West End Yoga Lancaster LLC

Hi! My name is Sonia, and I am so excited to practice yoga with you. After a few years of dedicated practice, in 2015 I pursued my love of asana and completed my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training at Bhakti Barn in New Jersey. I am deeply grateful for the wisdom of my beloved teachers, Betsy Davis and Lauren Magarelli. It is with a great sense of joy that I carry the teachings from my mentors in my practice and my life. Born from this lineage, my teaching style is a playful combination of Bhakti- mantra, mythology, and devotion, and flowing vinyasa with an emphasis on sequencing. Yoga history and philosophy inform our practice together, rooting our movement in the wisdom of the parampara.

I am passionate about the intersection of yoga and personal healing, and how ancient practice and modern quantum theory connect. My work as an energetic healer is centered on personal liberation and expansion. In 2018 I created the Yin & Reiki group healing to merge these practices and create an opportunity for communal healing.

My work is truly a blending of the many gifts of wisdom offered to me by generous teachers, which includes:

-International Death Doula Training with Ram Dass and Rev. Bodhi Be

-Yoga Nidra, The Bhagavad Gita, and Supreme Release Yoga with Kaya Mindlin

-Bhakti and Vinyasa studies with Raghunath

-Yoga Philosophy with Edwin Bryant

- Reiki Mastership, Karuna Ki Master Level, and 13th Octave LaHoChi Mastership with my dear friend Shannon O'Neill Loyola

-and many more!

Rachel has been teaching yoga for over 14 years and is a 2019 graduate of Jonina’s 200 HR Alignment Yoga Teacher Training. Loving yoga from the day she met it, Rachel’s practice has been one of rich discovery with the heart of giving back to everyone she meets, what she has learned to bring wholeness and heal shame. Heavily influenced by the teachings of Brene Brown & Richard Rohr as well as many others, Rachel’s teaching style and personal journey incorporates the depth of the spiritual practice along with the strength and comfort of the physical and emotional training. Her teaching style is strong yet soft, creating each class with the prayer and hope that every person who comes leaves with more grounding, life energy and inner strength and grace. Rachel is excited to be joining the West End teaching team and can’t wait to love the yogis of West End! Outside of the yoga room, you’ll find her enjoying all that Lancaster has to offer, finding nourishment in great books and podcasts, loving those she interacts with and enjoying life at home with her new husband and step-son and two kitties.

Stephanie studied yogic philosophy, Pranayama, and Meditation in the Buddhist heartland of Dharamsala, India, where she earned her 200 hr yoga teacher training at Chimney Yoga in 2019. She is trained in Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Yin yoga, and holds a certification in Reiki. She has spent the past 3 years backpacking through Southeast Asia, Europe, and Central and South America. During her travels, she volunteered as an English teacher and Yoga Instructor to underprivileged children in the Himalayas and taught surf yoga in Baleal, Portugal. Stephanie is a Lancaster native who has a deep love for nature and the many colorful cultures of the world around her. She is currently working on her degree in Environmental Science and a second certification in Reiki.

Rachel, E-RYT, began her study of yoga in 2007 and was immediately hooked by the way yoga weaves together practices that deeply benefit body, mind and spirit. Rachel has a deep love of learning, holding both a B.A and M.S. from Michigan State University, and has continued to fuel that passion through her ongoing study of yoga. She earned her first RYT-200 hour certification from Shri Yoga and Wellness Center with Pam Guido in 2010 and completed a second RYT-200 hour certification at Dig Yoga in 2013, studying with Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny. In addition, she continues to deepen her knowledge through ongoing trainings and workshops including anatomy and therapeutics (Naime Jezzeny, Martin Kirk & Noah Maze), philosophy and meditation (Sally Kempton, Douglas Brooks & Paul Muller-Ortega) and restorative yoga and relaxation (Jillian Pransky). In her classes, Rachel uses breath-linked movement to ground the body and center the mind while also bringing specific awareness to the body’s alignment in poses to ensure a safe, effective and empowering practice. Rachel would like to thank her teachers for continually opening her heart and deepening her love of the practice, her family for their ongoing support and her students for their continued inspiration.

Helene Williams is a registered nurse, Reiki Teacher/Practitioner and published author.  She received her BSN from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences and is a graduate teacher of the International House of Reiki.  Her background in nursing includes oncology, hospice and orthopedic nursing. Helene has over ten years of experience providing Reiki sessions in a hospital setting and has a well-established private practice where she provides sessions and teaches classes.  She has presented information on Reiki and holistic health care at national nursing conferences, participated in a hospital-based Reiki research study, implemented and facilitated a hospital Reiki Volunteer Program and in 2013 established the Lancaster Community Reiki Clinic. She has six years of experience providing Reiki for Caring Hospice Services and actively volunteers at the VA Medical Center in Lebanon, PA, where she leads weekly Reiki infused mindful meditations. She is currently enrolled in the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program facilitated by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Mary first discovered yoga in her early 20s. The loving and grounding practice helped her establish a stronger connection to the Divine. After years of intermittent practice, Mary became a certified yoga teacher through West End Yoga’s instructors course. Mary’s yoga classes focus on promoting happy, healthy, and holy experiences. Wishing each of you much peace and love. Namaste

Matt seeks to bring detailed knowledge of alignment & mobility to students in approachable, easy-to-digest ways. Health literacy is the foundation of Matt’s teaching: His classes, from sequencing to cueing, aim to help students understand foundational elements of anatomy and well-being so they can implement them not only in yoga classes, but in their everyday lives.  After three years of dedicated practice, Matt pursued his 200-hour training with Daniela Reis at Gaya Bem-Estar in Curitiba, Brazil. Most Recently, he completed his 300-hour training through Andrew Abaria's Yoga Masterminds program in York, PA. Matt is also a tarot reader and teacher, continually working to weave connections between the tarot and his yoga practice. (RYT500)

Roberta has been a student and a teacher of both yoga and Ayurveda since 1995.  She is interested in yoga/Ayurveda/meditation as a lifestyle so she emphasizes alignment for posture and balance, for example.  Each class cites a theme and some sort of lesson. Poses develop in sequence so there is always something new. Any flow is slow.  Her yoga certifications came from Kripalu, then 13 years studying Anusara, and now Iyengar Yoga.She taught yoga as part of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction team for 6 years. She studied Ayurveda at Himalayan Institute for 20 years and received an Ayurveda Counselor certificate from Kripalu in 2014.

Yoga is a way to realize the divine connection and will truly impact a yogi's physical, mental, and spiritual self in amazing ways.

  My practice began 9 years ago and has transformed my life in all ways.  After 6 years of personal practice I recieved my training from Jonina Turzi in the Yoga Sanctuary School at West End Yoga and hold a 200 hour YA Certification in Alignment Based Yoga.  I am experienced teaching Alignment Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, YoPi, Children's Yoga, Flexibiliy Training, and Chair Yoga.  

  My passion is for motivating others to realize their personal best.  My true calling- to help others to be their best selves for the benefit of others or of a Community is put into action as the Owner of West End Yoga.  I am so lucky and grateful to be serving for the benefit of the Students and Teachers in the West End Yoga Community and I will continue to try my best to ensure that this Community stays apart of Lancaster and continues to touch the growth of others with love, joy, and gratitude.

Jennifer Derkacs CKYT-500 is a Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher and Sound Bath Facilitator specializing in Quartz Crystal Singing Bowl Sound Meditation, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra.

She offers a compassionate yoga practice in the Kripalu Tradition of yoga on and off the mat which encourages students to explore and integrate elements of their yoga practice into daily life. Classes weave mindful motion with conscious breathwork balanced with guided relaxation and singing bowl sound meditation.

Jenny welcomes students of all ages and experience to the mat. She believes yoga to be a “come as you are” practice of being present with compassionate awareness, without expectation, and without judgement.

Drawing inspiration from her background in art, dance, and music, Jenny offers Yoga & The Arts workshops to compliment, enhance, and integrate yoga practices and meditation. Jenny has experience working with adolescents and is certified to teach Kripalu Yoga in the Schools. She is also a Blooma Prenatal Yoga Teacher.

Jenny grew up in the suburbs of NYC where she discovered yoga in 2005, began teaching in 2012, and earned her 500 hour Yoga Teacher Certification in 2015. She is currently working toward her 1000 hour Yoga Teacher Certification at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA.

TreeflowerYoga.com

Jill King has had a dedicated yoga practice for over 15 years. She completed her RYT 200 hr Alignment Yoga Teacher Training from the Yoga Sanctuary School and continues her education with various workshops and courses. Jill’s teaching is not just focused on the physical asana practice of yoga, but how we can integrate the deep wisdom and grace yoga teaches us off the mat as well. Her goal is to make yoga accessible for all and to be of service by promoting mindfulness, healing and connection through fluid movement and meditation.

Amanda, a Chicago native, hesitantly walked into a yoga studio in 2012 seeking an alternative route to balance her anxious mind. From her first class and first pigeon's pose, she realized the impact yoga would make in her life. Fighting anxiety and depression since a young age, the peace of mind and mental clarity she felt throughout class seemed serendipitous and helped harmonize her life on her mat, but more importantly off of her mat. Instantly, she started making friends with instructors and peers, connecting to a like minded community, and realized her whole life was gradually transforming for the better. Quitting the 9-5 world without hesitation, she enrolled in teacher training in hopes to give to others a sense of compassion the community gave to her at a time of transition. Always leading classes from the heart, Amanda's background includes instructing vinyasa, hot, and yin style classes. She has led several training over the years while teaching for seven, and is excited to be welcomed to West End with open arms.