Each teacher at the studio warmly welcomes you and puts safety and form first, offering one-on-one assistance and direction.
Photo Credit: Peter Hellberg
Jody Fontaine, Director
YOGA TEACHER RYT 500 HR, REIKI MASTER, DOULA (BIRTH COACH)
Jody enthusiastically inspires her students towards their personal health and wellness. She supports each person in reaching their goals no matter what their health or physical abilities may be. Jody’s diverse training and experience in Yoga, Fitness and Pilates benefit all who she teaches. Her training's and certifications include: AFAA Personal Trainer (20 years) and Yoga Certification through the Yoga Center Amherst/Embodyoga YTT/200hr with Patty Townsend. She is a registered member of the Yoga Alliance, and is also a Certified Pilates instructor with multiple training's in that arena. She has recently (Dec 2017) completed the additional 300 hr Embodyoga in depth study with Patty Townsend, Yoga Center Amherst.
As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Jody loves to be outside, active in nature through all four seasons. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking & paddle-boarding are some of her activities. This love has inspired her to offer seasonal Yoga options to help Connect to Nature, such as, Hikes & Yoga locally at Mt. Sugarloaf, Yoga on Paddleboards- SUP Yoga at the Ashfield Lake in Ashfield and Yoga on Snowshoes during winter workshops.
The birth of her granddaughter in 2010 sparked Jody's special interest in the birth process and inspired her to become a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula (Birth Coach). Her initial Doula training, enhanced by additional AFAA trainings for Prenatal Fitness, supports expectant mothers before, during and after giving birth through safe, gentle exercises to promote health and wellness throughout pregnancy and recovery. This work allows expecting mothers to enter the birth process in the best possible condition and to regain fitness more easily after childbirth.
Jody is also a Reiki master. She received her initial certification with Reiki master, John Harvey, the most experienced master in the West, and his wife Lourdes Gray. She continued her trainings with Reiki Master, Debra Basili, which brings her to her current Master level. Jody offers private Reiki sessions, group Reiki circles and combines Restorative Yoga and Reiki Healing touch. This relaxing combination renews & restores the body for optimal wellness. She also offers Reiki attunements and Certifications for Levels I, II & III.
Jody is available for private sessions in Yoga, Fitness, Pilates-Core, SUP (Stand-up paddle boarding) and Reiki.
Jody is eager to help you reach your personal health and fitness goals so that you can experience the joy of abundant health.
Photo Credit: dimnikolov
Shelly Damon Kocot
YOGA TEACHER RYT 200 HR
Shelly Damon Kocot is a graduate of Mama Nirvana's year long intensive 200 hour teacher training program. She is also certified in Reiki (energy medicine) I and II. Shelly practices yoga for her own health and spiritual growth, but delights in sharing her knowledge and techniques with her students. Physical pain and discomforts are inherent in daily life. They can cause us to feel run down, limited and discouraged. The wisdom and daily practice of yoga recharges the body and soul. Stretching (lengthening) the body carries oxygen to the brain and your muscles, promoting self-awareness and a feeling of relief. There is no better journey than to welcome the benefits of yoga into your daily life.
Shelly brings humor, compassion and sincerity to all her endeavors. She has worked one-on-one with clients for over 30 years as a licensed Electrologist and Aesthetician. She enjoys helping people feel and look their best. Teaching yoga is the perfect complement to her living goals and vocation -- encouraging and supporting others to radiate their vitality.
Kate Peppard
YOGA TEACHER RYT 200 HR
I came to yoga seeking balance from a life that felt frenzied, chaotic, and very much out of kilter. Upon immersing myself in yoga, I found the quiet inner space I was seeking and I fell fully in love with yoga and its inevitably balancing ways. I have since embarked on a life path that has me working to fully integrate yoga, meditation, and detached self-study into my life, to live with intention, and to spread goodness.
This integrated life path led me to a yoga teacher training (what else, right?), and I completed my RYT 200 training under Tracy Donahue of Bhava Yoga in Brattleboro VT. The style was Bhava Flow, which is influenced and informed by a range of sources including Kripalu and Jivamukti yoga(s), and Shiva-Shakti tantric flow style.
I love the grace of flowing from posture to posture, but I also find the joy in holding steady and focusing in on alignment. My sequences are generally planned to leave my fellow practitioners with a sense of balance and space, and throughout my practice and teaching there is always a focus on the connection of the breath with movement, which never ceases to create calm and deeper awareness.
Yoga is truly a life-long learning endeavor, and my yoga will always have something to teach me… And I appreciate the opportunity to share that with others. I believe that yoga can be a life changer, a life enhancer, or simply a fantastic way to start your day. I look forward to welcoming anyone who wants to add a little lightness to their outlook, infuse a bit of balance into their life, or who just want to stretch and add some happy into their day.
Namaste.
Linda LeBlanc
YOGA TEACHER RYT 200 HR
Linda has recently received her 200 Hr teaching certification at the Frog Pond Yoga Centre in Princeton, MA under the direction of Diane Featherstone.
Introduced to Restorative yoga in 2014, she has found yoga to be most helpful in keeping her focused and grounded on a daily basis. Linda is a lover of the outdoors and a strong advocate of staying active. She is an avid biker during the summer, and certified PSIA level II ski instructor during the winter months and has been an avid knitter for years. She has worked with school-aged children for over 35 years. Currently, Linda is teaching Gentle/Restorative Yoga classes at the Alternative High School, where she works in Gardner, MA. Her Restorative classes offer trauma based techniques.
Linda is excited to offer, Yoga, Yarn & You classes to interested students. Combining these two activities creates an amazing opportunity for one to tap into their creative self. This class starts off with 15 min of Restorative Yoga; leading into an hour and a half of knitting. Students can bring their own project or tackle projects offered by the instructor. This class is geared towards both beginner & intermediate knitters.