For Your Body. For Your Mind. For Your Spirit.
Our Teachers:
Sandra Sanford, RYT-500, Director
Sandrasanford@cox.net
Sandra's passion for yoga began the first time she stepped on a mat. She gravitated towards Kripalu Yoga, "the yoga of love and compassion". Sandra recently received her 500 Hr. Certification from Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox, MA, after 5 years of deep study and active teaching. She is a proud member of Yoga Alliance. Her desire to spread the joy of yoga throughout Pensacola inspired her to open Breathe Yoga Studio almost 2 years ago. Sandra's unique style of yoga integrates the opportunity for self-inquiry with the joyful, vinyasa flow of Shiva Rea. Deeply committed towards raising awareness and helping to end the cycle of domestic violence, Sandra devotes time and energy to the Favor House, a safe house for women and children. Sandra’s annual summer pilgrimages to Kripalu have allowed her to study intensely with many nationally recognized teachers, and to all of them she is immensely grateful for having been blessed with their love, knowledge, experience and guidance.
Originally from Puerto Rico, but raised mostly stateside, Sandra lived in the Virgin Islands for 14 years before moving to Pensacola in 2000. She holds a BA degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Sandra’s yoga practice, sadhana, gives her the fuel she needs to be a mother to two children, wife, teacher, business owner and caregiver to a yellow lab and a Cruzan cat.
Jan Atkins
Jan was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She moved to Pensacola in 1977. Jan has been practicing yoga since 1997 and has studied with many inspiring teachers including David Life, Sharon Gannon, Andrea and Jeffrey Choen in the Jivamukti Yoga tradition, Doug Keller and Didier Raison, Anusara teachers; and Doug Swenson, Ashtanga teacher. She also completed Sequence 2 in traditional Thai-Yoga Body Work. Jan has been teaching for several years and, after completing a 200 hour Spontaneous Yoga teacher training with Acharya Yogendradev, from the Lakulish Institute of Yoga, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, in November 2007, brought her precise teaching skill and warm humor to Breathe. Jan's invigorating vinyasa flow style has broad appeal, she has taught everyone from college football players at the famed Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze to surfers, doctors and people from all walks of life. Jan is a dedicated student of yoga and has completed Level 1 and 2 Baron Baptiste Power Yoga teacher training in Hawaii and Montana since the beginning of 2008. She is now listed as an associate teacher for the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute and, upon completing the remaining requirements, will be the only Certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga teacher on the Emerald Coast. Jan is also a member of Yoga Alliance.
If you want to know your Dosha type, Jan most assuredly can help you. She was the only one in her teacher training that had a balanced Dosha. If you want help in identifying your Dosha (Ayurvedic constitution) you may want to schedule some time with her.
Jan is the mother of five children and has five grandchildren. She lives with her husband and a 20 lb. cat named Earl. Besides her passion for yoga she also plays the piano and paints. Her art work is just as colorful and unique as she is.
Nalina Devi Laura Welter
Mzlauraann@cox.net
Laura has been practicing yoga since Lillias' Yoga appeared on PBS in the early 70's. She honors Dr. Robert Kleinman, her college professor, who taught her the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, and Integral Yoga, as her first Great Teacher or Guru. After Vedic initiation, she became an English Teacher and taught at all grade levels for several years in Pensacola. While assistant teacher for ages 6-9 at Montessori School of Pensacola, she was asked to develop a short yoga sequence for the children. Its overwhelming success inspired her to become certified to teach Radiant Child Yoga through Shakta Kaur Kalsa. To teach yoga to children she underwent formal yoga teacher training with Sudevi Linda Kramer in 2005. Since then she has studied various yoga styles with many prominent teachers. She just returned from the “Mayan Riviera” in Mexico where she immersed herself in a month long Yogaville Intensive at Rancho Encantado and received her 200 Hour Integral Yoga Teacher Certification. Her study of Thai Yoga with Michael Buck inspired her to enter massage therapy school and she will soon be a Licensed Massage Therapist. Being the multi-faceted jewel that she is, Laura is also certified in Reiki and a Pranic Healer. Laura builds her practice on the two yogic principles of Ahimsa (do no harm) and Radical Self Acceptance. Her hope is that the Lotus-Light of Universal Truth- within each person will be welcomed to reveal its love and peace. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, cooking, and playing music. She lives with Skeeter the Wonder Cat in Pensacola Florida.
Lorraine Graves, P.H.D.
lmganchor@aol.com
Dr. Graves is a Certified Pranic Healer and Instructor. She teaches three levels of Pranic Healing classes, including Advanced & Pranic Psychotherapy. Lorraine mentors students in Pranic Healing Certification Programs and coordinates the Free Pranic Healing community clinic on Tuesday evenings at Breathe Yoga. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and maintains a private practice in Pensacola.
Dominique and John Harding
Dominique was born in Berlin, Germany and came to the U.S. in 1989 were she has made Pensacola her home since 1994. She was first certified to teach group fitness classes through AFAA in 1995 and in 2001, obtained her first Yoga certification through IFAA/ISMA. Since then, she has been certified as a Yoga Instructor and Advanced Yoga Instructor through Fitour. She has been teaching Yoga since 2000. "The most rewarding yoga work I do is teach new yoga instructors at the University of West Florida how to be effective instructors. This work ensures that our community will have an ample number of good Yoga Instructors" says Dominique. Dominique also holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and will have a M.S. in Community Wellness/Health Education by the end of the summer. In addition to her yoga teaching, she works full time in contaminated site cleanup for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Besides the desire to protect the environment, the most important principle in her life is that of ahimsa/non-harming and how it relates to human beings and animals. Dominique and John are the proud Mom and Dad to 11 unruly dogs that are considered unacceptable by most people because of behavioral issues. Their free time is spent volunteering for dog transports, dog adoption home visits and anything the Dixie Dachshund Rescue organization needs that they can help provide.
John was born in Groton, Connecticut and came to Pensacola in 1959. He has lived in Eugene, Oregon, Gulfport, Mississippi and Gainesville, Florida, but realized that Pensacola was his true home. After all, this is where I found the love of his life, Dominique! John served in the U.S. Army and the Florida Army National Guard until he became disabled in 1989. He received his B.A. in Philosophy in 1988 and his M.A. in Interdisciplinary Humanities in 1991. It's no surprise that his favorite topics are religious studies and eastern philosophy. John has taught at the Pensacola Junior College, University of West Florida, St. Francis University and Troy University. He was first certified to teach Yoga through IFAA/ISMA in 2001 and has been recertified as a Yoga Instructor and Advanced Yoga Instructor through Fitour. He enjoys teaching beginning Yoga classes at UWF. He and Dominique have developed a system that guides students from the more advanced practices (Yoga II) into becoming yoga instructors (Yoga III). Dom/John are involved with the scientific research of Yoga’s fitness and healing powers and believe that this ancient healing art can make an amazing difference in peoples’ lives. John says their 11 adopted dachshunds rule the house and keep the couple in line.
Ellen Schoor
Ellen enjoys teaching both private and group classes in Pilates. She has a comprehensive certification, mat and equipment, from Body Arts and Science International with over 300 hours of training and practice. She is a member of Pilates Method Alliance. Currently, Ellen is working towards the completion of Certified Personal Trainer.
Ellen has degrees in history and accounting. She is a C.P.A. and is employed full time as an auditor.
