Escape to Yoga

Julie’s primary role is a manager of 6 lovely beings – 3 children, 2 dogs and 1 husband! Julie has always led a very active life, but when a serious knee injury forced her to give up high impact exercise, she turned to yoga to help her heal and build strength. She loved it so much that she decided to teach and received her RYT200 in the power vinyasa style in 2015. Julie quickly realized this style was not accessible for many of her students. In an effort to make her classes more accessible and to understand injury prevention, she embarked on a journey into alignment style yoga. She was so delighted by how much this practice enhanced her vinyasa teaching, that she decided to study more and in 2020 Julie received her RYT500 & ABYS(Alignment Based Yoga Specialist) from the Lundberg School of Yoga. Today she loves to teach an alignment based vinyasa style of yoga that supports each student where they are at and allows for a transformative moving meditation practice.

Hi my name is Emily!  I'm a multi-talented healer who can serve you thorugh massage therapy or yoga instruction.

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 began my yoga journey in 1996 with Yoga Journal's video series featuring Patricia Walden.  What an incredible introduction to Iyengar yoga and alignment!  I still own around 30 Yoga VHS tapes and it was through these tapes that I was introduced to Tracey Rich and Ganga White of the White Lotus Foundation.  I attended the 16 day, 200-hour teacher training at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara in 2000.  In 2002, when I moved to Portland, I was incredibly fortunate to stumble upon Yoga Pada, an Ashtanga Yoga School founded by Timo Jimenez.  His knowledge of Ashtanga Yoga and his commitment to his daily practice and to his students' made a huge impact on my life.  I owe much of what I know and love about yoga to him.  Therefore, my style and classes are heavily influenced by both Ashtanga and Iyengar.  Both contributed greatly to my daily meditation practice and a growing sense of calm and compassion.   Grateful for the opportunity to share this powerfully awakening practice with others.

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.  

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.

Hi! I'm Annette. I founded 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 adopted 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 WITH PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ACHES AND PAINS GROW STRONGER, MORE FLEXIBLE, AND LESS STRESSED SO THEY CAN STAY ACTIVE AND AGE WELL.

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

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

Hello, my name is Krysten. My passion for yoga started here in this studio about two years ago. I started out as a total novice struggling my way through a downward dog, but as I grew I quickly fell in love with the community, instructors, and the shala itself. I am now lucky enough to be apart of the team and to help others find their love for yoga as well.