her to engage with many healing modalities that influence her classes, including nervous system regulation and brain retraining. She aims to create a healing, sacred space always.

Dawn Thie

Find Your True Self. It is Dawn’s highest intention to help guide students to a deeper relationship with Self. By moving our bodies and our energy, we free our soul to be seen and we can connect to parts of Self that are waiting to be explored.
Dawn carefully designs classes to clear the energetic channels within the body to create more space and open the path to inner peace. Incorporating the 8 Limb Path of Yoga, she invites students to explore something deeper within themselves using asana, breath work, intention and focus, in a way that meets students where they are. Feeling into the energy present in the room, Dawn uses her authentic voice offering clear and concise guidance, while weaving in yoga philosophy and heartfelt intention for both a physical and spiritual experience. All through a trauma informed approach.
When we connect to Self, we begin to experience the innate peace within and thus walk along this planet more peacefully. Dawn has been leading retreats nationally and internationally, as well as teacher trainings and workshops around the country. Originally trained in the traditional Sivananda Hatha style of yoga, Dawn’s classes offer a classical approach to yoga with a modern twist of accessibility. To learn more about Dawn please check our her website, I AM Dawn Thie Yoga.

Elizabeth Shelhart

Elizabeth Shelhart is a 500RYT Registered Yoga Teacher, Certified Massage Therapist, a certified Birth Doula and currently a graduate student at Acupuncture and Integrative Medical College. She has always been deeply connected to the body and breath. Elizabeth began studying dance when she was four years old and became a statewide competitive gymnast by the time she was nine. When she stopped training in gymnastics, Elizabeth came back to dance and eventually discovered yoga at the age of eighteen. Yoga was a perfect synthesis of her years of dance and gymnastics and around this time she began studying Buddhism and Eastern religions as well. When she was twenty, Elizabeth lived in India for six months and fully immersed herself in the land of yoga’s origins. This experience profoundly changed her life and her yoga and meditation practice deepened. Upon returning to the U.S., Elizabeth completed a yearlong Dharma Yoga teacher training. This approach emphasizes yoga postures as well as meditation and other Buddhist practices and philosophies. She also completed a Yoga for Injuries training, Prenatal Yoga training and received her massage therapy license. Over the last few years, Elizabeth has studied more in-depth aspects of yoga and meditation with many renowned teachers such as Sarah Powers, Thich Nhat Hanh, Janice Gates, Tara Brach and Paul Grilley. In the Spring of 2016 Elizabeth graduated from a two year Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga training at Spirit Rock which certified her to teach meditation as well. She also recently became a Yoga Alliance continuing education provider.
As a yoga and meditation teacher, doula, bodyworker, and soon-to-be acupuncturist, Elizabeth is passionate about creating optimal health and finds it rewarding to share this with her clients and students. She models what she teaches and loves to offer what she has learned through years of personal and spiritual work. Whole foods nutrition, herbal medicine, astrology, conscious dance and stress reduction coaching are other modalities in which she is well versed. Elizabeth truly offers a holistic approach in her work. She loves guiding others to find their own understanding of presence, truth, joy, connection to their heart, and ease in their body, allowing one’s true nature to shine. To book a consultation with Elizabeth visit her website.

Emma Poole

Emma has been teaching yoga in NYC for 9 years and counting, which for her feels both like a lifetime ago and nothing at all. Yoga has been the most unexpected and rewarding path of her life and she believes it is for everyone and can be lived in various forms. Her intention is to inspire individuals the ability to self-heal, through steady yet compassionate inquiry. Trusting that everything is intrinsically connected, she teach holistically, utilizing techniques that incorporate mind, body, & spirit.
Emma completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in the Spring of 2013, at the renowned PURE Yoga Studio in Manhattan, under the instruction of KayKay Clivio and Yogi Charu. Her style is heavily influenced by the teaching principles of Laughing Lotus New York, Ana Forrest, and Alanna Kaivalya. She has further trainings in the chakra system, energetics, and Reiki 1 under the guidance of Tara Tonini.
Emma’s intention is that her classes feel like a moving meditation; she combines fluid sequencing with thoughtful storytelling, music, and philosophy. Expect to be challenged, softened, and hopefully inspired!
Emma currently lives in Washington Heights with her senior rescue pitbull, Robin, the true love of her life. To learn more about her offerings, visit www.emmapooleyoga.com

Francie Richards

Francie Richards (she/her/hers)
Yoga, Wellness, Feminism and Social Change
Francie is a yogi, social worker, Virgo, Enneagram 2 and ISFJ (importantly, like Beyonce). After 15 years of advocating for social justice in nonprofits, politics, government (and now corporate) settings, she found herself buried and burnt out. Having never practiced yoga before, and frankly finding it all a little too “woo woo” for her at the time, she found Yoga & Adventures Worldwide in 2018 and took a leap of faith. Not only did she find extraordinary cultural experiences, but she also found the healing she’d been seeking in yoga.
Francie’s practice leans into the emotional and spiritual components of yoga. Her classes generally include meditation, pranayama and asana and are themed around an emotion or skill we may be able to process, release or build on the mat. Inspired by her favorite Y&AWW teacher Jess Apo, she is passionate about the music and selects lyrics and sounds that sink into the body and stay with the soul.
As a woman of Mexican descent, she is passionate about BIPOC, queer and beautiful, large-bodied women who – like her at one time – don’t yet see themselves on the mat or don’t feel seen by mainstream yoga culture. She is especially passionate about supporting women who are at the front lines of social change and need restoration, healing and to build wellness practices to fortify their impact and their own quality of life.
Having just finished her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training and Certification at The Lab Chicago, she intends to embrace her beginner’s mind and stay focused on making yoga accessible for all.

Genevieve Morin

Genevieve has been leading retreats internationally for the last 20 years. She is passionate about worldwide travel, full immersion in different cultures, and the importance of broadening our understanding of one another.
As a trilingual yoga teacher, speaking English, French and Spanish, verbal and non-verbal communication are at the core of her interests. Like cooking or creating music, moving the body, dancing and yogic expression are international, borderless forms of communication. The potential of connection to ourselves, to one another, and to a universal energy is boundless.
Even when Genevieve travels on retreat to a place where common language is not spoken, sharing the language of yoga and movement is always possible. Genevieve loves leading a group of people to unique destinations, especially those who may feel timid or shy in a foreign place. To offer an opportunity for people to experience our human oneness is pivotal and life-changing. We are all human beings with similar needs and desires, and despite borders or differences, we all yearn toward meaningful connections. Genevieve is endlessly intrigued by how simple life truly is… and how simple and joyful our journeys can be.
Discover more about Genevieve on her website, Truro Yoga.

Heather Berg

Heather Berg is a certified Yoga Teacher (E-RYT) and Buteyko Clinic Method Instructor in South Florida.
She has been a yoga practitioner since 1991 studying many ancient yoga traditions. In 2012 Heather began her journey teaching beyond the postures (asana) creating well rounded yoga sessions that always incorporate breath work (pranayama) and meditation to support her groups and individuals. Heather is most interested in guiding others to be self-aware of their habitual physical, mental and emotional patterns. Her intention is for her clients to become discerning practitioners who can then integrate information for themselves. This way, her students will truly learn to practice yoga as a way of life.
Heather leads Hatha, Yin, Yoga Nidra and Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) yoga classes (groups and privates) as well as at larger events such as: Okeechobee Music, Art and Yoga Fest; The Yoga Expo; and Campowerment. At Rancho La Puerta, in Mexico, Heather is a sought-out guest yoga and meditation teacher. She is also part of the yoga teaching staff at Yoga & Adventures Worldwide where she has led 2 retreats in Morocco, Cuba and Santorini in 2022!
She created a corporate wellness program, Practice to Pause, where she engages employees with evidence-based mindfulness tools to feel more present, enhance creativity, performance and improve overall well-being in and out of work.
In March 2020, Heather was introduced to the Buteyko method after reading James Nestor’s book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Her love of diving deeper into different breath work modalities for her personal and professional practice inspired Heather to study with Patrick McKeown to become a Buteyko instructor. She continues to observe positive changes not only in her own health (better sleep, lessening of menopausal symptoms and more energy), but with her yoga and corporate clients. There are so many parallels between pranayama, the ancient yogic science of breath work and the doctor-developed, researched, functional breathing of the Buteyko method.
Heather makes it her priority to listen to her clients’ individual goals and unique circumstances to help them thrive! Movement, breath work, and meditation each alone can make powerful changes in people’s health, but together they create a transformational experience.
She is available for live and Zoom classes for Yoga (Hatha, Yin, Yoga Nidra), Meditation, and the integration of pranayama and the Buteyko method.
To learn more about Heather and what she offers, visit www.soulgardenyoga.com

Holly Twining

Holly became a Certified Yoga Teacher through the Namaste Institute training program back in 2011. She teaches a wide variety of yoga classes at Om Land Yoga studios and is also trained in Unnata Aerial Yoga, Paddleboard Yoga and Acro Yoga as well as teaching kids classes at Mantis Yoga and Color Me Yoga. Holly had an occasional yoga tv spot with ABC 7/Fox Bangor to highlight upcoming adventures and introduce viewers to different aspects of yoga, now she uses her own YouTube Channel for flowing & adventure clips. Her yoga classes are thoughtful, intuitive, and creative. She loves adventure and we are thrilled to have her leading retreats with us!
Holly is also an avid tennis player and rock climber, bird lover and nature enthusiast. She was a naturalist for Maine Audubon so be sure to bring along your best binos when on retreat with her and get ready for an epic adventure!

Jamison Goodnight

Jamison has always had a love for movement from a young age. She obtained a BFA in Dance Performance at SUNY Purchase while simultaneously acquiring her AA in Business Administration, graduating in 2009. Directly after her schooling she moved to NYC and worked professionally in her field as a Dance Artist and Instructor. Yoga appeared in her life after a career threatening injury that drastically stunted her movement capability and deeply affected her mental health. Yoga became a saving grace, as it gave her the tools to physically reconnect, the time to quiet intrusive thoughts, and the space to meet her body for what it could offer in that moment in order to repair. She fully believes that Mindful Movement, through Yoga, supported the healing process and saved her dance career.
Personally feeling the benefits of Yoga first hand, Jamison decided she wanted to expand her knowledge in functional movement and share the practice with others. In 2014 she acquired a 200-RYT Certification, with a Vinyasa focus, followed by a Mentorship under Cindy Lanzas at Yoga Vida. At the same time her dance career began to blossom once again. Currently, Jamison is a Principal Dancer and Animato Dance Art Method instructor with the Nadine Bommer Dance Company. Through teaching Yoga and sharing Nadine’s naturally therapeutic movement language Kinetica, she has had incredible opportunities to bring physical joy to others as they explore their bodies and release their minds. Always eager to learn more, she has since studied Yin and Meditation as well as deepened her understanding of the Pre and Postnatal body.
Through the teachings of movement Jamison looks forward to experiencing the future growth of others. “Movement is life! Let’s move, let’s flow, let’s find the joy and beauty in everything that surrounds us. Connect and smile with me from the inside!”
Follow Jamison on Instagram @jamisongoodnight and find out more www.withjamisongoodnight.com

Jenniferlyn Chiemingo

Jenniferlyn is known affectionately by her students + friends as JL…and the words joy, love, and yoga surely describe her best!
Through yoga on the mat and in travel, JL’s goal is to provide her students with the opportunity to experience genuine joy, love, and connection (a.k.a. yoga). JL’s unique yoga teaching style is a creation all her own and an experience from which all can benefit. They are flowing, grounding, spiritual and inspiring. When you step away from one of her Vinyasa classes, you will feel more connected to yourself and the world around you. She provides loving support to newbies while continually challenging regular practitioners to find greater depths in their practice.
JL first experienced yoga in 2000 when she was looking for a way to escape the daily stress from her job as a TV news producer in northern California. That was when yoga started to change her life. Overcome by the power and benefits of yoga in her own life, JL decided to move her career from the newsroom to the yoga mat in 2002. With curiosity and ambition, she followed her dream and began her training at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health with an emphasis in Integrative Yoga Therapy. JL continued her training with Shiva Rea, embracing Vinyasa yoga. Through Vinyasa, she learned the powerful energizing and cleansing benefits of linking breath with movement.
JL is listed E-RYT with Yoga Alliance and has taught for more than 17 years in Seattle and the Bay Area. After more than 11 years leading international yoga retreats she partnered with Yoga & Adventures Worldwide in 2021 to bring travelers on our bespoke yoga adventures and beyond. These intimate getaways have the potential to change your life if you are open to the possibility…

Jess Apo

Jess is a yogi, a momma, and a free spirit. She has a passion for movement & stillness alike, yoga philosophy, and raising vibration. Jess began her journey into teaching almost 20 years ago where she spent the first part of her adult life teaching elementary school. Though she loved it, her spirit ached for something else. She decided to try out a yoga class for stress management and immediately knew that she wanted to pursue a career teaching yoga. That summer she completed a 200-hour intensive teacher training with YogaWorks and never looked back. Following that, she completed a Prenatal Teacher Training with Pranakriya and a 300-hour teacher training with ISHTA yoga. The last ten years have been spent sharing her passion for yoga. Jess teaches a variety of classes ranging from Vinyasa, Prenatal, Restorative, & meditation. She leads yoga teacher trainings at both the 200 & 300-hour level and nothing feeds her soul more than being a part of the trainee’s journey into yoga.
Her free spirit loves to travel and take yoga outdoors. When we allow ourselves to connect to our source, we tune into our inner wisdom, intuition, and divine heart guidance. It is her belief that love is at the center of all beings. Learn all about Jess on her website.

Jess Cox

Jess found Yoga after 15 years in the corporate world navigating logistics. Knowing this wasn’t forever she delved into Holistic Health with the Institute of Integrative Health and found Yoga to combat her own health and growth, and soon developed a new found love in all things Yoga when she moved to North California from the UK in 2015.
She took her 200YTT in Vinyasa, Yin & Power Yoga in 2019. Since then she has been consistent and ever growing in the modalities of movement, health and healing, Paddle board Yoga certified and completing 300YTT in Alignment & Hatha with Amy Ippoliti in 2021, becoming a Reiki Master in 2023 and not stopping there with ongoing trainings in Yoga Therapy and Kundalini.
Becoming an Intuitive Healer and incorporating what she has learned along the way helps transform students that need to build strength, believe in themselves, be healthier and heal, whether that’s in a group class, private yoga, Reiki or during a retreat. By combining the modalities of Movement, Energetic Healing & Holistic Health Coaching Jess brings balance to create the healthiest being inside and out, energetically & emotionally.

Jessica Freeman

Jessica is living her life’s work in the service of others. She is down to earth, embraces simplicity and loves life. She has found her Dharma through yoga to passionately help people tap into their natural born gifts while learning how to live a happy, peaceful, and fulfilled life. She believes that YOU are your greatest teacher! She knows that we all have infinite potential waiting to be tapped into and she is here to help students discover how amazing they are on their own. Yoga to her means finding your truth and what makes you tick, as this is when one truly comes to life. Fear, worry, and doubt end up taking a back seat to understanding, love, happiness, experience, and connection. Everything begins with the breath, this simple and honest practice that is as challenging as it is rewarding is a constant balance between effort and ease.
Jessica has been a group fitness instructor for over a decade, teaching everything from barre to HIIT. But something deeper was missing. It was back in 2014 when yoga found her and a spark was ignited. Everything felt alive and she dove all in! Jessica is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and has taken over 750 hours of yoga teacher trainings under the Ashtanga and Vinyasa lineage of Jonny Kest as well as Yin Yoga and Reiki. Additionally she teaches 200- and 300-hour Life Power YTTs and has trained and certified dozens of yoga teachers over the years.
Jessica teaches weekly Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, and Yin yoga classes a Life Time in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Whether she’s teaching a hot Vinyasa or gentle stretch practice, Jessica helps students find their edge while inspiring students to tap into their own softness to find stillness. Her inspiring classes are filled with fun music and creative dynamic sequences sure to stretch the body and mind in new ways. Each practice is focused on the breath and leads students more into self-acceptance and to cultivate love and kindness to support their growth as a human being on a journey to heal and feel their truest self. She is enjoying her own journey and she is grateful for the opportunity to connect with you on yours!

Melanie Cordover

A native Floridian from Miami, Melanie grew up dancing and turned her love for movement into a prolific and promising yogic career. Melanie teaches dynamic yoga studio classes and traditional yin classes weekly. She has led retreats in South Florida and the Caribbean over the past 3 years, and truly loves the experience of connecting and creating memorable and meaningful moments. Melanie is a E-RYT 500 hour instructor with an advanced certification in Yin yoga.
Her yogic journey has been an incredible ride to empower yogis to find confidence and strength in their practice and to drive that beyond the mat. She aspires to inspire others by weaving thematic messages and creative flows in a mindful, beautiful and peaceful setting with her enthusiasm and invigorating energy. Join Melanie for a journey within a journey to find your passion and purpose through love, light and liberty within.

Nancy Wind

Meet Nancy, a 200 hour Yoga Instructor, Health & Lifestyle Coach and an ongoing learner of Ayurveda, one of the world’s oldest whole-body healing systems from India. She uses Vinyasa yoga, time in the mountains and a whole foods/plant-based diet to create a strong mind-body connection that brings balance into her everyday life. She began her own yoga practice in 2001 to heal from her marital divorce and simultaneously build strength as a triathlete. She quickly discovered a deeper connection with her physical and emotional body but more importantly, the power of her breath. In 2010, she graduated from Yoga of Energy Flow, a 200 hour program that dived into the structure and alignment of Iyengar Yoga and the flow of Vinyasa through Kali Ray’s Triyoga.
Nancy integrates her yoga studies, her own practice, and class experiences to develop Vinyasa Flow classes that unite postures, breath and mindfulness. Initially, she experienced yoga as a physical practice to complement her athletic training as a triathlete, but over the years she has discovered that yoga is a lifestyle doing the best she can to align with the 8 limbs of yoga. As an instructor her intentions are to assist and guide people on their own path so they see how time on the mat is a gateway that helps you unfold into your own life with openness, grace and patience. Nancy’s classes are creatively sequenced to assist her students in developing greater clarity and depth to discover their own inner strength.

Renata Centi

Born in Umbria, Italy, Renata is a yoga teacher, meditation coach, Ayurvedic therapist and a wanderluster at heart. She studied traditional yoga teaching methods in India where she lived for three years in the Gurukula method, a type of education system in ancient India with shishya (“students” or “disciples”) living near or with the guru in the same Ashram. She has been traveling the world teaching yoga since 2015, has written a book on yoga practices in Italian and hosted the first yoga television show in Italy for four seasons on SkyTV.
She strives to not take herself too seriously, encouraging her students to do the same all while savoring the lightness, learning to be comfortable in the uncomfortable and living a spiritual path with joy. In her retreats there is never a shortage of madness, dance, liberation and fun. Feeling alive, being in touch with the heart and living from there are her mantras.
Renata has found her roots in El Cuyo, Mexico where she enjoys the beautiful sea each day, offers incredible massages and leads yoga retreats and private classes in our open air studio with ocean views. She is excited, honored and grateful for the opportunity to spread her love of yoga and is grateful to all her teachers and students past, present and future. Come to El Cuyo to learn the magical secrets of this sacred land that only the locals can share!

Sharon Knight

Sharon is a highly experienced and passionate yoga instructor with certifications in 500hr RYT Ashtanga Vinyasa and 60hr Yin Yoga. Despite leading an active lifestyle filled with various physical activities, Sharon’s journey into yoga began just after her 50th birthday when she took her first yoga class with the simple goal of touching her toes. Little did she know that yoga would completely transform her life. Within a year of practicing, Sharon discovered her deep love for the practice and her desire to share its benefits with others. This newfound passion led her to pursue her first certification in 2016, and since then, she has taught a wide range of yoga styles including Vinyasa, Hatha, Fit Flow, Gentle, Restorative, Chair, Yin, Meditation, and Breathwork.
Sharon’s teaching journey has taken her to various locations across California, North Carolina, and Florida, where she currently resides. She has not only taught regular classes but also hosted workshops, mini-retreats, and private lessons. One aspect of her teaching that she is particularly proud of is her work with seniors, introducing them to the incredible benefits of yoga at her local YMCA and Community Center.
With a diverse background and extensive experience working with practitioners of all levels, Sharon has developed a teaching style that is authentic, compassionate, and non-judgmental. She believes that yoga is for everyone, from seasoned yogis to beginners, and she strives to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in her classes.
When faced with skeptics who claim they can’t do yoga, Sharon always responds with her favorite mantra: “If you can breathe, you can do yoga.” Her belief in the accessibility and adaptability of yoga is unwavering, and she is dedicated to helping individuals of all abilities find their own unique practice.
If you are looking to embark on a transformative journey, regardless of your yoga experience, Sharon invites you to join her on this amazing adventure. With her expertise and personal touch, she will guide you towards a more balanced and fulfilling life through the power of yoga.

Sherry Sidoti

Sherry Sidoti is the founder and lead director of FLY Yoga School, a teacher training program and FLY Outreach, a not-for-profit that offers yoga and meditation with community non-profits on Martha’s Vineyard. With 20+ years of teaching experience leading yoga courses, trainings, and retreats globally she masterfully weaves her unique perspective and style into each experience. Sherry holds certifications in 500 E-RYT in Atma Holistic, Yin, Forrest, Prenatal & Postnatal, Vinyasa, Trauma Sensitive, Restorative, Somatic Anatomy Yoga, and is a Certified Labor Doula through DONA International, a Certified Recovery Coach through the CCAR Recovery Coach Academy©, and a Certified Somatic Attachment Therapist through Embody Lab.
Sherry is the author of A Smoke and a Song: A Memoir (2023, She Writes Press) and a featured author in various anthologies, including Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis: Women Writers Respond to the Call. Her musings have been published by various magazines and periodicals; including The Martha’s Vineyard Times, Heart and Soul Magazine, Elephant Journal, and Anthropology and Humanism Quarterly.
She shares yoga with embodied humor, vulnerability, and insight, reflecting our ongoing quest for self-awareness and spiritual awakening. Sherry is most devoted to her greatest teacher, her son Miles, whose love, sensitivity, and wisdom illuminates her path.
For more on Sherry, her teacher trainings, and classes on Martha’s Vineyard check out her website.

Tara Jade Nichols

Tara, meaning ‘Star’ in Sanskrit, is an Evolutionary Astrologer & Tarot Advisor with over 20 years of experience. Her passion is to help others heal through Self-discovery and understanding their core wounds.
Her yoga journey started with a 500 hour Hatha training in Los Angeles in 2003. She shares her love of Vinyasa yoga to connect with the divine self by incorporating balance, strength and flexibility that resonates out to all areas of life. Her sequences are inventive, fluid and creative bringing a transformational experience into each practice to strengthen the body, mind and spirit to become our highest self.
Tara strives to inspire others to reach their highest potential, as well as to release karmic ties. She believes that part of the Soul’s journey is to find awareness so that inner Alchemy may take place. She is here to serve as a guide pointing you toward your Soul’s calling.
For more in depth information or to follow along with her astrological updates you can check her Instagram profile here.

Wendy Martin

Wendy’s teaching style is intimate, relatable, soft and inclusive leaving you with an invitation to begin where you are, in your body and life which allows the journey to unravel naturally from the inside out. She weaves a tapestry of practical guidance, subtle details and deep insight accessing intimate pathways to self discovery that is unique to all who practice.
Teaching for over 20 years and facilitating yoga retreats around the world, Wendy follows the roots of Hatha yoga and spins an eclectic web of various styles & movement teaching modalities into her class offerings. These teachings have been drawn from her work with taming hyper mobility & accessing mindful strength to calming the anxious mind while creating nervous system regulation and balance.
The practices Wendy shares are a spiritual approach to conscious embodied movement, meditation & breath work.
“I believe the body is a highly attuned instrument of intuition. The inner work & commitment we share in the practice guides us into and through the evolution of self bringing us deeper into union and understanding of our innate wisdom. This is the work of becoming…”
To find out more about Wendy, her website is lovely and offers videos, book offerings, and her teaching schedule in Huntsville. Also don’t miss out on her amazing naturally hand dyed garments of Muskoka Tye-dye Botanicals, her snazzy creations when it comes to yoga pants and her seasonal Underwear Club too!

JL Chiemingo

Helping with all your email needs, inquiries and plans…JL is on the case! We are so grateful to have her helping out with our inbox. She’s taught most of our retreats so she knows the answers and we are thrilled to have her support.

Lynna Hedli

Lynna is a trained architect and we love that attention to detail! She is our right hand in keeping things organized and on track behind the scenes as well as being a facilitator on the ground.

Christina Thomas

In 2008 Christina left her fancy, big city Interior Design career to follow her heart in the Caribbean of Tulum, Mexico. After many amazing (and bumpy) serendipitous turns, she has founded Utopia Guesthouse & Yoga Studios in Tulum, Havana and now El Cuyo, Yucatan. She started Yoga Adventures Tulum in 2008 and Yoga & Adventures Worldwide in 2010, offering unique, affordable retreat adventures in some of the world’s most fascinating locations.
Her passion for yoga began back in 1994 in a college Kundalini course. Since then she has studied and practiced with many well-known masters and aspiring ones. She acquired her RYT-200 in 2012 from the Institute of Interdisciplinary Yoga Studies with a focus on Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Viniyoga traditions. Although she greatly enjoys leading asana practices she prefers to be on the mat as a student. Hence, she is the creator and (sometimes) host during her bespoke retreats.
She has been planning and hosting retreats around the world since 2012 and traveling on her own since she was 5 years old. Each destination she chooses holds a special place in her heart. Join us to find out why!

Karolina Quesada

Karolina was born and raised in Bonn, Germany and has been traveling the world from a very young age. She has a plethora of talents and experience from restaurant owner, fashion designer, producer and stylist, hotel manager, and so much more. She speaks 7 languages fluently and has been working with us for years on the ground in Havana where she resides full time. We are so lucky to have her on retreats with us around the globe!

Lynna Hedli

Lynna has a passion for travel, a love for culture and language and a desire to practice all kinds of yoga. She is French by birth but currently resides in Barcelona enjoying the city, playing music and exploring art, architecture and cuisine. We love that she speaks Spanish, English and French fluently with dabbles in Arabic as well. Her outgoing personality, attention to detail and friendly nature make her an obvious choice for facilitating retreats with us. Look out for Lynna in Morocco, El Cuyo and beyond…

Renata Centi

Originally from Umbria, Italy, Renata is our gal on the ground in El Cuyo and an expert at all things Italian for our Sardinia retreats too! She has been living outside her home country now for most of her adult life and thrives on adventure, travel and the yogic life.
We are thrilled to have her on our amazing team of facilitators and teachers!
