Instructors

   Krista Shirley
Krista spends her days practicing and teaching traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. She travels to Mysore, India each year to spend several months studying at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI).  Krista has made 6 trips to India and spent over 16 months studying under the guidance of her teachers Sharath Rangaswamy, Saraswati Rangaswamy, and the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, in order that her own practice and teachings may continue to grow on the right path under their tutelage.  Krista humbly gives thanks to Sharath for entrusting her to carry on the traditional teachings of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system as he has taught her.

Krista resides in Orlando, Florida. Krista is the founder of The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida where she teaches traditional Ashtanga Yoga classes. Visit www.AshtangaYogini.com for more information about Krista.

Krista’s dedication to her personal yoga practice and the Ashtanga lineage shine through in her teaching. Her energy is contagious and inspiring! Krista specializes in providing all her students with a lot of personal attention. Krista is here to help you begin or advance your Ashtanga Yoga journey.   

Krista will be returning to India and KPJAYI for her seventh trip in January 2012.

   Maureen Hanusek

Maureen began her yoga journey in 1999 and became certified to teach in 2004 in Orlando, FL. Since then she has continued her yoga education by attending workshops and teacher trainings throughout the United States and beyond. While spending a year abroad in Asia, Maureen traveled on to Thailand and Mysore, India, where she decided to dedicate herself to the Ashtanga practice.

Since then she received her 200 hours to become a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance with a concentration in Ashtanga. She continues to attend workshops and teacher trainings, studying with authorized and certified Ashtanga teachers.

Maureen will be making her second trip to study at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in January 2012

  Shanna White

Shanna is a long time swimmer/runner and nutrition junkie.  She stumbled onto yoga while battling a dysfunctional thyroid just weeks before her 21st birthday.  As her personal Ashtanga Yoga practice has developed, she realized she was meant to share these teachings with others, and decided to pursue a teacher training course that would equip her with a strong foundation to pass on Ashtanga Yoga to others.  Shanna has completed a 200 hour Ashtanga Teacher Training with Linda Walker of Urban Ashtanga.  She maintains a daily Ashtanga Yoga Practice under the guidance of Krista Shirley at The Yoga Shala, apprentices weekly with Krista, and attends workshops with influential Ashtangi's.

Shanna will be making her first trip to study at the Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in the Fall of 2011

   Candice Rodriguez

Candice found yoga over six years ago while pregnant with her first child.  She wanted to continue working out throughout the pregnancy and stumbled upon some dvd's.  After falling in love with yoga she studied Bikram and Power Yoga before finding her true practice, Ashtanga Yoga.  Candice has been practicing at The Yoga Shala since February of 2010 and is now in the middle of a ten month apprenticeship with Krista Shirley.  She practices six days a week on the mat and daily through life.  Yoga has changed the way she lives and thinks.  Candice lives everyday full of compassion, humility and gratitude.  Living each and everyday to it's fullest.  Now she wants to help more people find the same connection through the Ashtanga lineage as she has.

Stacey Cohen Soll

Stacey has been a student of yoga since 1999 as a means of complimenting her marathon training. At the time, she was working as a Physical Therapist and was drawn to yoga’s therapeutic power of healing both body and mind. Since finding ashtanga yoga, and specifically the mysore style at The Yoga Shala, Stacey now maintains a devoted daily practice in addition to being a dedicated mother of three. Stacey is currently working on an apprenticeship under Krista Shirley, with the intention of continuing to teach others in the mysore style.  Stacey sees yoga as a blueprint for living; balance, compassion, contentment and flexibility are all qualities she uses both on and off the mat.

  Claire Newlin

Claire discovered yoga after her second son was born and quickly fell in love (with both her son and yoga!)  After 10 years of personal practice she sought out a 200 hour Ashtanga based training program in order to deepen her practice and start sharing her love of yoga with others.  Claire loves the Ashtanga Mysore method because students practice at their own pace and level of ability but in the company of other students and with the guidance, adjustments, encouragement and advice of a teacher; this is the perfect way to practice for both beginners and experienced yogis!  Claire has studied with many wonderful teachers and considers herself a lifelong student.   She is so grateful for the opportunity to help students learn more about themselves through yoga. 

Monica Stone

With a background in gymnastics, it was no surprise that Monica was drawn to dynamic movements and energy that yoga offered. After trying many styles of yoga, Ashtanga found Monica in the midst of her college years and she was not only satisfied by the intensity of the physical practice, but also found that it also afforded a deeper experience that lies within. She knew that she wanted to continue to deepen her practice, and become a teacher so that she could share the gift of this practice with others.

Monica practices six days a week and is currently working with Krista Shirley on an apprenticeship. She enjoys attending workshops with other senior teachers to learn the history of the practice, and is looking forward to many trips to India to connect with the traditional lineage.

Heather Allen

Heather began her journey with yoga when she decided to take “Yoga” as an elective in College for exercise only to then discover the spiritual core of its actual significance.  The seed was planted in 2004 and 6 years later Heather decided she wanted to dedicate her life to the pursuit of God, self-actualization, love and truth.  She didn’t know it then, but Ashtanga Yoga would be her tool.   After much exploration into the different methods of Yoga in the Orlando area, Heather found The Yoga Shala’s Mysore method most engaging; she made her commitment and has never looked back.   “I practice daily and am currently undergoing an apprenticeship with the lovely Krista Shirley, founder of The Yoga Shala in Winter Park.  I look forward to learning what it means to be a teacher, to sharing my journey with Yoga with others and continuing on this path of personal growth  .”