Teresa: "I see myself as a facilitator for people taking time out of their busy schedules to focus on experiencing the body and self in the present moment. I love to have people of various ages, shapes, sizes and physical conditions come to my classes. My favorite challenge as a teacher is to find ways to modify poses so that everybody feels like they’re getting something out of it without hurting themselves. I’ve been teaching at West Coast Fitness for five years now, and feel very lucky to be here."
Teresa teaches 5 yoga classes at Alberta, and is part of the weekend rotation which has her teaching extra classes every 4 weeks.
Catherine: "I teach yoga with a sense of humor and curiosity. She first found yoga through Lilias Folan while growing up in rural Oregon. Catherine's study of yoga includes Iyengar, Bikram and Ashtanga styles. She began teaching in 1995. She has extensive experience in contemporary dance and physical theater, offers client focused personal training and commutes a lot by bike."
Catherine is a mainstay at St. John's. She teaches morning conditioning classes, Silver Sneakers®, yoga and boot camp.
Erin: "After many travels overseas, observing what makes people all over the world happy, calm and accepting of the ups and downs in life, I stumbled upon India, where I developed a fascination for the good and accepting nature of the general public. Hoping to secure the right kind of attitude toward life, I followed the Indian path of yoga and brought it back to my community in America, in hopes of sharing all that I learned. Through acceptance, awareness and attitude, anything is possible. I try to convey this to my students, coupled with the importance of starting slow and easy, while being mindful of the experience. Bringing awareness of breath into the foreground helps to make each session a moving meditation, so that yoga is an experience and a journey rather than a destination."
Erin is our Monday night (St. John's) and Thursday night (Alberta) yoga instructor. She is also part of the weekend rotation of yoga teachers.
Jenna: "People come to yoga for a variety of reasons, but invariably there is an expectation that it is more there than just exercise, that it is something that will connect them deeper to their own lives. I know that that was what I was searching for when I found it at 17. My own practice has been one of exploration and one of learning about myself on every level. As I keep practicing I move more from the experience of the changing nature of my body, and less from what I used to think yoga should look like. The invitation I extend in class is for each individual to realize with their own senses what is happening for them on the physical, mental and emotional planes and have space through the practice for integration and their own wisdom to emerge. The class style varies from gentle held yin stretches to more dynamic energetic postures. By using a variety of yoga movement and with permission to explore, my intention is to be a helpful guide for each to awaken to their own precious life within this body."
Jenna teaches yoga Wednesday night at Alberta
Rachel: "I turned to a yoga practice when I realized that I was holding all my fear as tension in my body. I fall in love with yoga more every day as it grounds me, keeps my heart open, and allows me to hold space for myself in this busy world. I love to hold the space for students to dig deeper into themselves. I believe that when people are deeply rooted to the foundations of their own bodies, they can be free in their hearts to manifest anything they truly desire. My classes are tailored to the needs of the students each time we come to the mat together, and are designed to support whatever the energy of the group inspires through proper alignment, deep breathing, deep stretching, and joyous fun."
Rachel teaches yoga for a full 90 minutes on Monday nights at the Alberta club.
Leila: "I began my consistent yoga practice thirteen years ago, after having practiced off and on since my teens. I was facing what doctors termed a chronic, irreparable injury and was offered two alternative treatments; exploratory spinal surgery, and/or unlimited painkiller prescriptions. I chose yoga. I thought, 'Let’s design a basic practice and do it every day and see what happens.' Six months later, I was pain free and I’ve stayed that way ever since (barring the occasional gardening injury). Naturally, I am very enthusiastic about the value of yoga!
I’ve been teaching for ten years now and what I’ve learned from my students has been profound. I find that everyone comes to yoga with their own ideas, needs, opportunities and limitations. As a teacher, I feel called to share what I’ve learned about yoga; pranayama, asana, practice in daily life, and more, while recognizing and respecting the needs of my students. In class, I often say that I am happy when I see a student resting in child’s pose, or choosing an alternate posture to honor the needs of her body. I find that steady, consistent practice and an open heart and mind brings the greatest benefit to our practice, on and off the mat, and this is foremost what I try to convey.
Leila teaches yoga as part of our weekend rotation. Look for her on the link above.
Molly: "I believe that indoor cycling is one of the most efficient and safest ways to get a cardio workout. Varying the types of cardio exercise that you get is important so that you don't succumb to overuse injuries (runners take note!). It is also important for the health of your heart and lungs that you push yourself past your comfort zone and breath hard. The bike is a relatively easy place to do this without putting the stress on your joints. I try to vary the music and the "terrain" with hills, flats, rolling hills, sprints and intervals. It is truly a one size fits all class. You work at your own pace and adjust the pace and resistance according to how hard you can or want to work. We always have a great time and would love to see you in class!"
Molly teaches Spinning® classes at Alberta as well as Muscle Cardio on Tuesday mornings.
Natasha: "I came to yoga after working my first demanding corporate job where I sat at desk 40+ hours a week. My physical body and mind became stiff, I felt aged beyond my years. Practicing yoga brought perspective and clarity to my unbalanced body and life, it was an awakening. It is my strong desire to help students get out of their heads and tune into their bodies and breath while practicing yoga in a fun, lighthearted, and supportive environment. My teaching style is adaptable Vinyasa Flow with variations for every body."
Jan: "I see personal fitness as a lifelong quest. My own journey has taken me from weighing 300
pounds to now being in the best shape of my life. Indoor cycling has played a huge role in my
journey - quite literally, it has changed my life! I cycled to rehabilitate after two knee
replacements, and I continue to reap benefits from doing it: weight loss, muscle tone, strength
gains and terrific stamina…not to mention that I love it!
Using Spinning® techniques, my goal is to provide a safe, fun and challenging group cycling
class for every student. One of the best things about indoor cycling is that the intensity of each
workout can be completely customized – the rider has complete control. I encourage students
to work within their own fitness levels and to strive beyond them. My classes are a great way to
get fit in a fun and supportive group setting."
Jan teaches several Spinning® classes at the St. John's club.
Jocelyn: "Inspiration, Motivation, Enthusiasm and Passion are what I bring to my clients and classes. The beauty of fitness is that there are always goals to set, boundaries to push and challenges to strive towards. My classes and workouts are high energy, upbeat, challenging, and creative. I don't believe in perfection- I believe in working towards being the best we as individuals can be! I believe everyone has an inner-athlete- and I'm here to help unleash the limitless potential!"
Jocelyn bounces between both clubs. At Alberta she does two half-hour abdominal and total body classes Monday night as well as two early morning Spinning® classes on Tuesday and Thursday. At the club in St. John's, she runs our Kids P.E. program, teaches two cycling classes, some strength and cardio classes, as well as a 30 minute Ab Blast.
Ash: "Through years of experience competing in sports, training to increase my own health, and education, I have found that emphasizing physical core stability and strength is the best avenue toward sustainable success in fitness. With your determination and my guidance, fitness goals can confidently be accomplished."
Ash teaches two popular 30 minute Beginning Spinning® classes at Alberta Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Russell: "My approach to fitness stem from my beginning with early high school sports and co-managing a basketball team in assisting in training, and participating in track and fields. It was this desire to find keen training technique to bring out the best results in fitness and agility. I continue that pursuit with Martial art training back in 1980 with a new love for internal training of promoting soft tissue rejuvenation and enhancing recovery and promote the circulatory system, along with resistance training for stronger muscles."
My style of teaching is to reveal the finesse of the internal arts of Tai Chi in easy to understand demonstration and application of the movement with stronger understanding of the strength and structure of the forms. Tai Chi is easy to learn, yet takes a lifetime to master how to harness the iron silk principle of having tendon and muscle tissue soft as taffy but strong as steel.
I will demonstrate to you the method of training smart and getting effective results that you are looking for. I can teach you both the Western and Eastern way to fitness combining the knowledge of Tai Chi and weight training all in one."
Russell is our resident Tai Chi instructor. Classes are Saturday mornings in St. John's.
Andrew: "Men and women are built very different, and should be trained as such. My knowledge and experience within the training world has allowed me to understand how to optimally train both successfully and safely. My specialty is weight training, however I am hardly limited to it. Hard work and dedication are the only ways to reach your physical goals. Allow me to help you achieve that by exposing you to a variety of workouts and techniques that will both educate you and reshape your body into the physique that you desire."
Andrew's regular class is Power Cardio on Monday nights in St. John's, but he has been known to sub for everything but yoga.
Terri: "I used to suffer from chronic neck and back pain, and although I had been involved in fitness for many years, I struggled with upper body strength. Yoga didn't come easily to me but by sticking with it, I am pain free and stronger than I have ever been. I believe that it's the hard times in life that shape who you are and my teaching is greatly influenced by my early struggles. My hope is that my classes feel as if you are wandering down a path to fitness while having fun and encountering challenges."
Terri is our Yoga-Strength instructor (both clubs, the Friday class is 90 minutes) and also has a gentle flow class at St. Johns on Tuesday morning.
DeShawn: "I classify my style of training as Spartan Training. Spartan Training is characterized by stern discipline and rigorously simple exercises. It is a calculated mix of traditional and novel strength and conditioning exercises; which incorporates metabolic conditioning, high intensity interval training, odd-object lifting and much more. Spartan Training produces fast and measurable results whether you're seeking muscle mass and definition, looking to boost performance in a particular sport/activity, or just to lose weight and tone up. It takes the best of all training methods and puts them into a truly comprehensive routine that's goal specific. My client base includes all ages and levels of fitness. I train both men and women successfully and safely. Work-outs are scaled to your individual level and ability. Spartan Training promotes a stand-and-deliver, do-or-die fitness culture that tolerates no complaining or excuse-making."
Christie: "Fitness has literally saved my life. I have found that both Parkinson's and Breast Cancer have opened doors for me AND inspired me to "USE IT OR LOSE IT." My goal is simply to take what I have learned to help others facing similar challenges: Facing memory loss (defiantly), learning coping strategies, incorporating mental exercises and multitasking with physical activities to challenge the fitness of our minds and bodies, and learning from each person I meet. Special training and certifications include: Pilates, Functional Fitness, Balance, Aquatics, Vocal coaching, Zumba Gold, Rehabilitation, and OHSU's Sensorimotor Agility and Proprioception Training with an emphasis on training clients with Parkinsons."
at the bottom of whichever (or both) schedules you want on your phone, pda, computer, etc. Stay updated with class changes and instructor substitutions.
