Maria has been passionate about yoga since her early 20’s and has been teaching now for 18 years (what!?!?). At this point, Maria is a self described “lover of humans” who is committed to supporting people in their journey of self acceptance. Maria works with body, mind, and breath in her classes to aid students in building a solid and steady inner world and a warm relationship with their bodies.  All of Maria’s classes weave together yoga philosophy and practices as well as psychotherapy tools and wisdom from her work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Maria teaches all-levels Hatha Yoga Mon.-Fri., both in studio and livestream with recording. 

Baby is a barefoot yogini whose teaching blends mindfulness, movement, and a deep connection to nature and Indigenous wisdom. A certified mindful meditation teacher and Hatha yoga instructor, her classes integrate slow-flow, restorative practices, mantra, and pranayama. Expect a deep, creative, and thoughtful experience in Baby’s classes and Baby has the super power of being able to modify anything to make truly everyone comfortable in class. Baby teaches Gentle Flow & Restorative yoga Wednesdays and select weekends. 

Renée, a Clinical Social Worker and 200-hour certified yoga instructor, discovered yoga in 2007 while training for the Philadelphia Marathon.  Renée combines her clinical background with yoga teachings to help others cultivate mindfulness through body, mind, and community connection. Renèe is one of the kindest and most compassionate humans you will meet. She makes everyone feel comfortable and cared for and her classes are so very special! Renée teaches slow flow on Wednesdays and Family Yoga on select weekends.

Mindy credits her 27-year yoga practice, including 300, 200, and 50 hour certifications, for sustaining a dual career as a professional dancer/LMT.  Along with her massage practice, she is honored to be sharing the healing art of yoga within this beautiful Sangha at Moving Forward Staying Present! Mindy is such a unique teacher and has a wonderful presence and we really do hope you'll take the time to meet her and explore her classes. The depth of her knowledge combined with her playful and creative spirit makes her classes a wonderful experience for all! Mindy teaches all-levels Hatha on Mondays and some Sunday evening classes.

Ida Cavewoman is an American born Trollkvinna who practices the Scandinavian system of folk magic & medicine known as Trolldom. She’s a massage therapist of 20+ years, breathwork facilitator, and shamanic practitioner. Ida offers somatic movement and self-care classes, guided journeys, sound healing, breathwork, custom rituals, Scandinavian-style sauna sessions, and magickal mentoring to groups as well as individuals. She holds sessions out of her home studio in Gladstone and is a co-owner of The Way Home Studio in Southeast Portland, where you can find many of her community classes. Her ongoing offerings include Shamanic Stretch, Sacred Rage, Shamanic Sound Journey, and Wyrd Witch 101. Ida’s calling is to help modern homo sapiens remember their roots as they find their way back home. If you’d like to learn more about Ida’s work, you can visit her website. Ida teaches Soma Stretch on Fridays. 

Amanda Gilchrist is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor with a certification in Usui Reiki levels I and II. Her teaching style infuses grounding, strength, fluidity, and alignment, weaving together classical elements with a modern twist. Her classes move through an arc of breathwork, settling, grounding, connection, flow, lengthening, release, and integration. Amanda began her yoga journey in the early 2000’s, taking community classes at a studio in Venice Beach, CA. She quickly fell in love with the physical challenge, coupled with the attention to breath. Over time, and a move to Oregon, she continued her love of yoga, deepening her meditation practice and eventually completing an MBSR certification during her yoga teacher training. Her Reiki studies provide a useful tool for energy healing and deep nervous system resetting. She is deeply honored to share these tools with the Portland community, and hold space for all.

Laura is an Alignment Based Hatha Yoga and Qi Gong teacher with the heart of an Acupuncturist (she practices acupuncture by day at Pinnacle Wellness Center in Tigard).  Between Laura’s expertise in sports medicine and her additional studies with yoga anatomy expert Julie Gudmestad, Laura takes extra care to make sure that yoga is safe and accessible for all students. Laura also tends to the emotional and spiritual body in her teaching where she incorporates lessons learned and tools from studying yoga, Traditional East Asian Medicine philosophies and qi gong to support students in attaining balance and connection to their whole being. This multi-disciplined approach sparks curiosity and creates many “aha” moments within her classes.