Sumya Anani C.Y.T, RYT 500
Sumya Anani is an eager student of yoga and feels that all conscious movement is a path towards wholeness! She graduated from Massage Therapy Training Institute in 1995. Sumya began teaching yoga in Jamaica in 1996. In addition to her 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teaching Certification through Yoga Alliance, her love of movement led her to become a personal trainer and a 4 Time World Champion in professional boxing. Her eclectic teaching style was inspired and born out of her curiosity, study and appreciation of all styles of yoga. She has been inspired by many teachers. She leads two week-long yoga retreats every year; Guatemala in May and Jamaica in December. Sumya's website is www.sumya.com

Diane Doolin, R.N., C.Y.T, RYT 500
Diane is a long-time practitioner of yoga as well as a practicing RN with a strong interest in holistic health. Her passion for helping others achieve and maintain optimal wellness led her to become a yoga instructor. She believes that yoga can be individualized to benefit every person, no matter what their current level of health is. Diane is knowledgeable of a variety of yoga styles but is most influenced by the teachings of BKS Iyengar. She has studied with national teachers Aadil Palkivala, Judith Lasater, Doug Keller, and Paula Tortolano as well as over five years of study locally with Suzette Scholtes. Diane is also a Certified Pilates Instructor. She is available for private lessons in addition to the group classes she leads.

Sharon Friedman
Sharon fell in love with yoga over 8 years ago and soon wanted to share its benefits and the wonderful “secret” of yoga. At the same time Sharon began to study Massage Therapy. She found that Yoga and Massage had many common elements. She loves to teach her clients about how the breathe and the body work together. She uses Yoga poses as therapy in her Massage and sees first hand how her clients benefit. A Bodyworker since her graduation from MTTI in 2001, Sharon is now completing her 200 hour Yoga Certification. She has attended many workshops with Doug Keller, John Schumacher, Aadil Palkhivala, Judith Lasater and Elise Miller.

Laura Kuchynka
Laura began her serious study of yoga about four years ago and soon completes Certification. She has been teaching this year while guiding open practice on Sundays. This lovely lady brings to the classroom a passion and joy of teaching that shows through her quick smile and warm demeanor. She says yoga helped her find courage to make important life changes and hopes to share her knowledge and inspiration. She has studied with all the master teachers including Judith Lasater, Aadil Palkhivala, Doug Keller, Paula and more. She is a devoted student of Suzette Scholtes and works with her privately to deepen her knowledge.

Kim Lacy C.Y.T, RYT 500
Kim Lacy is a certified Iyengar yoga instructor and dedicated yoga practitioner. After graduating from the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco in 1989, she moved to Washington to study with Aadil Palkhivala and has taught for years at his studio, Yoga Centers, as well as at Yoga Northwest, director Ingela Abbott. She is immensely grateful for yoga and the yogi friends, students and teachers she has met along the way, has recently moved back to Kansas and is looking forward to connecting with the yoga community here.

Julia Lentz
Julia’s warmth and quiet confidence transfers to her students making her a loved and popular teacher.

She has immersed herself in various Hatha yoga traditions since 1997, including Kundalini, Iyengar, and Vinyasana Flow.

She concluded in-depth training with Saul David Raye at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, Venice, CA; as well as completing her certification with Shiva Rea at the same school in 07-08. She takes time to travel east to complete her studies at Duke University’s Yoga Therapy Intensive with their Center for Integrative Medicine. This specialty focuses on working with seniors. Her other important teachers include Aadil Palkhivala, Doug Keller, Lisa Giroux, and Suzette Scholtes. This gifted teacher has been teaching yoga classes in the Hickman Mills School District and has led a series of therapy classes for the Yoga School. She brings to the classroom her rich knowledge of yoga combined with exceptional intuitive understanding of yoga as therapy.

Caren Lisondra
Caren has been a Seattle Native until 2007 when she moved back with her family to her husband’s hometown of Overland Park. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Therapy which later led her to become a part-time Fitness Instructor. After a few years of teaching fitness, she then discovered Yoga and has been practicing for the last 7 years. In 2006 she completed 225 -teacher training hours with Pacific Yoga under Theresa Elliot & Kathryn Payne. Within the Pacific Yoga program she studied Iyengar-style as well as an in-depth study of the Yoga Sutras. In addition, she holds two Yoga Fit certificates in Level -1 and YogaFit Kids. She finds it important to continue her Yoga education by attending workshops and classes on a monthly basis both in Kids as well as Adult Yoga.

Her commitment to teaching children has been further enhanced since becoming a mother. She continues to discover the interest and fun children have with Yoga. Caren is passionate about animals and the environment and believes stillness can help connect all living things. “Yoga is deep within all of us”.

Skye Livingston C.Y.T, RYT 200
Skye (pronounced "sky-uh") came to yoga in 1992 from a background in dance, martial arts and other movement modalities. A native of California, Skye’s training has been most heavily influenced by internationally renowned Iyengar Instructor Kofi Busia, Dr. Baxter Bell, and most recently by Suzette Scholtes, Karim Memi and visiting faculty to The Yoga Studio. Skye’s approach to yoga revolves around curiosity and exploration. By combining invigorating flowing sequences with a focus on alignment and therapeutics, Skye inspires her students to find joy in movement and the fun of yoga. Skye is in the process of completing her RYT 200-hour training.

Trish Mack, C.Y.T, R.Y.T. 500
Beginning her studies of yoga in New Jersey, Trish began studies with Karim and Suzette in early 2000. Trish has immersed herself in intensives from all the "great" ones including everyone on our visiting faculty staff.Trish is a proud grandmother, a "healthy" diabetic, and passionate bridge player. She completed her certification with good humor & high marks.

Nancy McMillan C.Y.T, RYT 500
Nancy completed her two-year apprenticeship in 2002, and serves on the faculty as a substitute teacher. She has studied with Suzette since 1994 when Suzette introduced yoga at Nancy's pharmaceutical company. Nancy studied with Karim as well and has completed many weekend workshops. Nancy brings to our classes her warm and quiet style with strong understanding of yoga postures.

Connie so enjoys the opportunity to share the many and remarkable benefits of Yoga to anyone interested in improving their quality of health ˆ both physically and emotionally through the practice of Yoga. She began the study of Yoga and holistic health in the late 1990‚s and now combines her life long passion for teaching with a love for the valuable life lessons that Yoga offers us all. Connie received 200 hour Yoga certification from The Yoga Studio and has studied with studied for over two years with Suzette and national teachers such as Aadil Palkhivala, Judith Lasater, Doug Keller, and Paula Tortolano. She enjoys a variety of yoga styles but is most influenced by the teachings of BKS Iyengar. Vinyasana Flow, and Restorative. She is a regular volunteer assistant at the school‚s special needs class, where she has learned much new skill with yoga as therapeutics.

Jill Ousley
Studying yoga for more than 21 years, Jill has refined her practice to an art. Studying with Suzette for four years, Jill formerly taught in community centers. She worked as an apprentice instructor with the Yoga Studio in 2001. As a teacher, her goal is for each student to experience their body’s full potential with yoga’s many benefits. With her strong foundation in yoga, Jill offers the balance of knowledge and the joy of creativity in her teaching.

Susan Richards, C.Y.T, R.Y.T. 500
Susan serves as volunteer desktop publisher and counsel for the Yoga Studio. She has been training and studying with Suzette since 1997; as well as the studio’s visiting nationally renowned faculty. Susan brings extraordinary gifts of therapeutic yoga; helping students embrace the tools to cope with life’s emotional and physical challenges. Her volunteer service is her way of reciprocating the gifts she has received from Yoga.

Suzette Scholtes, C.Y.T, R.Y.T. 500
Teaching yoga and meditation since l984, Suzette founded The Yoga Studio of Johnson as a formal corporation in l994. Now as co-director with Karim, she also serves as Director of Teacher’s Training. Suzette says to teach one must be committed to service while keeping a sense of humor. Her studies continue this day in advanced trainings across the country.

Suzette’s community service has brought recognition in both awards and press. Her published works include a current column in KC Wellness Journal. She previously wrote a monthly column for Enlightened Practice Magazine. Her other published non-fiction material on health and wellness has appeared in many national and regional magazines. Her audio tape “Yoga Balance” was published by New Leaf, Atlanta, in l996. She was awarded for her non-fiction work in l989 by Writer’s Digest Magazine.

In 2006, she was hired by KU Medical Center to lead a study on yoga’s effects on Parkinson ’s disease where she relied upon her 9000 hours of training to create new yoga therapeutics. Suzette’s presentations on yoga and health have been received by such groups as the Kansas University School Nursing, The American Business Women’s International Conference, Wyandotte County Mental Health Association, Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Unity Church and more. She leads yoga workshops and conferences in many others cities, including an annual presentation in Wichita, Kansas.

Suzette says that an effective teacher helps students empower themselves to create wellness in body, mind, and emotions.

The Teacher of Yoga

Challenged by a gathering of a variety of students, how does the teacher present the yoga experience for the many body-types present?

The skilled teacher knows that teaching is seeing. The sight, first scientific, broadens to a sense of something greater than self. The orchestration of postures taught is a complex mix of vertical and lateral and spiraling movements originating from grounding the bones. This cannot be discussed or lectured but must be felt by the student. The more the student finds resistance, the more probable the release.

Beginner and teacher are equal, especially in the sense that the origin of energy does not discriminate. The complex paradox of release and resistance ultimately is governed by choice. The positive ego-I as opposed to the negative ego-I is willing to grow, commit, stretch, and expand without prejudice from past experiences. There is obvious knowing within yoga asana. However, new territories are presented and from the new perspective, the student may choose to venture more deep or more broad, or more centered or not.

Thus the teacher of yoga presents a complex science and art. It demands of a teacher an ongoing practice of observing and exploring yoga in its many forms. Without it, the teacher may become dull, predictable, or self-focused.

As 2006 comes to a close, join us in thanking our many volunteers, our staff, our incredible visiting faculty for sharing outstanding teaching. Thanks to Renee for helping us realize our hard-earned honor of National Yoga Alliance Teaching School. What a great year of discovery, growth and opportunity for each of us. Thank you, students, for your dedication, commitment and sense of adventure. May 2007 bring abundance, peace, health and great success to each and every one of you!

Namaste,