Jenny first began practicing Yoga in 2000 after moving to Boone. With the intention of deepening her own knowledge and practice, she completed 200-hour certification at Neighborhood Yoga in 2009.
Since being introduced to yoga at a young age, Linda has had a passion for finding life’s “flow” through her yoga practice and sharing it with others. Linda received her 200 hour certification from Neighborhood Yoga in 2023. She loves to teach vinyasa flow and teaches the practice of yoga from her heart and for the heart. She finds yoga a way to feel grounded in the present moment and wants to cultivate that space for others. Focusing on how to bring our yoga practice off the mat and into our lives, she often incorporates meditation, pranayama, mudra, intention/oracle cards, and sound into her asana classes.
Linda is currently studying Art Education at ASU. In her free time, she loves spending time at home with her cat and dog and making art. Aside from being an artist and a yoga teacher, Linda also works in our cafe at Rooted on King. She loves to go to concerts, hike, travel, and practice aerial arts.
Noelle Austin (she/her or they/them)
Noelle was first introduced to Yoga as a young girl by her father, Robin. She practiced mantras with him as a way of dealing with anxiety. Then as a young lady she started practicing Yoga to heal both physically and mentally. After losing her mother and brother around her 16th birthday, Yoga became a place where she gained independence and found peace. Noelle began teaching in 2009, and graduated from Lillah Shwartz’s 200 hr program, after her second time through it in 2011. She then went on to gain an additional 555 hrs with Lillah in 2015. Noelle is now an internationally certified Yoga Therapist through IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) and works with clients who seek the therapeutic benefits of Yoga in private session. She honors B.K.S. Iyengar’s teachings and intends to begin training for Iyengar certification next. She loves to play music, sing and dance, and has been known to end a class, singing to her students in Savasana.
To find out more visit her website: http://www.noelleaustin.com/
Kathie is a Registered Nurse, Registered yoga instructor, certified in cancer massage & pilates for breast cancer survivors and the founder of Soul Moving Yoga. She has been practicing yoga for over 14 years and decided to pursue teaching after graduating with her 200 hour RYT from Neighborhood Yoga in 2008. She continues to study Yin Yoga and Anatomy with Paula & Suzee Grilley, Gary Kraftsow (Viniyoga Therapy) and Sarah Powers while working towards her 500 hour certification. In Kathie’s class you will be invited to practice in a safe space both physically and emotionally. Kathie’s lifestyle and mantra has been to integrate her yoga practice, physical activity and wholesome nutrition into her daily life. She shares this practice with her family and students and believes in honoring where each student is in his or her practice, providing mindful modifications and healing yoga instruction. She encourages all levels of students to come and practice “their” yoga in her classes. One of Kathie’s greatest teachers has been her journey to cancer survivorship and she whole-heartedly believes that if we ALL incorporate yoga and physical activity into our lifestyles we can live happier, healthier and more peacefully. To learn more about Kathie go to http://www.soulmovingyoga.com
Caroline Daniel (she/her/hers)
Since her introduction to yoga at a young age, Caroline has been intrigued by the spiritual and philosophical connection to the physical practice of yoga. Throughout the years, her hunger for a deeper understanding of the practice led her to Neighborhood Yoga, which she considers her second home, and where she completed her 200 Hr teacher training in 2014. With a background in both dance and mental health counseling, she is a full believer in mind-body-spirit connection and the power of mindfulness. Most importantly, she has discovered that the greatest pathway to peace and connection between the body, mind, and spirit is the breath. She lives by the philosophy of wabi-sabi, or the beauty of things imperfect and impermanent, is passionate about encouraging others to find their own strength and believes that the most advanced yoga practice is one in which we listen to our bodies.
Sandra Diaz (she/her/hers or they, their, theirs)
Sandra has has been a yoga practitioner for over 20 years years and completed her 200 hour teaching training through Neighborhood Yoga in 2015. She loves to focus on alignment-based flow as a way to feel the energetics of the pose in the body, and the energetics of the body in the pose.
I discovered yoga when I was 16 years old when my pediatrician recommended it as a tool for coping with anxiety. That moment changed everything for me and ignited a journey I am endlessly grateful for. I went on to pursue two degrees in Biochemistry and Cellular/Molecular Biology and graduated at ASU while completing my 200hr YTT at Neighborhood Yoga. My education up to this point is only the first stepping stone to all that I wish to learn and share with the world. I hope to explore natural medicine and herbal healing and further my education in yoga as well. I am trained and experienced in Vinyasa Yoga and would love to learn more about restorative and yin yoga as a student and teacher.
Some of my hobbies include gardening, making art, cooking/baking for my loved ones, brewing kombucha, foraging for herbs and mushrooms, being outside as much as possible, and connecting with others, hearing their stories.
I believe yoga is coming home to the body and soul as we yoke or unite ourselves inwardly, and outwardly. Through this uniting practice I have developed a deep love for myself and my being, but also for all beings in the universe. A mantra I hold dearly in my heart is so hung, I am all that is infinite in the universe. I am thou.
In my classes I hope to leave a vibration of universal love and peace; to connect with ourselves and each other through reverent asana practice as a moving meditation.
Skylar Gonzales (she/her)
Skylar first discovered the practice of yoga shortly after moving to North Carolina in the middle of 7th grade, as a way of finding peace through the turbulence of grounding in a new place. With a gymnastic background she loves an embodied practice, and found that she was drawn to yoga because of the mindfulness and intentional breathing with asana.
While completing her undergraduate at App State in Interdisciplinary Studies, Skylar completed 200hr yoga teacher certification through Neighborhood Yoga while continuing to work at Rooted, giving her a deep sense of connection in the Boone yoga community. As a teacher she incorporates the traditional and ethical teachings into the practice by connecting through, energetics, mantra, movement, sound, and breath.
Lauren Hayworth (she/her)
Lauren began her yoga journey in a sweaty, no-frills power vinyasa studio in a single-wide trailer in Tallahassee while studying music education at Florida State University. After college, she deepened her practice with ashram living, spending several summers at Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, Virginia, where she completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2004. After moving to Boone in 2006, she taught a decade of yoga classes at the Wellness Center, leading both gentle and high-intensity vinyasa. She began her aerial arts journey in 2017, and has since blended these two disciplines with a 32 hour Aerial Yoga teacher training at CircuSoul in Sarasota, Florida in 2018. Lauren is an active performing musician and regularly incorporates music into her practice through chant and sound healing.
Torre Hinnant, M.D. (she/her)
Torre’s life up until her first yoga class was steeped in the discipline, creativity and traditions of contemporary dance and choreography. A series of health crises turned her life upside down in her late 20’s. Serendipitously, that is when she found yoga. Yoga was a lifeline for her and helped her through one of the most challenging times of her life. She completed a 200-hour yoga teaching training through the Integral Yoga Institute in 1997 and was inspired to return to school to become a medical doctor so that she could help others to find their path to wholeness through integration of mind, body and spirit.
Torre is certified in Raja Yoga, Meditation, and Yoga of the Heart. She has completed advanced training in Bioenergetics, Herbal Medicine, and Restorative Breathwork and is Board Certified in Family Medicine and in Integrative and Holistic Medicine and currently practices at Appalachian State University Student Health Services. She loves the arts, movement, music, everything outdoors, and spending time with her husband and their Basset Hound, Wally.
Whether teaching a gentle/restorative, meditation, or dynamic vinyasa flow class Torre integrates her knowledge of anatomy, breath, energy and yogic philosophy to create a holistic and powerful experience for her students. She is an E-RYT 500 and is a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.
Chris has been practicing yoga for over 25 years and has been teaching for 17. She found yoga through her search for self fulfillment and self discovery, along with her psychology studies in grad school. She soon realized this was her path, and was actually the oldest form of psychology. After completing her 200-hour teacher training at Neighborhood Yoga in 2011, Chris began Integrative Yoga Counseling, a private therapy practice that allowed her to combine her two passions.
Chris taught at Neighborhood from 2011 to 2018. After a hiatus to have her two beautiful daughters, she is thrilled to be back at Neighborhood!
Ahimsa is a certified 500 hr YTT yoga instructor, Ayurvedic masseuse, and yoga therapy life coach. Arriving where she was today was a challenging, vital, and passionate process. With the aid of Eastern influence, Indian Gurus, and disciplined and ongoing dedication to her highest self.
Her mission is to contribute by guiding others to self-awareness through yoga, holistic living, and ancient philosophy which has held a sacred container for many students ready to grow in their practice. In order to maintain a balance of her physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies she adhere to a plant-based diet, cooks, meditates, gardens, hold full moon ceremonies, dances, travels, spends time with loved ones, and hikes.
Her dynamic Hatha classes incorporates pranayama, mantra, and meditation along with having fun in the process. Classes will be creative, have hands-on adjustments, and have lots of variations for every level of student to help deepen your practice and connection to your body. She also works 1:1 with students for yoga therapy.
Macy teaches and practices yoga from a place of joy, prioritizing opportunities for exploration and expression!
She began practicing yoga in 2018, and completed her teacher training at Asheville Yoga Center in 2022. She then spent two months at Amritapuri ashram in 2023. Those experiences and teachers have cultivated a sincere feeling of wellness that she wants to share with others.
A yoga practice provides such a unique opportunity to better understand the physical and emotional layers of the self. Her style varies in physical intensity, but always challenges us to practice kindness and gratitude so that we can learn how best to honor our selves.
Valerie Midgett (sh/eher/hers)
Valerie DiSciullo Midgett (ERYT) is a dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher/practitioner, with over 30 years experience in integrating the moving arts, health sciences, and yoga. She is the owner of Neighborhood Yoga, and director of Neighborhood Yoga Teacher Training,
Valerie seeks to create a soulful class inspired by her deep love of movement and dynamic alignment, mindful awareness of the breath, yogic philosophy, music, and bhakti, all unfolding together in a moving meditation that is Yoga. Valerie views yoga as a form of self-transformation, and a process that involves confronting your limits and transcending them.
Her formal education includes an MS in Exercise Physiology, an MFA in Dance, Yoga Certification from Integral Yoga in NYC, Pre/Postnatal Yoga and Thai Yoga Body Therapy. Valerie has been on the faculty at Lees McRae College, Caldwell Community College, UNC Greensboro, and Appalachian State University for the past 28 years teaching yoga, dance, anatomy and kinesiology.
Paul started practicing yoga in 2012. He quickly fell in love with the lifestyle and philosophy, and completed his 200-hour teacher training in 2022. Because yoga encompasses all aspects of life, he believes that what we do on the mat can be understood as analogies for going about daily life, interacting with others, and relating to ourselves. Paul’s practice is Hatha-based, which emphasizes balance—sun and moon, masculine and feminine, effort and effortlessness — achieved using mind, body, and breath. He likes to keep class light-spirited and playful, and insists that yoga should be uplifting, interesting, and fun.
Born in Brazil, Ana’s family migrated to the states when she was 3 years old. She started her yoga journey during the pandemic when she took a two year leave of absence from her job and backpacked through Brazil in order to connect with her roots and self. It was there that she stumbled upon a yoga class that changed everything for her. In a time of worldwide fear, chaos and unknowns, yoga became a safe and peaceful space for Ana.
It was the first time in her life that she truly felt the connection of mind, body and spirit. Ever since then, her love for yoga has only deepened and has become a pillar in her personal and spiritual walk through life. The practice of yoga has become a great gift in her life, a gift, that when shared, makes it that much sweeter.
Dee Pelliccio (she/her/hers)
Dee moved to the mountains in 2005 and completed Neighborhood Yoga’s Yoga Teacher Training program in June of 2020. Her life has been blessed by the journey and she learns something every time she teaches. Currently she offers Slow Flow Vinyasa and Yin at the Watauga Recreation center and Chetola Resort. She also holds private sessions for children and adults. Asana, breathing, Ayurveda, PanchaKarma, organic food, chanting, rituals, and surrender are all part of her slow burning fire as the eternal student who has been blessed to teach this journey.
She is married to Trent Edwards, a talented contractor, and has a sweet and smart daughter, Caroline.
Maria Pramaggiore (she/they)
Maria has been teaching yoga, yoga philosophy, and meditation in the US and Ireland for 14 years. She studied at the NC School of Yoga, The Yoga Garden of Apex, and Samadhi Dublin, earning RYT-500, ERYT-200 and YACEP as well as certifications in Meditation (The Veda Center), Trauma Informed Yoga, and Accessible Yoga.
Respectfully sharing vedic wisdom and practices with anyone who seeks deeper knowledge of the self is her highest aspiration. She aims to empower students and help to illuminate the path, whether in the yoga studio or the classroom at App State, where she is a professor of film/media and gender studies.
In a world full of challenges, the practice of yoga provides Erin the space to focus internally and through the process, invite inner peace.
Nurturing the needs of her identities as mother, partner, and more helps her live a more balanced life. She seeks balance through feeling grounded on her mat, which creates opportunities to connect her mind and body.
Morgan Smith (she/her/hers)
Morgan is an Appalachian State student studying Elementary Education and has been teaching yoga for over with two years! I love to promote intention and specialize in Slow Flow and Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga with University Recreation!
Joelle also loves to read and will watch any comedy movie.
Caroline Stahlschmidt (she, her, hers)
Caroline Stahlschmidt has been an athlete her whole life and in her early 20’s she started to explore yoga as part of her training plan. Slowly, her practice deepened as she experienced the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits of yoga.
In 2008, Caroline completed her 200-hour Teacher Training through Neighborhood Yoga with Valerie Midgett and Kelly Golden. Since that training, she has also studied with Sarah Faircloth, Rod Stryker, Shala Worsley, Michael Johnson and Sage Rountree.
Caroline teaches a slow vinyasa class, inviting in the mental and physical release that comes when you flow with your breath but moving slow enough that you have time to move in and out of the postures with proper alignment. As an athlete, Caroline knows what it feels like to have a tighter body or sore muscles and she is always mindful of this in her teaching.
Caroline infuses all of her classes with a healthy dose of inspiration and motivation. Her goal is to help students tune in to their own inner wisdom and realize their full potential on and off the mat.
Marah Stefanisko (she, her, hers)
Marah began her yoga journey in 2014 while attending the University of Georgia. Marah was instantly captivated by the peaceful power yoga yields through the alignment of body and breath. Through further exploration, Marah fell in love with the yogic philosophy, spiritual nature, and opportunity to return home to one’s body at any moment through practice.
Marah completed her 200 hour teacher training at Five Points Yoga in Athens GA, and strives to incorporate play, loving kindness, light-hearted challenge, self-study, and curiosity into her classes.
