Meet Your Yoga Instructors

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.

Mary Wijangco Leisenring, RYT®200

Mary has her BA in psychology and has been a bodyworker for 12 years. Her work has a therapeutic focus and one of her specialties is in stretching techniques. Her personal yoga practice began when she was in massage school. Slowly her love of yoga grew and she laughs as she describes the evolution of her own practice; going from dabbling to teacher with a lot of frustration and bliss in between. She studied Vinyasa with Maria Garre in the first affiliate Shiva Rea Samudra Global School for Yoga Living. In addition to taking continuing education with Shiva Rea, David Life & Sharon Gannon, Anatomy Trains, and more she has completed her training in Yoga Trance Dance. She offers this on occasion to the community as seva (meaning service). Her interest in Mama Baby yoga grew from her specialty in pregnancy massage,doula training, and having her own sweet baby.

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, E-RYT®200

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, Kundalini and Raja Yoga 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 completed her TTC900 in Raja Yoga, and periodically goes to Kerala, India to continue her yoga training with her guru Swami Santiprasad.

Jennifer Mims, RYT®500

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.

Dana Opalinsky, RYT®200

In 2001, Dana experienced her first yoga class and has been practicing ever since. Dana is a graduate of the Golden Heart Yoga, RYT200 hour Immersion into the Yoga Tradition program. Dana was drawn to the program because she wanted to learn the philosophy behind the yoga classes she had been taking. She is honored to introduce students to the path of yoga and to teach them how to take their practice out of the studio and into their everyday lives.

Diana Schneider, RYT®500

Diana has been practicing yoga since 1996. She completed her 200- and 500-hour training at Golden Heart Yoga with Jenny Otto and Lynn Matthews. She enjoys the balance yoga brings to her busy life, especially the way she always feels better after practicing than before. Diana uses her practice to make everything else more comfortable. She spends her days working as a public health epidemiologist, and also enjoys swimming, cycling, gardening, cooking, and reading. Diana is currently studying with Gary Kraftsow, Mirka Scalco Kraftsow, and faculty of the American Viniyoga Institute, and is working toward an advanced Viniyoga Teacher Certification.

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.

Renee Smith, RYT®500

Renee has been studying and practicing yoga since 1996. Renee studied Iyengar yoga for nine years at Unity Woods Yoga. She has also been influenced by Anusara and Para Yoga, and has gained a great appreciation for the therapeutic applications of yoga through her teacher training programs. Renee completed her 200 and 500-hour training programs at Golden Heart Yoga. She continues to attend workshops and trainings on the many aspects of yoga and yogic philosophy, yoga therapy, tantra and ayurveda. Renee has a deep love of yoga and hopes to share the many physical, mental and spiritual benefits of yoga through her teaching. She lives in Annapolis with her husband and two children.

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