Escape to Yoga

Hi! I'm Annette. I opened Escape to Yoga back in 2012 when a surprise career change and a crazy dream led me to start up the first yoga studio in my home town.

Back then, I had no idea about business and had yet to personally experience the healing power of yoga. I just liked doing yoga and I thought the yoga studio business looked easy!

It wasn't an easy awakening to what would become my life's passion. The first years were really tough and my marriage failed. That's when I felt true deep pain for the first time in my life; and it was my practice at Escape to Yoga that saved me.

Yoga forced me to treat my body kindly, kept me connected to humanity, and helped me heal my broken heart. It was then that I finally understood the healing power of yoga.

Almost a decade later, after a grueling business education in the School of Trial and Error and witnessing hundreds of healing journeys, Escape's mission is clear;

WE HELP PEOPLE WHO FEEL BROKEN IN BODY OR HEART GROW STRONGER, MORE FLEXIBLE, AND LESS STRESSED SO THAT THEY CAN LIVE WITH LESS PAIN AND STAY ACTIVE AS THEY AGE.

My personal mission has also become clear; My gifts to our community are the skills and aptitude to provide the vessel for healers to do their good work. My mission is to make that vessel nurturing and supportive for the healers so that they can joyfully share their healing gifts with our community.

As I get older, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to stay strong and keep my joints moving by taking classes at Escape from a team of gifted and dedicated yoga instructors.

I hope you will love their classes as much as I do!

Heidi has always had a passion for fitness and recently discovered her deep interest for Yoga after becoming a mom to her two young kids. As she worked deeper into her practice she developed a strong belief that yoga could provide her with a more fulfilling, healthier and happier life.

It was that belief that led her to her 200 hour teacher training in 2018. The training opened her heart and mind to the many possibilities yoga offers, helping her to see not only the importance of the physical movement of Yoga but also the importance of quieting the mind and the many positive ways in which to live her life off the mat. 

Her classes are designed to strengthen the body with an emphasis on breath work, mobility and alignment. Her intent is for students to work hard and purposeful, deepening their practice, at their own level. 

Heidi has a deep love for Yoga and continues to fulfill her dream understanding the importance of being a student and knowing that it is a continued practice that will never be fully mastered. It’s a beautiful art that she is forever grateful for becoming a part of. 

As years have passed and my yoga practice continues to grow, looking back always brings me right here, the calling to be fully present where I am at my best. It’s hard to imagine where I would be today without Yoga! I could go on and on about the “Y’s”, instead, I know deep in my heart, that Yoga will stay with me for as long as I am breathing.  

It is very important for me to share and hold space where everyone can experience the benefits of Yoga like I have. It’s when the body and mind are in sync; there is an essence of peace where the spirit feels lifted and free. My teaching is a direct example of this experience and through conscious breath, fluidity; pause and relaxation are all gifts we can give to ourselves. 

Over time, I have developed a smorgasbord of different styles of Yoga. My background per se is in Ashtanga (a vigorous practice), where the likes of flow and vinyasa got their name. I studied under the late Larry Swartz in San Francisco at It’s Yoga. I am currently mentoring with Britt B Steele and Kristine Kaoverii Weber at Subtle Yoga, and also relying on my own personal daily practice. 

For my love of all wild things and nature run deep. If you see me walking in nature adoring the trees and birds with my camera or running on the trails zooming by, wave or stop and say hi! Namaste.

Megan has a playful and inquisitive teaching style, encouraging students to better understand themselves and gain awareness. She loves to remain a student, always weaving the tools and gifts she gains into her yoga classes and life coaching sessions.

She first received her 200, followed shortly after with 500 hour Yoga Teach Training at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona. From there, learning was her passion. She continued to study various forms of yoga (Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Body and Brain, Nidra, Prenatal, Yin) in Bali, Oregon, and Utah.

Now, seven years later, the passion for yoga is still very much alive in her life.
Students leave Megan’s classes feeing peaceful and connected to their joy and love within.

Hi my name is Emily! In my 15 years of massage therapy practice, I have learned that we each have a beautiful ability to bring restoration and healing to ourselves. During my sessions, I direct my clients inward and encourage everyone to reconnect with their inner wisdom and intelligence, body, spirit and breath. My purpose is to facilitate this healing utilizing various modalities including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, Stretching, Compression, Energy Work and Meditation/Breath Work. Each session is tailored to honor you and your own sacred journey.

I am honored to be a part of the beautiful and loving space created at Escape to Yoga.  It is my heart to encourage people to live out their yoga practices day to day with incredible self-care, powerful compassion and unconditional love.  

Missy just recently fell in love with yoga in November 2017.  When she first walked in the door at Escape to Yoga as a new yogi, she instantly felt welcomed and at peace.  She likes reading, swimming, and drinking tea with friends.  She lives in Sherwood with her husband, 2 kids, 2 cats, and dog and loves working the front desk at Escape to Yoga where she gets to interact and learn from all the amazing clients and teachers in beautiful, historic Old Town Sherwood.

Jesse first stepped onto a yoga mat in 2003. After dabbling for a few years, she began a regular practice in 2008 when long hours in front of a computer in graduate school left her body stiff and her brain overloaded. She discovered the complete body and mind transformation that develops from a regular yoga practice, and was hooked! She completed her 200-hour Teacher Training in Charleston, SC in April 2013, then life took her to the other side of the world, where she lived and taught yoga in Christchurch, New Zealand for 4 years. Now she is glad to be back in the US and a part of the Escape team. She actively continues to advance her practice and teaching abilities through trainings, workshops, self-study, and conversations with her students, and is working toward her 500-hour certification with Tiffany Cruikshank.

As an avid lover of the outdoors, Jesse is inspired by the ever-present balances in nature and seeks to create a balance of action and surrender in her classes that can be applied on and off the mat. Her teaching style is rooted in Hatha Yoga, and she blends static asana holds to fine-tune alignment with flowing sequences that connect movement with breath. She loves putting together fun and accessible classes that build up to a bit of a challenge, and leave her students feeling light and content.

When not on the mat, Jesse loves to spend her time hiking, reading, roaming the world, or hanging out at home with her husband and cat.

Alanna is a born and raised New-Englander whom has always had an affinity for the West Coast, and it culture and vibes! She moved to Portland on Valentine's day of 2018 by herself with her two dogs, Cooper and Ava, after losing her mother and her partner within a month of eachother and needing a fresh start on life. She later found herself in Sherwood and absolutely loves it here! She's been practicing yoga since high school (over 10 years), and plans to one day get certified as a yoga teacher. But for right now, she has her hands full taking care of her new baby girl, Aria Jade!  Alanna also has a crystal jewlery business and a blog on instagram called Peace Love Vibes that takes up her time when not at the studio. Escape is the first job Alanna has found herself truly passionate in and thriving. She enjoys connecting with everyone who comes through the door, and helping them get started in, or continue their journey in yoga!