Teachers

Alison was 18 years old when she took her first Hot Hatha yoga class in 2004. The traditional 26 & 2 sequence has been central to her well-being ever since.

Alyssa completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at True Self Yoga in 2022. Having been drawn to the physical aspects of asana practice intermittently throughout her life, she discovered a deep sense of comfort and healing through a gentle, introspective yoga practice following significant health challenges in 2016.

Aly Long loves yoga! She discovered yoga in college and her practice grew over the years studying both Hatha and Anusara yoga. Aly was called to teach after spending several months in India and Southeast Asia. This clarity came after meeting her Guru Amma(Amritanadamayi). Amma continues to be a strong presence in her life, practice and her teaching! 

Anne is a teacher committed to yoga as a way of life. She is a certified yoga instructor (E-RYT 500HR) and Thai Yoga Therapist.  Anne has taught in California, Arizona, New Zealand and her current home of Olympia, WA. She deeply enjoys living in her beautiful co-housing community and spending time with her children and loved ones. 

Annette’s formal yoga training began at the White Lotus Foundation, in Santa Barbara, California, with Ganga White. Inspiration and passion fuel this instructor as she authentically shares her 25+ years of knowledge with yoga students as she guides them through pranayama, meditation, movement and sound. 

Brit is a Californian grown, sunshine fed yogi. She completed her first 200 hour training in 2012 and hasn’t stopped teaching since.

Chelsea is a registered yoga teacher (RYT), a biochemist and enthusiastic student of life. She believes that yoga can be used as an integrative practice to explore one’s own body, mind and their responses to life experiences. 

Various losses in Christina’s life brought her back over and over again to the practices and teachings in meditation and yoga.  The words of the young Buddha in Hermann Hesses’s Siddharta resonated deeply with her, “[God] has robbed me, yet he has given me something of greater value . . . he has given to me myself.” 

Connie has been a Massage Therapist since 1993 and found Yoga around the same time, like many massage therapists-who-turn-yogi in Olympia.  Connie has a holistic approach to health and well being. “What I have found from my own experience is that by connecting with one’s body and breath you can heal the mind and rehabilitate the body. The body is our journal of experiences.”  

Daniel began his Hot Yoga practice in 2014 at Hot Yoga Olympia and knew almost immediately he wanted to guide others in this life-changing practice. 

Elizabeth began practicing yoga when she moved to Olympia in 2001. She became a dedicated practitioner in 2009 when her (now) husband introduced her to Hot Yoga.

Ellie graduated from True Self’s 200 hr teacher training. She began practicing yoga 3 years ago when she moved to Washington for its physical benefits (and an alternative to the gym). She had taken a class a few years prior from a friend in New York and since then kept the intention in the back of her mind to one day try it out on a regular basis.  

Fred has been practicing yoga for over 6 years and discovered True Self shortly after it opened – it was immediately clear that True Self was a very special studio.  After a busy career as an entrepreneur and business leader, yoga was the perfect transition to a more relaxed lifestyle and he took the opportunity to learn many forms and styles of yoga.

Jade was born and raised in Olympia, WA and enjoys all things PNW. She found yoga when she joined the Quest for Truth scholarship program at True Self Yoga as they opened doors in 2016. She hasn’t left the studio since.

Jean has been teaching Bikram and Hot Yoga for over 15 years.  Before that, for many years she taught aerobic classes at various YMCAs throughout New York.  As a lifelong athlete, Jean started to experience the effects of years of high impact stress on her body.  

Jenni was introduced to Hatha yoga in 2013, and since then her practice has blessed her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Julia is a trauma-informed yoga therapist and home care aide, with over 1,000 hours of training in Yoga, Tantra, and Ayurveda.

Her experience of immigrating as a young child has fueled a lifelong search for spiritual meaning and wholeness. She discovered yoga in her early twenties, and it has helped her find spiritual connection, resilience, and steadiness through many big and small life challenges.

Kelli Mae is a certified teacher of yoga, AcroYoga, CircusYoga, Children’s Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness, and Waldorf education. She coordinates our Kids and Family Yoga program and leads Children’s Yoga Teacher Training weekends at True Self.  Kelli Mae brings her dynamic, playful teaching style to all of her classes, for children and adults alike!

Kehle brings a vibrant and uplifting energy to every class. Having embarked on her yoga journey with a passion for both physical wellness and mental clarity in 2009, she completed her 200-hour RYT certification at True Self Yoga in 2018, where she embraces the practice’s transformative power. Her teaching style is a harmonious blend of fun and challenge, designed to make every student feel supported and inspired.

Laura first came to the mat for a good workout, what happened was far more beautiful then she could ever have imagined. Linking breath with movement became a peaceful dance for her, a journey with herself, a wonderful way to discover to her truth. This has proven to be hugely healing, and a wonderful way to navigate through life’s ups and downs.

Leah Harvey is a 200 HR RYT, and Certified Holistic Nutritionist. After years of being a dedicated yoga student, she began teaching in 2017. Like so many yogis, Leah showed up for the physical benefits of yoga and found a path that offered so much more, and truly feels honored to share this practice.

In 2008, I discovered hot yoga while recovering from addiction and numerous physical injuries. The intensity and rigor of the practice provided a sanctuary for my return to health.

Rebecca is originally from New Jersey and has been on the West Coast for over ten years. She has a background in Education, Science and Art.  After many years of dental assisting, she found particular appeal in the rejuvenating and healing qualities of heated yoga, for both body and mind.

PJ began his yoga journey around the year 2000 while camping on an island in upstate New York. There’s even a photo capturing his first, and perhaps most uncomfortable, attempt at tree pose.

“No one is pain free…” Wendy has been practicing yoga for two thirds of her life. Scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, and an undiagnosed crack in a vertebra caused her years of great pain while practicing yoga, walking and even standing. She ultimately braved a lumbar fusion and after two years of physical therapy, discipline and gentle back-care yoga classes she can now truly enjoy all that yoga has to offer.