Ashtanga Yoga Richmond

Alicia is a dedicated student and teacher of ashtanga yoga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Alicia is drawn to the traditional and systematic approach of the ashtanga system and feels that through consistent practice, subtle transformation begins on all levels.

Alicia has had the opportunity to study with many respected teachers in the ashtanga tradition; studying extensively with authorized teacher, Michael Hamilton, and in India, with certified teacher, Lino Miele. She is grateful for these experiences and continues to learn by coming to her mat each day. Through trust and patience, self discovery occurs.

Alicia's devotion to ashtanga inspired the development of Ashtanga Yoga Richmond in 2006. With that, she hopes to provide an environment where others can embrace this dynamic practice and enrich their lives. Alicia shares her love for yoga with husband, Jared and two daughters, Haley and Isabella

Heidi Gould, RYT
Heidi started practicing yoga in college to find a way to relax and has since found it an inspiration in her everyday life.A graduate of the Yoga Alliance 200-hour teacher training program at Yoga Source, Heidi continues to explore the wisdom of Ashtanga through her teaching and personal practice.

She has been fortunate to have practiced at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in India, and also with Tim Miller, Jennifer Elliott and Rob Miller in the past years.

Living in and traveling through Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, Heidi has cultivated a deep awareness of different cultures, religions, and people. She brings a fresh outlook to the Ashtanga classes she teaches and hopes to motivate others to realize the accessibility and elegance of the practice.

Kyra Haigh, M.Ed., RYT
Kyra has been practicing yoga for the past ten years and has been teaching since 2003. She completed the 500 hour advanced teacher certification through YogaWell’s Institute of Progressive Therapies in San Diego. While living there, Kyra had the opportunity to study under Tim Miller who truly inspired her passion for the ashtanga practice.

In addition to teaching ashtanga and traditional hatha yoga, Kyra is a trained pre and postnatal yoga instructor. She deepened her work as a yoga instructor by training as a doula to assist women during labor and the birthing process. Kyra has taught prenatal yoga at numerous places including nationally recognized Mary Birch Women’s Center of Sharp Hospital and Best Start Birth Center. She worked as Clinical Yoga Director for Reproductive Wellness, a natural treatment center for supporting fertility and pregnancy. Kyra also served on the YogaWell Birth Specialist Training Board, developing a yoga teacher training program for preconception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Kyra brings to her teaching a background in counseling with over ten years experience working with families. She has found yoga to be a natural extension and compliment to this work by addressing life’s challenges though a more holistic framework. When Kyra is not practicing or teaching yoga, she can be found with her family, enjoying mommy-hood with her young son Dillon.

Shannon Griffin, RYT
Shannon began practicing yoga in 1999 to alleviate lower back pain from a back injury. She not only found a resolution to her lower back pain; she fell in love with the practice as well. This was just the beginning of the journey. A dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, Shannon has also studied Vinyasa and Iyengar, branches of Hatha yoga.

Shannon is a graduate of the Yoga Alliance 200-hour teacher training program at Yoga Source. She has been lucky to study Ashtanga yoga with Michael Hamilton, Jennifer Elliot and Rob Miller. Yoga has served her through two pregnancies and continues to guide her through the daily joys and struggles of parenthood. Traveling and living in Europe, the Middle East and Asia has enhanced her awareness of the universality of yoga and her desire to make it accessible to everyone.

Robbie Norris
Robbie was introduced by a friend to Vicki Fink's yoga class in November 2001. This was a blessing for Robbie, as Vicki offered up a perfect introduction to the simple profound bliss of moving yoga.

Since then, he has been fortunate to have among his many teachers Valerie Jeremijenko, Rob Miller, Amanda Miller, and Randy Parrish. Also, Robbie has attended workshops with David Williams, Richard Freeman, Tim Miller, and Lino Miele. In the past year, he has been learning from Alicia Golden, Michael Hamilton and Brett Porzio.

For Robbie, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a daily, cleansing,healing, joyful, magical moving meditation on the breath. Robbie teaches this practice privately to individuals and small groups, as his fulltime enjoyment. More information on Robbie's private classes (PDF)>

Elany Ajemian (RYT 200) fell in love with the Ashtanga method following the birth of her second child. She recognized that the strength and flexibility of the mind and emotion could be influenced by the state of the body. Elany
believes the intention behind the practice is the foundation for change in one's life. She provides a challenging yet nurturing approach while encouraging her students to experiment and find freedom within the movement and breath of the Ashtanga system. Elany has completed Michael Hamilton's teacher intensive and has attended workshops with Tim Miller and Kino MacGregor. When not deepening her practice at the shala, she spends her time with her husband Charles and their two children, Kyria and Balthazar.