Class Descriptions
Jonathan Troen
Jonathan is co-founder of Austin Yoga Tree. He is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Certified Yoga Therapist, and Certified Provider of Safe and Sound Protocal (SSP). His belief is that yoga can be made accessible to every human being on the planet. He brings a light-hearted nature to his classes, along with a dedication to drive you deeper to the center of your core, where your true self resides.
Jonathan is also a Life Mastery Coach, and creator of The Self Love Revolution. His mission is to teach people how to practice kindness with themselves, with the understanding that when you are kind to yourself, everything you want and the miracles of life all appear at your doorstep. He will remind you that you still need to open the door.
About the Safe and Sound Protocol: developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, creator and author of the Polyvagal Theory, the SPP is a revolutionary therapy that utilizes specially designed music to help regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and promote overall well-being. For questions about SSP or Life Mastery Coaching, please set up a complimentary appointment.
Aida Sultankulova
Aida is a passionate yoga teacher, mom and forever student. She discovered yoga years ago in her native country of Kazakhstan. Starting with hatha yoga, she then deepened her practice into ashtanga yoga, chanting and philosophy. Being on this transformative and healing journey of yoga, she found herself desperately wanting to share it with people. Aida believes yoga practice is for everyone, and the only thing you need for it is your own body and breath.
Expect flow-based, challenging classes with some strengthening and goal-oriented drills that will help you build the foundation for deeper asana practice.
Amelia Vick
For Amelia, yoga has been the sole constant in her life. Her journey began at the age of 12, when she tuned into the FitTV cable channel and practiced with her sister. While she didn’t know exactly why, she noticed she felt so much better afterwards. Since then, her practice has evolved and she has recognized yoga is never just about the physical practice. Amelia believes the mat is a mirror of life, where lessons are learned through asana. Yoga offers her a medium to strengthen her body and mind, enhance coping skills and provides moments of silence to feed her soul. She remains grounded in her life-long practice and enjoys sharing the gift of yoga with her students.
Connie Hausman
Connie Hausman, director and founder of CAN DO YOGA™ in Austin, Texas, is a Yoga teacher with over 30 years teaching experience. She is also a certified massage and Reiki therapist and life coach and holds a BA in Psychology and English from the University of Texas.
Connie began her yoga journey in San Francisco and studied with the Iyengar family in India. These experiences influenced Connie’s desire to create a safe, structured environment that encourages students to break through preconceived limitations. Her ultimate objective is to impart how Yoga creates choice--a choice for greater physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being. Connie lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, Satoshi, and is the mother of three children, Gabe, Akira and Saffron.
Devon Dederich
Devon holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in geography from the University of New Mexico, and is nationally certified to teach in the Iyengar tradition. Devon began formal practice of Iyengar Yoga in 1978, and since then has studied with senior-level Iyengar teachers both here and abroad, as well as with Mr.Iyengar, his son Prashant and his daughter Geeta in Pune. She has taught since 1980 in New Mexico, Africa, and Texas.
Devon has also worked with Peggy Kelley and other teachers on Iyengar teacher training projects for over twenty years. She also enjoys art and craftwork.
Dustin Turner
Dustin is a gifted Yoga Therapist that has been teaching and working with groups and individuals for well over a decade. His focus is to integrate the wisdom, philosophy, science and art of yoga into action and guidance for our modern lives.
Dustin brings yogic precision and a loving heart to all his classes. You are sure to discover parts of your body you never knew existed. He is deeply rooted in the Yoga tradition of BKS Iyengar having studied in depth with Judith Hansen Lasiter and for many years with his primary teacher Gabriel Hepburn.
If you are looking for deeper insight into your own personal healing, consider scheduling a private Yoga Therapy session with Dustin.
Jen Kentrup
Jen is a student and teacher of alignment based Yoga asana, rooted within the traditions of the Iyengar practice. As a teacher, she wants her students to feel enriched and empowered; supported and cared for; with the aim for them to experience and explore the balance between the rigorous strength and precision of the alignment-based practice and the expansive freedom found within it.
Jen believes wholeheartedly that yoga is a transformational healing modality with enormous potential for everyone, and it is her goal to share this love, passion and understanding with all her students.
Kimberly Wharton
Kimberly is an E-RYT 500-certified yoga instructor with over 20 years of experience teaching in New York City, Los Angeles, and now Austin. Specializing in trauma-informed yoga, she has led more than 5,000 classes locally, as well as teacher trainings and both local and international retreats.In addition to her regular classes, Kimberly teaches at Cancer Rehab & Integrative Medicine, bringing her expertise to those in healing and recovery.
Kimberly's classes offer a lighthearted and welcoming space, emphasizing breath, alignment, and self-inquiry to support students on their personal journey.
Laura McClellan
Laura found yoga nearly 15 years ago–and, in finding yoga, found herself. Not only did yoga help her physical body, it also relieved her feelings of anxiety and depression. She quickly realized that yoga is more than asanas. It’s a way of living and connecting with your true Self. And she brings these many aspects of yoga to her teaching.
She designs her classes for her students, with the flexibility to adapt and provide the perfect class no matter how flexible you are. Expect lots of props to provide support, and a focus on anatomy cues and proper alignment.
Laura lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, toddler, and two blue heelers. Off the mat, she likes to garden, cook, and hike around the Hill Country.
Melissa Hagen
Melissa is currently a certified Level 2 Iyengar Yoga Teacher. She loves the precision and philosophy of Iyengar Yoga. Her classes thoughtfully explore a variety of ways to safely approach challenging poses with the support and feedback of props. She recognizes that the individual needs of each student vary and offers options along the way to accommodate those working with injuries.
Outside of yoga she is passionate about gardening and propagating tropical and heirloom vegetables at the plant nursery where she works. She also enjoys leading Social Cycling Austin’s Yoga Bike Ride and has hosted this free event for 10 years now.
Swapna Ganta
Years ago, Swapna's journey to yoga grew from curiosity and led to a life transformation through daily yoga and meditation. She went on to complete yoga training and learned that yoga goes beyond the physical and encapsulates the mental, emotional and spiritual connection too.
Since then, Swapna has used her knowledge in yoga, crystal bowl meditation and pranayama to teach and transform the lives of others. She has experience leading classes at world renowned spas as well as private sessions with kids and adults.
Swapna finds the most joy in providing a soothing and therapeutic offering to her students using her voice and sound tools. When not doing yoga, she can be found playing piano, spending time with family & friends, reading novels and gardening.
Taylor Charbonneau
Taylor has been practicing yoga for 12 years, and holds her RYT-200 from Practice Yoga Austin. A lifelong lover of movement, Taylor was initially drawn to asana for its physical benefits but quickly became enthralled in the mental and spiritual aspects of practicing yoga. This is echoed in Taylor's goals as a teacher, as she particularly enjoys teaching athletes and individuals new to yoga - and introducing them to the holistic benefits that a practice offers.
Originally from New England, Taylor moved to Austin in 2021, drawn by its sunshine and strong sense of community. She now lives in Northwest Hills with her pup, Brady. Outside of yoga, she works in mental healthcare, runs, lifts, skis, volunteers as a CASA Guardian Ad Litem, rides dressage, and attempts to keep her plants alive. Expect a vinyasa-style flow with creative sequences and a focus on building strength. Taylor’s goal is for her students to feel welcome and have fun, no matter where they are on their yoga journey.
Vicky Hill
Vicky is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher who has been studying Iyengar yoga since 2000. Her practice and teaching draw on Mr. Iyengar’s insight that the physical practice—the asana—is much more than physical. He wrote, “Even in simple asanas, one is experiencing the three levels of the quest: the external quest, which brings firmness of the body; the internal quest, which brings steadiness of intelligence; and the innermost quest, which brings benevolence of spirit."
Vicky also offers tips and thoughts on asana and the yogic path via the Instagram account austin_iyengar_yoga, which she launched in 2018. In her off-the-mat life, she has a Ph.D. in American Studies, taught at the university level for two decades, and has two delightful adult children.
Winnie Alexander
Meet Winnie, a life-long Austinite and passionate yogini! Winnie is trained and well-versed in many styles of yoga including Vinyasa, ViniYoga, Kundalini, Yin, and Restorative. Her knowledge extends to meditation, breathwork and sound healing as well, and she often incorporates these modalities into her classes to enhance each student's yoga journey. Her passion is to lead students to a sense of calm, accomplishment and self-love through yoga.
According to Winnie. Everything can be processed and solved with a little lying on the floor, deep breathing, and vibrational tones.
When not teaching yoga, Winnie leads workshops in Alignment, Chakra Clearing, Chakra Balancing, Sound for Relaxation, and Meditation. She's also a Taekwondo Black Belt!