Meet Your Yoga Instructors

Cheryl Arends, RYT®200

In July 2001 Cheryl, her husband, and two small children made the trek from California to Annapolis is search of a better life. In her ongoing quest for meaning, Cheryl stepped into her first yoga class and immediately knew it would change her life. What she discovered was a way to connect with life through movement and breath. "Yoga has been therapeutic to me in so many ways, I am honored to be able to share it's teaching with others". Cheryl completed her RYT200 at GHY in 2008 and is also a Pranakriya Prenatal Yoga Teacher. It is Cheryl's intention to foster and nurture the mind-body connection, bringing insight and awareness through the beauty of Yoga.

Lara Bontempo, E-RYT®500

Lara began her study of Yoga 1998 and fell in love with the vibrancy and health that it created in her life. She is a graduate of the Nosara Yoga Institute. Lara originally discovered the joy of Yoga through a rare opportunity of intensive Iyengar, apprenticeship study and currently has over 1000 hours of on-going training and study. Continuous studies in Kundalini Yoga, Anatomy and Somatics, Vedic Philosophy, Yoga Nidra and Insight Meditation contribute to a strong knowledge of inner and outer functional alignment. Lara's diverse study + experience greatly enhances the classroom experience by both challenging her students and providing a safe and nurturing environment where the student learns from their own inherent wisdom and instinct.

Charlotte Byrd, RYT®200

Charlotte began studying Iyengar yoga in 1999 with Mitra Tredway. She completed the Advanced Studies Yoga Immersion program at Golden Heart Yoga. Charlotte has studied various modalities of massage and energy therapies and practices massage therapy and Reiki. She utilizes her knowledge of anatomy, physiology and philosophies of energetic systems to create a multi-leveled approach to studying yoga. Now a practicing social worker, Charlotte brings her skills of intuition and observation to assist students as they explore growth through yoga. She is currently enrolled in the advanced teacher training at GHY working toward her RYT®500

Julie Campbell, RYT®200

An avid runner, Julie began her study of yoga in California in 1993 to bring balance, strength, and flexibility to her body. She is a 2008 graduate of Golden Heart Yoga's Advanced Studies Yoga Immersion and continues to study with her teachers Lynn Matthews, Jenny Otto, and Joan Livingston. Julie finds yoga cultivates energy and life, heals injuries, increases flexibility, and focuses the mind. She believes yoga is accessible to all (ask her 81 year old mother!) with proper modification of postures and sequences. In her yoga classes she invites you to follow your own personal journey to well-being and moving meditation.

Kirsten Chapman, RYT®500

Kirsten started studying yoga in 1999 and immediately found reward in the physical benefits to her body as both a unique form of exercise and as a relief from a disc injury. She received her BA from Bowdoin College in Biology and French and after many years in sales and recruiting, auspicious timing provided a chance to pursue her passion in yoga. She graduated from the Golden Heart Yoga 200-Hour teacher training in 2008, the 500-Hour training more recently, and continues to study with Lynn Matthews and Jenny Otto. Kirsten understands the challenges of balancing the much needed time for yoga with pregnancy, motherhood and a career, which is why she is excited to teach both the Prenatal class and the Sunrise class in an effort to help others incorporate yoga into their busy and changing lives.

Kathy Cocoros, RYT®200

Kathy has been practicing yoga since the 1970s. She retired from Special Education in 2003 and graduated as a Physical Therapist Assistant in 2007. As an Aquatic Therapist, Kathy uses many of the practices acquired through her Yoga studies to treat patients in the pool. She graduated from the Golden Heart Yoga 200-hour teacher training and continues to study with Jenny Otto and Lynn Matthews. Kathy's teaching style is relaxed and energetic and always stresses the proper body alignment. Her belief is that Yoga is therapeutic in all ways--physical, mental and emotional. Kathy encourages her students to explore the many benefits of Yoga. Yoga has much to offer every student both on and off the Yoga mat!

Barbara Devitt, RYT®200

Barbara began studying yoga in 1998 with Jenny Otto. The first boon was freedom from constant back pain. As her practice has deepened, so has her love for the wisdom of yoga. She graduated from the GHY Advanced Studies Yoga Immersion in 2008. Her respect and wonder at the miracle of the body continue to grow. Barbara is a long-term student of spirituality and meditation in various traditions –Samkhya Yoga, Zen Buddhism, Christianity. She also works with Reiki and has a special interest in Sacred Dance. She brings to her classes a spirit of discovery and enjoyment, and possibly a little sweat. She is convinced that the physical practice heals and strengthens the body; the inner practice nourishes the mind and heart. Yoga begins wherever you are.

Jill Dorosz, RYT®500

Jill is a Qigong and Tai Chi teacher certified through Roger Jahnke's Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC). She is a professional member of the National Qigong Association. In addition, Jill has studied yoga intensively with John Friend and senior Anusara teachers and with Rod Stryker. She has been studying and teaching mind/body practices for over 15 years, alongside her 25-year career in healthcare. Her teaching style is integrative, skillfully weaving in her classes movement, breath work, self-massage and meditation. Let Jill guide you to your own energy and healing through Qigong/Tai Chi and yoga.

Joan Livingston, RYT®500

Joan began her study of yoga in 1999, and immediately fell in love with the physical and mental benefits it brought to her life. After practicing Kung Fu for many years, she found yoga to be a natural transition from martial arts as well as a powerful healing tool for her body. Joan brings humor and a lighthearted attitude to her classes and supports her students through hands-on assistance, with awareness and attentiveness to each student's individual needs. She sees yoga as a sanctuary from the busy rhythm of life and hopes to share this gift with her students.

Elizabeth Lloyd, RYT®500

Elizabeth has been a yoga practitioner all her life. Yoga has always been a safe haven from the stresses of life for her; like a warm embrace from a loved one after a tough time, it is never judgmental, always embracing and forgiving. Elizabeth is a certified Vinyasa and Kundalini instructor. Her classes emphasize the connectivity of the breath to movement. Elizabeth enjoys infusing meditation and mantra into her practice to elevate the body, breath and spirit. Off the mat she tries to live her life the yogic way - with grace and gratitude. Elizabeth recently spent three months in India becoming certified in Raja Yoga.

Lynn Matthews, E-RYT®500

Lynn has been studying yoga since 1997 and is both ParaYoga® and Anusara® certified. Her teaching embodies the art and science of yoga by seamlessly blending bio-mechanical principles of alignment with the deeper, more subtle aspects of yoga. Lynn enriches her students' experience by skillfully weaving pranayama (breath work), meditation and chanting into her classes. She brings humor, compassion and encouragement to her teaching. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Lynn developed and taught training programs at both the corporate and collegiate level for more than 20 years and uses those skills to create and direct yoga teacher training programs, workshops and retreats around the country.

Hans Merkl, RYT®500

Hans was introduced to yoga in 2001 after a shoulder injury forced him to stop practicing boxing. Since then, he has deepened his practice and continues to study with Lynn Matthews and Jenny Otto. Hans is a graduate of the Golden Heart Yoga Advanced Studies Yoga Immersion and the 500-Hour Advanced Teacher Training program. He encourages his students to focus on alignment, meditation, and breath - not only on the mat, but also in their daily lives.

Jennifer Mims

Jennifer first experienced yoga at age three. She continued to practice asana throughout her life and began a deeper study of yoga sixteen years ago. In 2005 she earned a 200 hour teaching certificate from YogaWorks and is currently working toward her 500 hour certificate. Her advanced coursework includes vinyasa yoga, Ayurveda, prenatal yoga, sutras and philosophy, pranyama, restoratives, yin yoga, and anatomy. Jennifer believes yoga is an accessible tool for anyone who wishes to calm the mind, rejuvenate the spirit, and refresh the body. Her classes are alignment-based and include asana, pranyama, and meditation. Her students range in age from five to eighty and she has worked with many special needs including autoimmune disorders, stroke recovery, hip replacement, and depression. Adapting yoga to each student so he or she receives maximum benefits is her delight.

Sandra Moore, RYT®500

Sandy began studying yoga in 2004 in an effort to find healing for physical ailments and bring peace to her busy life. A former health and physical education teacher, she now directs a radiography program in Baltimore. Her background and education enable her to bring a strong knowledge of anatomy and human movement to her teaching, where she believes the practice of yoga contributes to the wellness of body and mind. Having completed both the 200 and 500 teacher training program at Golden Heart Yoga, she is also certified in Body Balance Yoga Therapy through Jenny Otto. This therapeutic focus brings a new dimension of caring and healing into her teaching and allows her to individualize the practice of yoga for students of all ability levels.

Aimee Seal, RYT®500

Once Aimee attended her first yoga class in 1996 it did not take her long to realize the profound sense of serenity, empowerment, and physical strength yoga offered. Previously a fitness instructor, teaching yoga seemed like a natural progression. With a psychology background and fueled by the desire to delve deeper into understanding yoga principles, philosophy and spirituality, she completed her 200 and 500 hour teacher trainings at Golden Heart Yoga in 2009 and recently attended a prenatal yoga teacher training with Jacci Reynolds. As a special ed/home teacher she incorporates breathing, stretching and relaxation to help students relieve stress and gain focus and confidence. Integrating breath with movement, Aimee shares her passion for yoga while guiding students on their individual journeys toward discovering peace, joy, and creative expression.

Quick Links