Say Hello to NWYF 2020 Teachers
Please feel free to reach out to them especially if they live in your area and keep a look out for Taste of the Feast
We are blessed once again to have assembled a wonderful collective of teachers and artists from the Unites States and Canada. They are beautiful and inspiring in their diversity, each of these humans have big hearts, enthusiasm, care for others and the land, creativity and a love for teaching and learning. We are honored for all of the teachers who applied and are looking forward to coming together in Unity and Community July 17-19, 2020. Please join us
Afiea Addy
Spokane, WA Afiea’s journey to yoga and meditation began when she was studying herbalism, reiki, holistic nutrition, yoga and meditation at the southwest institute of healing arts in Tempe Arizona. Her path brought her to Spokane Washington where she has been teaching for the past five years. Afiea teaches an Introduction to Meditation Workshop, Vinyasa, Hatha, Recovery Yoga and offers 2 free Meditation classes a week. Gong and other sound healing tools are a part of her offering in classes and workshops. Afiea’s mission is to empower self-healing. Taking responsibility for being a co-creator of your existence. Finding harmony and balance with conscious and self-loving decisions. Healing the body and mind with meditation and yoga. 
Ara Lyman
Spokane, WA Ara began her yoga practice in 2002 studying Iyengar style yoga. Her love of the many styles and schools of yoga has inspired her to study with many different teachers. She has been teaching full time since 2009. She now owns and teaches at The Spokane Yoga Shala. She has a 200hr certification through The Yoga School of Spokane, a 350hr certification through Yarrow Hot Yoga and Wellness Studio, a private Baptiste training with Rhea Slichter, a 200hr Radiant Body Kundalini certification from Kia Miller, a 200hr level one KRI certification with Guru Singh and Sada Simran. She is currently completing her 300hr course with Kia Miller. Ara has also completed a level 3 sound healing certification in Himalayan singing bowls with Geoffrey Torkington and she continues to study sound healing techniques from many teachers. She is also an accomplished artist with an AFA from Spokane Falls Community College. 
Drea Phoenix
Nelson, BC Drea Pheonix has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. She completed her Teacher Training at the Byron Bay Yoga Center in Australia in 2006 and has been teaching ever since. Drea's classes can be described as dynamic and challenging yet joyful and nurturing. She teaches Vinyasa Flow, Prenatal and Yin Yoga. She is passionate about yoga and sharing her knowledge to empower others' mind, body and soul. Drea is a certified 500 HR Yoga Teacher and is Registered with Yoga Alliance. 
Jessica Drago
Moscow, ID Yoga Health Coach. Ayurvedic Alignment Specialist. E- RYT 200, YACEP, Reiki I & II My teaching weaves the power of the breath into an anatomically aligned movement to help build body awareness and strengthen the relationship with our dynamic self. My journey started in 2009 with an attempt to nurture a rock-climbing injury. While taking yoga classes, I experienced an endless adventure towards self-awareness aligned with nature’s rhythms. Having suffered and recovered from various sports injuries, I have an understanding of how to offer what the body needs to recuperate. Learning brings me joy. In the last decade, I have completed workshops certifying for Physical Therapy Aide, Massage Therapy Aide, Certified Nursing Assistant, and over 200 hours of yoga teacher training. Coupling my love of habit evolution and body mechanics, I am passionate about coaching others through Ayurvedic principles towards their unique pursuit of an active and balanced lifestyle. Outside of teaching, I’m either spending family time in nature with my loving partner and son, creating wildcrafted art, tending to my plants, or dancing. 
Yogaslackers NWPortland, OR
Erika Dixon and Liz Karkula have been teaching together since 2011 when they met at the first Yogaslackers Teacher Training. Both have followed the path of yoga and adventure into a path of service working as a School Counselor and a Licensed Therapist respectively. They strive to integrate elements of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and self awareness into practices that take you to your personal edge. |
Brietta Leader
Sandpoint, ID Brietta is a teacher of dance in its many forms of healing, prayer, play, and conditioning. She grew up as a dancer and discovered her path as a healing artist 19 years ago while traveling in Asia. The combination of Brietta’s devotion to the dance, her gypsy spirit, family roots & passion to support herself and others into an embodied conscious awakening has birthed her own trademarked movement form called WildCore™. Her years of study as a conscious dance leader and mentor for Soul Motion® began to blend with years of being a Nia® Teacher, Massage Therapist, Shamanic student, devoted yogi, pranic healer, reiki practitioner, apprentice to mother-nature, energy enthusiast & performer. All of which contributed to WildCore’s development. Brietta loves to inspire self-healing through movement and offers classes, workshops & co-creative retreats and performances to her hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho, surrounding areas and internationally. 
Jenifer Harbour
Coeur d' Alene, ID Anusara Certified and Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher (E-RYT 500 & YACEP) Jenifer began the practice of Yoga in 2005 and continued her in-depth study of Yoga in 2006 with Karen Sprute-Francovich at Garden Street School of Yoga and completed her initial teacher training in 2007. She has since completed two Advanced Teacher Training programs at Garden Street and continues to study deeply and widely. Her life-long studentship keeps her teaching fresh and informed. Jen brings her love of Yoga, of the body and its blueprint of alignment, as well as a great sense of focus, fun, and enthusiasm to every class she teaches. In addition to teaching at Garden Street she teaches Yoga at North Idaho College and teaches Yoga workshops and international retreats. She is the founder of Triathlon Yoga Classes in Coeur d’Alene and she also teaches her very popular “Yoga for Athletes” class that serves athletes of all types and levels. Jen is a Restorative Institute Certified Foot Practitioner, a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and a member of the Fascia Research Society. She holds a certification in Functional Range Conditioning as a Movement Specialist and as a Certified Primal Health Coach, she educates, motivates, and guides her clients toward lifestyle and behavior choices that support their optimal wellness. Jenifer is a teacher on the popular internet yoga medium YogaVibes and is eternally grateful to Karen, who is her ongoing mentor, to all her teachers in Yoga, and to the wisdom and inspiration, she draws from the lineage of Lee Lozowick and Yogi Ramsuratkumar. 
Adam Pearlstein
Seattle, WA Adam has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years. It all started when Adam was in college and his then girlfriend took him to a hot yoga class in Burlington Vermont in early January 2004. . . He was hooked. He has had the privilege to teach yoga extensively all over the world; including Vermont, Washington DC, California, Norway, Thailand, and the Philippines, before moving to Seattle in 2015. In mid 2004He began teaching Birkram style classes, and soon soon adding hatha, vinyasa, inversion, and kids yoga to this repertoire. Adam’s classes are a generous mold of his loving comedic and heart filled personality. You will be challenged while having fun and he will always be there after to offer extra guidance. He is also a personal trainer and leads Y12SR (Yoga for 12 Step Recovery) to help others and himself on the journey of sobriety. Adam uses Y12SR to merge the feeling of separation, which can come with addiction, into a connective yoga practice. Adam is playful, kind and loving; he finds ultimate joy watching the way yoga brightens people’s light! 
Kate Towell
Bothell, WA Kate began her yoga journey in 1998 as a way to stay balanced and focused during graduate school and in 2002 an injury and a health crisis brought her to Ayurveda. She found deep healing through both practices and it would not be an exaggeration to say her life has been forever changed. Kate has studied and trained with master teachers rooted in a variety of disciplines– Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Iyenger and Yin. She is a 500hr E-RYT and has been teaching since 2010, offering weekly classes, workshops, retreats and leading teacher trainings worldwide. As the founder of Infinite, Your Wellness Kate is deeply passionate about making Ayurveda more accessible to her students and has found one of the biggest impacts is through teaching the foundations of dinacharya, Ayurvedic daily routine. She is the creator of Rock Your Daily Rhythm, a dynamic results-based online group coaching program and Ayurveda on the Mat training an innovative training for teachers, serious students and holistic healers that reconnects yoga and Ayurveda. Kate teaches with a playful spirit and encourages students to find balance among the stillness, joyful exploration and the challenge of meeting their edge. Each class is structured as a journey with breath-work and asana focused around a central theme integrating yoga philosophy and Ayurveda within the physical practice. |
KIRTAN, SOUND BOWL HEALING, AUTHENTIC RELATING & DANCING
Cause what would Northwest Yoga Feast be without all of that? Meet the beautiful humans who will be sharing their sounds and gifts with you at the Feast this summer.
Rob & Melissa Lundsgaard
Seattle, WA
Rob and Melissa are kirtan singers and yoga teachers devoted to sharing the heart-opening practices of Bhakti yoga and kirtan. Kirtan with Rob and Melissa is a fresh take on an ancient practice, where Sanskrit chants blend with modern, accessible melodies and lush harmonies to create an atmosphere that has been described as “joyful medicine,” "heart-opening bliss" and “love and devotion materialized!” Rob and Melissa are based in the Pacific Northwest, but their music keeps them on the move. When they aren’t on the road, the couple leads regular weekly and monthly kirtans in Seattle, WA. In addition to sharing their music at yoga studios and festivals (Bhakti Fest, Shakti Fest, Prana Fest, Samsara Fest, Northwest Yoga Feast), they teach Bhakti Yoga workshops, facilitate modules for teacher training programs, provide live music for yoga classes and lead retreats around the world. Their music, teachings, and storytelling create a space of comfort, discovery, and deep joy.
Melissa
Melissa has been teaching yoga since 2011. Her teaching style, heavily influenced by her experience as a dancer, is a unique blend of her Hatha, Bhakti, Akhanda and Kundalini training and rooted in her personal practice. Some of Melissa's notable teachers: Anne Phyfe Palmer and Melina Meza(8 Limbs Yoga Centers), Amber Tande(Mystic Living), Govind Das(Bhakti Yoga Shala), Yogrishi Vishvketu(Akhanda Yoga), Kia Miller(RBY). Her teachings are playful, down-to-earth, uplifting and devotional. Whether leading a physical class or kirtan, Melissa’s fluidity, grace, and joy are present in every breath.
Rob
Rob’s Bhakti yoga journey started when a yoga teacher began playing his song, “Breathe,” in her classes and then asked him to sing kirtan at her studio. This sparked his love of kirtan and has been chanting ever since. Rob has been an avid student of Bhakti yoga for over 10 years and has been teaching since 2011. Some of Rob’s notable Bhakti teachers: Jai Uttal, Govind Das (Bhakti Yoga Shala), Amber Tande (Mystic Living), Vanamali (Rishikesh) and Yogrishi Vishvketu (Akhanda Yoga).
Rob and Melissa have just completed their third kirtan album, "Breathe," with award-winning producer Ben Leinbach. (Jai Uttal, Deva Premal and Miten, Snatam Kaur and more) listen here
Seattle, WA
Rob and Melissa are kirtan singers and yoga teachers devoted to sharing the heart-opening practices of Bhakti yoga and kirtan. Kirtan with Rob and Melissa is a fresh take on an ancient practice, where Sanskrit chants blend with modern, accessible melodies and lush harmonies to create an atmosphere that has been described as “joyful medicine,” "heart-opening bliss" and “love and devotion materialized!” Rob and Melissa are based in the Pacific Northwest, but their music keeps them on the move. When they aren’t on the road, the couple leads regular weekly and monthly kirtans in Seattle, WA. In addition to sharing their music at yoga studios and festivals (Bhakti Fest, Shakti Fest, Prana Fest, Samsara Fest, Northwest Yoga Feast), they teach Bhakti Yoga workshops, facilitate modules for teacher training programs, provide live music for yoga classes and lead retreats around the world. Their music, teachings, and storytelling create a space of comfort, discovery, and deep joy.
Melissa
Melissa has been teaching yoga since 2011. Her teaching style, heavily influenced by her experience as a dancer, is a unique blend of her Hatha, Bhakti, Akhanda and Kundalini training and rooted in her personal practice. Some of Melissa's notable teachers: Anne Phyfe Palmer and Melina Meza(8 Limbs Yoga Centers), Amber Tande(Mystic Living), Govind Das(Bhakti Yoga Shala), Yogrishi Vishvketu(Akhanda Yoga), Kia Miller(RBY). Her teachings are playful, down-to-earth, uplifting and devotional. Whether leading a physical class or kirtan, Melissa’s fluidity, grace, and joy are present in every breath.
Rob
Rob’s Bhakti yoga journey started when a yoga teacher began playing his song, “Breathe,” in her classes and then asked him to sing kirtan at her studio. This sparked his love of kirtan and has been chanting ever since. Rob has been an avid student of Bhakti yoga for over 10 years and has been teaching since 2011. Some of Rob’s notable Bhakti teachers: Jai Uttal, Govind Das (Bhakti Yoga Shala), Amber Tande (Mystic Living), Vanamali (Rishikesh) and Yogrishi Vishvketu (Akhanda Yoga).
Rob and Melissa have just completed their third kirtan album, "Breathe," with award-winning producer Ben Leinbach. (Jai Uttal, Deva Premal and Miten, Snatam Kaur and more) listen here
Gaia and Shannon Reitan
Sagle, ID
Gaia and Shannon live in the Sagle area. We teach conscious awareness and ascension mechanics in a sacred space we designed for healing on our property and have a business called the New Earth Center in downtown Sandpoint. We offer Aikido, Mediation Practices, Crystal Bowls and Gong Baths, Vocal Toning and Mantra Practice, Kirtan from various artists and other specialized classes from various trained and certified teachers.
Gaia MB Reitan is a Licensed Massage Therapist and her husband Shannon B Reitan, Baptised Trained and Certified. Both are also Certified Nada Yoga Teachers (trained in India), Certified Sound Healing Practitioners, Certified Energy Healing Practitioners and teachers of the art of Aikido. They honor the importance of flow and harmony within all things and within all systems of the body in relation to each other and to Spirit/ God/ Creator.
Gaia and Shannon have had the opportunity to study with Russel Paul, Tom Kenyon and Jonathan Goldman, Chloe Goodchild; which have forever impacted their direction in relationship with sound, Spirit and the Body/Mind.
In their combined 50 plus years of experience, they feel that to enhance Ones' daily practice, the application of body movement, energy building, strengthening exercises and the addition of sound such as vocal toning, self-generated sounds such as mantras and sounds tools like crystal bowls, create space and an opportunity for the release of the old and offers the opportunity for reprogramming right down to the cellular level.
Since Gaia and Shannon have come together in 2012 they have combined all of their teaching experience, and knowledge into the many offerings and classes that they have created like the Starseed program and have facilitated many ceremonies for various groups.
They are dedicated to their personal growth and evolution by applying the tools they teach and what they have downloaded through the higher self to their daily life as well as sharing these tools and techniques with others. Sat Nam
For more information on our offerings please visit www.sourcehealing.love
Sagle, ID
Gaia and Shannon live in the Sagle area. We teach conscious awareness and ascension mechanics in a sacred space we designed for healing on our property and have a business called the New Earth Center in downtown Sandpoint. We offer Aikido, Mediation Practices, Crystal Bowls and Gong Baths, Vocal Toning and Mantra Practice, Kirtan from various artists and other specialized classes from various trained and certified teachers.
Gaia MB Reitan is a Licensed Massage Therapist and her husband Shannon B Reitan, Baptised Trained and Certified. Both are also Certified Nada Yoga Teachers (trained in India), Certified Sound Healing Practitioners, Certified Energy Healing Practitioners and teachers of the art of Aikido. They honor the importance of flow and harmony within all things and within all systems of the body in relation to each other and to Spirit/ God/ Creator.
Gaia and Shannon have had the opportunity to study with Russel Paul, Tom Kenyon and Jonathan Goldman, Chloe Goodchild; which have forever impacted their direction in relationship with sound, Spirit and the Body/Mind.
In their combined 50 plus years of experience, they feel that to enhance Ones' daily practice, the application of body movement, energy building, strengthening exercises and the addition of sound such as vocal toning, self-generated sounds such as mantras and sounds tools like crystal bowls, create space and an opportunity for the release of the old and offers the opportunity for reprogramming right down to the cellular level.
Since Gaia and Shannon have come together in 2012 they have combined all of their teaching experience, and knowledge into the many offerings and classes that they have created like the Starseed program and have facilitated many ceremonies for various groups.
They are dedicated to their personal growth and evolution by applying the tools they teach and what they have downloaded through the higher self to their daily life as well as sharing these tools and techniques with others. Sat Nam
For more information on our offerings please visit www.sourcehealing.love
Authentic Relating
Jody Pignolet
Standpoint, Idaho
Jody Pignolet is a "present moment" geek. Whether it's through her love of teaching yoga, her passion for singing and dancing or her joy of facilitating Authentic Relating games, she is inspired by the magic found in the present. She has been tracking that moment for decades through her spiritual path, through movement and through finding ways to expand her self expression.
She, along with Michael Welp, will be leading games and experiences in Authentic Relating throughout the weekend. Authentic Relating is the practice of being as present as one is able with others who are doing the same and then getting to experiencing the power, truth, vulnerability, and all of the other gems that arise in one's self and in others.
Jody Pignolet
Standpoint, Idaho
Jody Pignolet is a "present moment" geek. Whether it's through her love of teaching yoga, her passion for singing and dancing or her joy of facilitating Authentic Relating games, she is inspired by the magic found in the present. She has been tracking that moment for decades through her spiritual path, through movement and through finding ways to expand her self expression.
She, along with Michael Welp, will be leading games and experiences in Authentic Relating throughout the weekend. Authentic Relating is the practice of being as present as one is able with others who are doing the same and then getting to experiencing the power, truth, vulnerability, and all of the other gems that arise in one's self and in others.
Holly Walker
Sandpoint, ID
Holly Walker is a painter and art teacher living in her hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho. Holly works within the community on collaborative art projects, bridging the gap between students, artists, organizations, and community members. She also teaches intuitive painting classes and workshops to adults, empowering them to express their unique creative visions. Holly’s personal work is currently focused on ethereal abstract painting, rooted in nature. She sells paintings, greeting cards, and prints through her backyard business, the Red Shed Studio.
Holly grew up on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and the meadows of the Selkirk Mountains where she now raises her two children.
Sandpoint, ID
Holly Walker is a painter and art teacher living in her hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho. Holly works within the community on collaborative art projects, bridging the gap between students, artists, organizations, and community members. She also teaches intuitive painting classes and workshops to adults, empowering them to express their unique creative visions. Holly’s personal work is currently focused on ethereal abstract painting, rooted in nature. She sells paintings, greeting cards, and prints through her backyard business, the Red Shed Studio.
Holly grew up on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and the meadows of the Selkirk Mountains where she now raises her two children.
Kristine Rae
Sandpoint, ID/Seattle, WA
Kristine Rae leads a community singing circle called Sandpoint Community Sing in Sandpoint, ID. She is a song leader, a song carrier, and an ongoing student of voice and all things singing. She is a graduate of Lisa G Littlebird's (Monterey’s Whole Hearted Chorus Director) Flight School for Songleaders and is part of a world-wide community of oral- tradition based song leaders. She is also a dancer, an acro-yogi, a physical therapist, a myofascial release practitioner, a seamstress, an auntie, and a doggie mama.
Sandpoint, ID/Seattle, WA
Kristine Rae leads a community singing circle called Sandpoint Community Sing in Sandpoint, ID. She is a song leader, a song carrier, and an ongoing student of voice and all things singing. She is a graduate of Lisa G Littlebird's (Monterey’s Whole Hearted Chorus Director) Flight School for Songleaders and is part of a world-wide community of oral- tradition based song leaders. She is also a dancer, an acro-yogi, a physical therapist, a myofascial release practitioner, a seamstress, an auntie, and a doggie mama.
Gypsy Divas
Sandpoint, ID
Gypsy Diva's Dance Troupe offers a blend of unique styles, costumes, music and expression that touches their audience at the level of soul. Their most recent themes have been connected to inspirations from the elements, embodying water, earth, fire and ‘Air’.
Gypsy Diva's is made up of local women dancers from Sandpoint and have held a core of 6 with a rotating 3-5 women, and usually includes a mother-to-be. Having been a troupe for over 9 years, the Diva's have built loving relationships and a devotion to this ancient art of dance. The Director Brietta Leader co-choreographs with Hallie Owen and Titina VanHoorn and views being a member of a dance troupe as another gateway for expansion, calling it a 'spiritual practice'. The Gypsy Diva's are delighted to be back at NW Yoga Feast sharing their most recent work.
Sandpoint, ID
Gypsy Diva's Dance Troupe offers a blend of unique styles, costumes, music and expression that touches their audience at the level of soul. Their most recent themes have been connected to inspirations from the elements, embodying water, earth, fire and ‘Air’.
Gypsy Diva's is made up of local women dancers from Sandpoint and have held a core of 6 with a rotating 3-5 women, and usually includes a mother-to-be. Having been a troupe for over 9 years, the Diva's have built loving relationships and a devotion to this ancient art of dance. The Director Brietta Leader co-choreographs with Hallie Owen and Titina VanHoorn and views being a member of a dance troupe as another gateway for expansion, calling it a 'spiritual practice'. The Gypsy Diva's are delighted to be back at NW Yoga Feast sharing their most recent work.
