Barefoot Studio - Casas Adobes

I have been fascinated by the human body for as long as I can remember. We are amazingly strong, and intricately created. I strive to bring you to your personal edge in each class I teach. My goal is to have you walk out of this space feeling better than when you walked in, and maybe a little impressed/pleased with your abilities. Come join me at Fresh Start, and lets play!

Melissa strives for students to feel amazed by their yoga practice, meeting them where they are in their journey to improved balance, strength, flexibility, and calm. A former VP, figure skater, and race car driver, Melissa was introduced to yoga in 2012 as a way to manage stress and regain flexibility. Yoga delivered! Along with becoming RYT®200 certified at Barefoot Yoga School, she completed over 30 hours of additional training in restorative yoga, trauma sensitive yoga, and yoga for healthy aging. She also enjoys reading scientific studies about the benefits of yoga and sharing the information with others. She is available for private sessions in the Hatha, Gentle, Yin, and Restorative styles.

Angelina was introduced to self-actualization and healing through yoga. Her adolescence was marked by anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She was 13 when she was introduced to yoga and meditation and 16 when she received her first Reiki healing. All changed her life and helped her realize her purpose: to help others heal and connect with their true nature. In 2015, Angelina received her 200-hour RYT in Ashtanga-Vinyasa and fell in love with teaching. In 2017, she expanded her yoga certification by receiving her 300-hour RYT in Bhakti. From a young age, Angelina was drawn to the energy and beauty of the desert. Following her passions, she moved to Tucson from Long Island, NY, in 2019. 

David’s yoga path is a little different than most. His 32 year career in law enforcement, included assignments in SWAT, Air Rescue Paramedic and Rope Rescue Technician, Police Academy instructor in Defensive Tactics, Motorcycle patrol and Special Investigations Detectective. Participating in a variety of styles of martial arts and competing in open matches left him with numerous injuries. Compounding these injuries came from competing in triathlons, eco challenges and anything else where potential for injury was high. Realizing this was not a path he could continue on, he began to take yoga classes. The calm and quiet of yoga helped him change the way he treated his body and his mind. In 2017, he went through the Barefoot 200 hour yoga teacher training and began leading classes. He expanded his training by taking classes in Trauma Informed Yoga, Chair yoga  and Yoga Nidra.  You can find him subbing classes at Barefoot Yoga.

Yoga is a breath of fresh air, like a butterfly fluttering in a happy summer day. It is strength and delicateness, wisdom and tranquility, love and compassion. I have been teaching ballet and fitness classes since my early twenties and yoga has become my daily companion since 2010. My style is flowy and poetic, with a spirit of playfulness.  I enjoy the challenge of teaching different styles of yoga, from restorative to power, meeting each student where they are in their practice. 

Kim began practicing yoga seriously in 2013. At that time, she was diagnosed with depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. Yoga has been the only therapy that helped manage her chronic diseases.

Yoga and nursing are Kim’s passion. She is a master’s prepared RN since 1992. She now teaches a course named Healing Environments. This course teaches nursing students self-care, that you can imagine is a forgotten practice these days. The course also teaches them integrative nursing which believes that every person is mind-body-spirit, a whole person, and should be cared for by nurses who understand the importance of healing practices for their patients. Kim is also a certified nurse coach.

Kim knows that yoga is a gateway to healing, no matter your age or diagnosis. She received her RYT 200 at Barefoot Studio in 2022 and leads a restorative yoga class; nurses are not the only people out of balance and stressed. She hopes to create a space to rest and reboot in her classes.

Mel started practicing yoga in 2001 and was awarded the opportunity to travel the country practicing various types yoga while earning her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Special Education. Mel spent some years working with foster children and at risk families guiding them in their healing process often using yoga and breath to help people cope, when stress and illness led Mel to leave her profession and follow a nearly twenty year dream of becoming a yoga instructor. Mel received her 200 hour yoga certification in early 2019 and has been guiding others with passion and heart ever since.  Mel is passionate about music and yoga and uses her travels and training to bring compassion and empathy to her students on and off the mat.

RYT-200

Michelle’s yoga journey started in early 2019 on a road trip through the Southwest.  While exploring Sedona, she tried a hot yoga class for the first time and was blown away by the challenge of combining heat/humidity and the physical postures.  She was hooked from then on and tried out every type of class that was available after returning home to Tucson, AZ. She loves the way that yoga can bring her into the present moment and out of her head. Michelle completed her 200 hour certification with Lakshmi Rising in Costa Rica, and the experience was life changing. She studied mantras, pranayama, asana, and meditation as well as yogic philosophy. Her time in the jungle was magical, and she strives to bring that magic to the mat and share it with others.

Hello, hello, my beautiful beings! I’m Nicole Mendoza. I have always been interested in the fields of beauty and wellness.

I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist for over 10 years. It has been my passion to help others see the beauty they possess, inside and out. I have been blessed to witness the big impact little things can have.

When I was introduced to the life changing experience of yoga, I truly understood the depth of inner beauty, gentle strength, and the importance of balance. I fell in love. The fact that simple poses and breathwork can transform physical, emotional, and mental states is awe inspiring.

Yoga provides amazing benefits for everyone, body and soul. I love to see clients’ transformations, and my journey to assist that transformation continues to expand. I provide Reiki at the end of my classes to assist the healing of all four levels, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

I utilize my intuition to tailor the emphasis to the unique needs of each class. I hope to impart every participant with a sense of their own amazing energy.

As a Speech-Language Pathologist for over 20 years, Perri has always enjoyed helping and teaching others. When she first began practicing yoga in 2010, she knew she eventually wanted to complete a yoga teacher training program and was able to complete her 200 hour at Barefoot in 2019. She has been teaching at Barefoot ever since and currently teaches Mellow Flow and Booty Yoga. Perri loves the balance of the physical practice with the spiritual and mental aspects that yoga offers. She appreciates the “work-in” during the “workout” that yoga provides and the energy and strength that are created during each practice.

I started my yoga journey around 18 years ago as an awkward, self-conscious middle school student in Minnesota. My aunt and uncle started taking me to an Iyengar studio in St Paul and little did I know how much that studio and those experiences would shape the path of my life later on. As I grew older, my practice ebbed and flowed, at times a dedicated daily ritual and at others only flavoring the edges of my life with little asana or meditation practice. In 2013 I was registered and committed to starting a yoga teacher training in Bend, Oregon when I became pregnant and put my training on hold. Moving back to Tucson, I discovered Barefoot Studio and happily completed my 200-hr YTT in June 2017. My personal practice and teaching style range anywhere from gentle meditation to funky flow. In my classes, I love incorporating music and creating a fun, friendly atmosphere. I am dedicated to growing as a yogi and grateful to be able to share the life-altering practice of yoga with others.

Susan began a regular yoga practice in 2006, as a vehicle for physical strength, flexibility, and good health. Over time, the enriching benefits of yoga multiplied and grew to encompass all aspects of her life, and inspired her to pursue teacher training. She is a 2011 graduate of The Arizona School of Yoga in the vinyasa flow style, and a E-RYT® 200 with the Yoga Alliance. She teaches challenging, nurturing and light-hearted classes locally and out-of-state. Her belief is that in order to grow and change, we must first understand and accept where we are. In addition to practicing yoga, Susan enjoys spending time with family, friends and pets, hiking, gardening, kite boarding, stand up paddling, cooking, reading and traveling.

I began my yoga journey sporadically at a gym it challenged my body but hadn’t connected the way it does today. An invitation to join in on a meditation workshop at Barefoot came in, and the space and vibe intrigued me. After a few classes, I was hooked. It felt like home; a space where I was accepted, supported, embraced.

Learning to connect my breath to my body truly began to improve my practice and overall quality of life. Suffering from a number of issues that at times can leave me stuck in bed, the difference I felt from yoga was incredible. I wanted to know WHY yoga worked for me.

As I took the 200-hour teacher training at Barefoot in 2015, I had no intention of teaching. As we completed our training I knew I wanted to share the bliss that you can attain from your practice. I have now been teaching for nearly 4 years and am grateful for every minute.

In any class that I teach, you can be sure that you will get a fully rounded practice that any level can enjoy. Modifications are always offered, as well as more challenging versions of asanas. I’m very informal and like to laugh. I aim to make all my students feel safe, comfortable, and welcome.

E-RYT 200, CAP, CAHC, CPKT, BFA

Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Tanja is a certified Ayurvedic Practitioner (CAP); Ayurvedic educator, Bliss Treatment technician; certified registered yoga teacher; member of the faculty for Ayurveda studies, Yoga Teacher Training, at Heaven Meets Earth in Evanston, Illinois; member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, and artist. Tanja has been an avid student of yoga and Ayurveda since 2005 with a keen interest in exploring this ancient and holistic system of harmonizing body, mind and spirit. Tanja teaches yoga, not just poses with humor, compassion and love. Influenced by her Iyengar Training she focuses on alignment and the therapeutic power of yoga and the influence of Ashtanga and Vinyasa links her poses together. Tanja’s knowledge and understanding of Ayurveda provides a tremendous support to her yoga teachings. She understands the unique needs of each student. She trained and was certified at Moksha (Chicago, IL) under Daren Friesen where she learned Hatha Yoga. She has assisted in 2 yoga teacher trainings under Daren Friesen. Tanja apprenticed under Gabriel Halpern, owner of Yoga Circle and student of BKS Iyengar where she learned Therapeutic Yoga in the Iyengar tradition and traveled to Mysore, India where she studied with Saraswathi, Pattabhi Jois daughter, to study Asthanga.

Pam Wilson (formerly Ronstadt) began studying yoga at the suggestion of her doctor and began to immediately see the benefits of a regular yoga practice to her overall health and well-being. The desire to share the benefits of yoga and meditation with others led Pam into taking the 200 hour Yoga teacher training and growth intensive at the Yoga Connection in Tucson. She began to share her practice with others in May of 2010. Pam embraces yoga in its many forms, teaching traditional Hatha in its many forms, Power Flow, Yin and Bikram Inspired. She regularly offers workshops and is constantly seeking to grow as both a student and teacher. Pam brings a compassionate approach and often regales her students with stories about the myths and legends of yoga. A bookworm at heart, she also tends to offer insights from her constant studies.