Matthew Alessi

Having been a dancer and actor, Matthew brings an interesting perspective to yoga. He understands that there needs to be a delicate dance between the physical and mental worlds during his yoga classes. Bringing humility, humor, honesty, and a nurturing light-heartedness to class, his students leave with a sense of being empowered, calm, and joyful. Matthew's journey to yoga has been a long one, with many twists and turns - at one point, wanting to become a Doctor, he immersed himself into the world of medicine, anatomy, and physiology. Having completed his 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga H'om in Pittsburgh he has since created a following of students that enjoy the balance that he brings to his classes. This balance is a combination of pushing each student to go a little further than they thought possible mixed with an easy humor that makes every student feel accomplished.

Mary Jo Bolesta-Friedman
Mary Jo walked into her first yoga class 13 years ago and was immediately "hooked". It felt like coming home. She feels immense gratitude and respect for Denise Carrico, the teacher who opened that doorway to self-discovery and freedom. Mary Jo has a strong personal practice that has been inspired and influenced by every yoga instructor she has had the honor of taking a class or workshop with, including Denise Carrico, Kay Hawkins, Swami Divyananda, Swami Karunananda (raja yogi), Christy Brock, Alan Finger, Shiva Rea, Doug Swenson, Tracey White, Beryl Bender Birch, and many of our wonderful local teachers. Mary Jo's classes have a strong emphasis on pranayama (breath). Class starts with gentle openers and moves into a smooth, steady vinyasa that flirts with your edges and opens your heart, building strength, heat, and stamina. Static poses are then introduced, utilizing the breath to more fully open the body. A guided relaxation follows. She views yoga as a tool to bring us more completely into the present moment, sharpening our awareness of the beauty that is everywhere. "With a disciplined practice we can move our yoga 'off of the mat' and take it into our daily lives." Mary Jo is a certified Integral Yoga Teacher, a member of the Integral Yoga Teacher's Association, and is registered with the Yoga Alliance.

Joy Bresette
Joy Anandi Bresette has been teaching yoga since 1998 when she was certified as an Integral Yoga Instructor at the Satchidananda Ashram near Charlottesville, Va. She began taking yoga classes in 1992 on the advice of her physician to strengthen her lower back after a scuba diving injury. Not only does her back no longer "go out", but she also discovered that yoga can be an inward journey to inner peace. Being a "large" middle-aged woman with arthritis, she had some reservations about teaching yoga. But she has discovered that working with her own imperfections and limitations has helped her guide and encourage others on their own individual journeys towards better health and inner contentment. Her classes have a meditative flow that includes asana, pranayama, relaxation, and meditation. The emphasis is on individual inner awareness rather than perfect alignment, and on creating an internal sense of harmony with oneself and the universe. In addition to teaching yoga classes, her backgrounds in psychology and art lend to her expertise and enthusiasm for holding workshops on topics such as meditation, religion, transpersonal psychology, mandala drawing, and art as a tool for self-healing.

Kara Consolvo
It seems that Kara has always been destined to teach.  Her practice as an educator began early as a swim lesson instructor during her high school years in Northern Virginia. After majoring in Education at Virginia Tech, Kara spent several years teaching elementary school in New Mexico, Virginia, and North Carolina.  When Kara discovered yoga during one leisurely summer vacation, she fell deeply in love with this ancient science.  After developing a strong personal practice, she felt an undeniable calling to follow in the footsteps of her inspirational teachers.  She knew the time had come to begin a new chapter in her growth as an educator.  Kara completed the 270-hour Hatha Yoga certification program at the Integral Yoga Institute in the summer of 2004, and she brings an intense passion and devotion for yoga to her teaching.  Kara's classes encourage exploration in the postures through focused attention and awareness of the breath.  Her style balances strength, suppleness, and serenity with an emphasis on finding ease and grace in the practice.  Students are encouraged to discover the natural union that exists between breath and movement and to develop a greater respect for the body.  Kara believes that silences and an awareness of breath are the perfect mind medicine. She hopes that her students will find a peacefulness in class they can bring with them to the outside world.

Julia Daniel
Julia is an eastern North Carolina native with an early background in ballet and martial arts that led her to T'ai Chi. A recent graduate of the Asheville Yoga Center and the Pilates Certification Center, Julia's classes are upbeat and take you through an energetic flow of postures and movements that calm the mind and invigorate the body. These routines are designed to achieve maximum circulation through movement with a serious emphasis on pranayama and special attention to the lower back.  Each of her classes ends with a beautiful meditation which combines inspirational messages through yoga nidra and soothing massage. With an ever-present interest in pain relief and rehabilitation, Julia is currently studying various forms of yoga therapy. You may see her on various Outer Banks bike trails, kayaking in Kitty Hawk Bay or leading T'ai Chi on the green in Duck.

Anne Howard-Follenbach - Studio Manager
Anne has been practicing Yoga for more than 12 years. She began her journey in France when she was traveling often between Europe and Indonesia and felt she needed a nourishing practice that she could bring with her anywhere. Four years ago she moved to the US and has since received her 500-hour yoga teacher certification. She leads classes that are dynamic and challenging, yet balanced with softness and relaxation. She has also studied and instructs pre-natal yoga as well as Pilates.

Ashley Gayle

Ashley, a former dancer, found yoga six years ago during a stressful semester in college. After years as a ballet dancer the fluidity of vinyasa flow just felt natural to her. Inititally yoga was all about the sweaty physical practice but over time has become so much more. She began to notice that through her yoga practice, her awareness within her own body and with the outside became heightened. It wasn't until she attended Yandara Yoga Institute in 2009 for her 200 hour teacher training that she began to fully understand what it meant for yoga to be a lifestyle. Living in a tent on the beaches of Baja, Mexico, eating fresh, locally grown food, and practicing yoga several hours each day with liked minded people, helped Ashley discover the path she wanted her life to take. Although not always perfect, after all yoga is a practice, she hopes that her students discover their own paths through their practice both on the mat and off. Ashley wants all students to feel welcome, comfortably challenged, and open to the positive aspects yoga can bring to their own life.

Roger Jarrell
Roger first became introduced to Yoga in 2002 when a friend suggested it might help a painful hip. Sporadic at first, his practice began to deepen and he quickly became hooked, first on the physical transformation, followed by the mental benefits that came with regular practice. This led to a one-month stay at the Integral Yoga Institute’s Satchidananda Ashram in Yogaville, Virginia, where he studied Yogic Science and earned a 200-hour Yoga teacher certificate in November 2009. The regular practice of yoga has transformed all aspects of his being, both mental and physical and left him with a desire to share these wonderful benefits with others through the teaching of yoga. Registered with Yoga Alliance, his classes contain the teachings and knowledge of all of his previous yoga instructors combined with his own life experiences. He places special emphasis on the Yoga Nidra or Deep Relaxation period to help release stress and calm the mind following a series of asanas designed to increase flexibility, stimulate, heal and strengthen every part of the body.

Jim Layton, Ph.D.
Jim has practiced meditation for over 30 years. He has participated in trainings and retreats under many different teachers: notably Sharon Salzberg, Tara Brach, Christina Feldman and others in the Theraveda tradition as well as Tsoknyi Rinpoche in the Tibetan method. Jim, a Licensed Professional Counselor, has practiced as a therapist for 35 years. He has had extensive training in Gestalt Therapy. For the past 6 years, Jim has utilized meditation and Eastern Psychology in "mindfulness" therapy. Jim and his wife, Margie Dinger, have lived on the Outer Banks for many years. They currently live on The Woods Road with their three dogs (who also have a limited meditation practice utlizing the chew toy method).

Marty Slayton
Bio coming soon!

Michelle Madden Smith - Owner/Director
What began nearly ten years ago as a merely physical yoga practice evolved rather quickly into something much deeper – a soothing of the spirit she hadn't anticipated. Michelle went on to receive her teacher training in Interdisciplinary Yoga from the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica. Her vinyasa style focuses on the breath, specifically, connecting breath and movement while tuning-in to the inherent wisdom of your own body. She is inspired by deeper levels of "opening" that a focus on physical alignment can reveal. Her classes are a mix of ritual and variety encouraging you to come home to the familiar environment of your body, yet expanding your understanding of your own personal edges. The combination leads to a deeper understanding of the subtle layers of self. She maintains an inward-focused meditative quality throughout her classes, and intends that her students find themselves practicing balance and harmony both on and off the mat. She is currently pursuing Anusara-inspired teacher certification and has studied with Sharon Gannon, Seane Corn, and Gurumukh and is always looking forward to her next teacher training! Registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level. Michelle is also a Reiki practitioner, doggie-mama, environmentalist, and freelance writer.