Instructors

One of my favorite childhood memories is Vacations with my dad. Every year he would take my closest friends and I up to Vermont or Lake Placid for snowboarding trips, snowmobiling trips in the Adirondacks, or just a weekend getaway during the peak of the leaves changing in Old Forge. He taught me how to appreciate nature, how to be present in the moment despite any temporary life circumstances, and how to overcome challenges and painful situations, whether it was helping me get up after a bad fall on the mountain snowboarding, or facing treatment for melanoma. He continues to teach me how to embrace change, pain, and fear while becoming a better person from those experiences.

I love teaching yoga because I love sharing the gifts that this practice has given to me with others. I love helping others begin or continue their journey of self-love. I think that learning how to love ourselves is revolutionary in a society that is constantly telling us we are not enough and that we need something outside of ourselves to be good enough. One of the best lessons learned on the mat is learning that here, in this present moment, we are enough just as we are. It’s truly an honor to share this transformational practice with others.

A life lesson I’ve learned from my yoga practice is that I am enough. This practice has taught me how to love myself, as well as how to truly honor my body, mind, and spirit. 

Three words that describe my teaching style: Authentic. Compassionate. Empowering.

When I’m not teaching yoga, you’ll find me Climbing mountains in the Adirondacks and Vermont. Working full time at a local clinic as an addiction therapist. Spending quality time with my husband and our dog. Practicing yoga almost every day at Breathe! 

Three people who inspire me are My parents. Bryan Kest. Ryan Barry.

One of my favorite quotes is: “With every broken heart we should become more adventurous.” ~Jenny Lewis

One of my favorite childhood memories is our family of four (my younger sister Becky and our parents) traveling via Cessna aircraft piloted by my dad. We flew together in a four-seat plane to visit grandparents and relatives in Pensacola, Florida. I remember feeling excited (often nervous-praying silently!) during those turbulent adventures to safely land!

I love teaching yoga because it reminds me how I want to be: connected, grounded, patient and giving.

A life lesson I’ve learned from my yoga practice is is to breathe and stay through the challenging poses (as in life-situations), trusting the process to show the way, because it works.


Three words that describe my teaching style: Friendly. Connected. Intentional.

When I’m not teaching yoga, you’ll find me biking or jogging on the canal path, working / freelance writing online, at the Y, or hanging with my guys at home

Three people who inspire me are (in addition to the breathe yoga team) are my husband Albert, Marianne Williamson and Baron Baptiste.

One of my favorite quotes is: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

One of my favorite childhood memories is: Camping trips with my family and several neighborhood families. It was a quintessential community experience, complete with nightly campfire sing-alongs, roasting marshmallows, and games with adults and kids all participating.
 
I love teaching yoga because: Yoga movements are a cellular dance party.  And not the kind with a screen. The kind that brings smiles and healing of heart and mind to every body and everyone.
 
A life lesson I’ve learned from yoga practice is: How we are in life, is how we are on the mat. How we are on the mat, is how we are in life.
 
Three words that describe my teaching style: Easy to follow. Empowering. Fun.
 
When I’m not teaching yoga you’ll find me: Walking. Playing board games.
 
 
Three people who inspire me are: My parents – a kindergarten teacher and an actual clown. Friends & family lifting each other up and walking each other home.  
 
One of my favorite quotes is: The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.  Helen Keller

One of my favorite childhood memories is: camping in the Adirondacks with my family. The memories are simple (being unplugged from life’s distractions, board games, canoeing, swimming in the lake, hiking, campfires) but so impactful and carefree.
 
I love teaching yoga because: it makes me a better student (and person!). teaching yoga has been like holding up a mirror to my own life: it holds me accountable to be present and practice what i preach. Teaching allows me to share the lessons i am constantly learning. Yoga has changed my life and i hope to help others find their own personal growth, on and off the mat.
 
A life lesson I’ve learned from yoga practice is: The balance of effort and ease. I’ve learned to be more sensitive to my body/mind/soul so i can move through life with a greater sense of stability and comfort.  
 
Three words that describe my teaching style: grounding. mindful. exploratory.
 
When I’m not teaching yoga you’ll find me: practicing yoga & meditation, hiking & adventuring, spending quality time with my dog Bodhi, family, & friends, listening to music and dancing at concerts!
 
Three people who inspire me are: (so difficult to narrow down to three – i am continuously inspired by so many around me) - my parents, my fellow yogis, davidji
 
One of my favorite quotes is: “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell

One of my favorite childhood memories is
Spending the summers vacationing with my grandparents and cousins in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. I fell in love with New Hampshire and the beautiful New England coastline. When it was time to apply to college it was my only choice. I met 12 of the most amazing woman in college and we were roommates for 4 years. We made a pact to meet the first weekend in August every year when we graduated and we have kept our promise to each other all these years! 

I love teaching yoga because
This practice changed my life in every way. It has helped me find happiness, feel healthy, healed and whole through daily meditation and physical practice. I have learned to quiet my mind, to be more mindful and present for those in my life and have removed many of the distractions/thoughts that got in the way of me being my true self. Sharing these tools with others has been my greatest joy! 

A life lesson I’ve learned from yoga practice is
It is a journey not a destination. Nothing happens overnight and it takes patience, perseverance, and the willingness to “do the work” to make the changes you want to see in your life. The work on your mat is just as important as the work off the mat and the journey is never done but like an onion you peel the layers off one at a time until you get to the core of who you are. 

Three words that describe my teaching style:
Challenging, energetic, and empowering. 

When I’m not teaching yoga you’ll find me
Practicing yoga, at breathe working in retailing or behind the juice bar, connecting with family and friends. 

Three people who inspire me are
My father who always told me that I could achieve all my dreams with hard work and an education, Brooke Hamblet who showed me the way to the truth, and Ryan Barry and Carin Laniak who believed in me and encouraged me to be a yoga teacher even when I didn’t believe in myself. 


One of my favorite quotes is:
The truth will set you free. 

One of my favorite childhood memories is My favorite childhood memory is going to Disney World with my family when I was in 8th grade. We saved for the trip and planned for years. All the anticipation made it such a big deal. I remember seeing the castle for the first time and just feeling the magic.

I love teaching yoga because
I love seeing my students find the possibility in each pose. I feel so honored each time I teach that I have the privilege of being part of this amazing journey with them. 

A life lesson I’ve learned from yoga practice is Anything really is possible. Yoga has changed my life both on and off the mat. Yoga has helped me become an active participant in my own life instead of just sitting on the sidelines watching it happen. 

Three words that describe my teaching style: fun, empowering, compassionate

When I’m not teaching yoga you’ll find me practicing yoga at Breathe, spending time with my husband, children and dog, camping, meal planning and binge watching tv shows on Netflix.

Three people who inspire me are
My husband Les, My children and My yoga teachers

One of my favorite quotes is:
Those mountains that you were carrying, you were only supposed to climb
~Najwa Zebian

One of my favorite childhood memories is growing up in the same town as my grandparents. When I think back to my childhood, all the amazing moments that stand out are moments with them. I was so fortunate to have them in my life for so long, and to grow up with them just down the road. It was the driving factor in my relocation back to Rochester several years ago. I want my own kids to be able to have that same experience with my parents, and form the same lasting bonds.

I love teaching yoga because yoga has profoundly and completely changed my life, and it is a huge honor to be able to share what I love with others. I love watching my students fall in love with their practice...coming back to their mat over and over, uncovering a new little piece of the puzzle each time. It’s incredibly fulfilling, and humbling, to be a part of that process. 

A life lesson I’ve learned from my yoga practice is be thankful for this moment. To be a lover of what is...to live in the present moment…and to just breathe! 

Three words that describe my teaching style: Grounded, Challenging, Fun 

When I’m not teaching yoga, you’ll find me spending time with my husband and 3 kids, training for marathons, teaching outdoor bootcamp, and working as a personal trainer. I love everything having to do with health and fitness, and love sharing this passion with my friends. I also love dogs and spending time with my family on Cape Cod.

Three people who inspire me – I’m inspired everyday by my students. I’m inspired by my parents, who live their lives as examples of kindness and generosity, I’m inspired by my kids, who remind me everyday to show up as my best self so I can help them to do the same, and I’m inspired by this community we have formed at breathe, truly a home away from home!

One of my favorite quotes is: “Life is a series of thousands of tiny miracles” – Mike Greenberg

One of my favorite childhood memories is: Playing outside in my neighborhood with all the neighborhood kids from dusk until dawn, having no track of time but only of how much fun we could have!

I love teaching yoga because: I love connecting with people and leading them through an hour of their day that could potentially change their life for the better. It changes mine in big and little ways every time I get on the mat!

A life lesson I’ve learned from yoga practice is: This is hard to put into one lesson, I’ve learned countless lessons!!! One big one is we are not our thoughts, we are something so much bigger and through breath and dristi we can tap into that bigger place!

Three words that describe my teaching style: Loving, empowering, authentic

When I’m not teaching yoga you’ll find me: Hanging out with my husband and my daughter or practicing yoga, talking about yoga, reading about yoga!

Three people who inspire me are: Anyone who is mindful of what is motivating their direction in life, My mom, who always made love her first priority, my daughter, who expanded my perception of the world the second she entered my life!

One of my favorite quotes is: “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.” Brian Tracy