Instructors

Welcome to Community Yoga!Yoga found me in the mountains of upstate New York when I took yoga for the first time with Rob Greenberg. As I walked away from that first class, my cells were floating. I had found home and have never left. Yoga started a conversation between my heart and soul, and it’s a conversation I have continued throughout my life and which has inspired and sustained me as I built and nurtured Community Yoga.I honor my other teachers who have inspired me on the path -- Brian Kest, Alan Finger, and I love sharing what it is like to be in your body, to experience each unique sensation, from the placement of your fingerpads on the mat for Down Dog to the extension of your arms in Virabradrasana. Yoga for me is much more than achieving the perfect Triangle. As we move past the physicality of yoga practice and unearth the sacred, emotional, personal and spiritual practice, we find the real beauty of yoga.As a teacher and studio owner, I strive for inclusivity. All ages, body types, yoga levels are invited and welcomed to the studio. I am a believer in celebrating our many similarities rather than counting our differences. *Amy has completed 2, 200 HR Teacher Training Programs. Sivananda was by far the highlight for her, where she gained the greatest understanding and depth of the science. Still she is a firm believer that a piece of paper doesn't make a "Great Yoga Teacher". A sincere humility and love of the practice as well as a love for humanity/life.

Cindi Ferguson is a Certified MMI® Meditation and Mindfulness Instructor.She holds an M.A. in Counseling and offers instruction in SEED™ Meditation - Simple, Easy, Every Day Meditation - as well as several mindfulness meditation methods. Coming to meditation later in life, Cindi can help beginner meditators establish their own meditation practice and help more advanced meditators deepen their practice. Living with anxiety and chronic pain for much of her life, her meditations help individuals to optimize their quality of life and manage pain. She incorporates the following types of meditations in her classes:SEED™MantraBreath AwarenessHeart Centered BreathBody AwarenessLoving KindnessYoga NidraMeditation for Pain Management®McLean Meditation Institute SEED™ Simple Easy Every Day Meditation

Cristin is the owner of Wellbeing, a holistic health clinic in Cornelius, NC, and she is a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) in the state of North Carolina. She is board certified by the NCCAOM in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, and she has a four-year Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM). She has studied Qi Gong for eleven years in the US, China, and Tibet through the Heron Institute and the National College of Natural Medicine. She has studied under the tutelage of Heiner Fruehauf, Master Wu Zhongxian, and Master Wang Qingyu. She is trained mainly in the Mt. Emei and JinJing Schools of Qigong. In her clinic, Cristin treats a wide variety of conditions such as pain, fertility, depression, anxiety, insomnia, digestive disorders, and cardiovascular health issues. Cristin uses a combination of Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Medical Qi Gong, Shiatsu Massage, natural supplements, and dietary counseling to offer her patients a holistic treatment that address the physical, spiritual, and environmental causes of illness. Cristin encourages her patients to participate in their own healing process and to work with her as a team to find their most optimal treatment strategy. Outside of work, Cristin enjoys taking her dog Kelsey to the local dog parks, participating in her book club, and learning how to prepare foods from around the world. She is an avid swimmer, Qi Gong junkie, and 'wannabe' potter.

Ann Hambright, RYT 200, completed Subtle Yoga teacher training in 2009 under the guidance of Kaoverii Weber. Ann was introduced to yoga in 2003 by a dear friend. The two decided to walk into their first yoga class almost on a whim; it turned out to be an Ashtanga inspired class that changed her life. She has been practicing regularly since that first class and almost exclusively at a place she calls home, Community Yoga Studio. Ann enjoys sharing her passion for both subtle yoga and vinyasa flow in her teaching method. She is originally from Charlotte, NC and currently lives in the Davidson area with her partner, three dogs and a cat.

Yvette began practicing yoga in 1997 in the basement of a Charlotte church, and she greatly values this early learning experience with Kripalu teacher Mary Lou Buck. Yvette quickly determined that yoga was a powerful way to enhance her physical workouts and to bring better life balance. She knew that the practice of yoga would become a permanent part of her world. As a student Yvette’s love for yoga grew through the influence of teacher Amy Schneider; and in 2004 Yvette was introduced to Anusara™yoga. Yvette finds the principal of alignment to fit well with her approach to life. Becoming a yoga teacher was a natural step for Yvette as she has been a business executive trainer by profession for over 15 years. Taking her teaching skills into the yoga discipline has enriched all facets of her life. Yvette is a 2009 graduate of Carolina Yoga, a 200-hour teacher training program offered by certified Anusara™ teachers, Kelley Gardner, Sarah Faircloth, and Stacey Millner-Collins. Yvette has a natural ability to assess her student’s needs. She physically challenges her students to explore their edge and to enjoy the moment. She also encourages the application of yogic principals to life off the mat as a vital nutrient to relationships and life challenges. Yvette loves to travel and finds herself practicing yoga in studios all over the country. In addition to Yvette’s regular yoga practice she recharges through reading and hiking, and spending every moment she can outdoors. Yvette has also published two children’s books. As a writer, Yvette is inspired to instill in children awareness in conservation, nature, and simplicity.

I avoided practicing yoga until 2009 when it became glaringly obvious that it was meant to be part of my life. Like many people, I was too intimidated to walk into a yoga class not knowing what to expect. Luckily, the climbing gym I went to began having small yoga classes taught by instructors that made laughing as important as alignment. It started as a physical practice with vinyasa yoga and slowly became a transformative one. Yoga has taught me about patience and compassion, not only for others, but for myself. It has helped me calm my monkey mind and helped me to be present. In my personal practice, yoga has become a moving meditation. I find peace in sun salutations. I’ve also fallen in love with Ashtanga, Yin, Kundalini, and Restorative yoga. There is so much to learn from each style. When I teach, my goal is to make yoga accessible for everyone, young and old. It can be modified to meet everyone where they are. Yoga brings me joy and I just want to share it. I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2015 at Asheville Yoga Center with Kim Puryear, Stephanie Keach, Joe Taft, Michael Johnson, Sierra Hollister and Libby Hinsley. It was the most amazing experience of my life, and made me eager to learn more. I completed my 95 hour children’s yoga teacher certification with Amy Haysman through Grounded Kids Yoga and am currently pursuing my 500 hour certification through Asheville Yoga Center.

After 30 years in the deadline driven and stressful business of television news,Karen did a 180 (yin/yang) and started studying the many ways to de-stress,calm the mind and live a healthier life. Falling in love with Qigong and meditation,Karen now wants to share this form of healing with others.A student of Dr. Roger Jahnke, Karen is certified by the Institute of IntegralQigong and Tai Chi in Level One and Two and the Tai Chi Easy form.www.iiqtc.org She has also studied under Chunyi Lin and is certified in 3 levelsof Spring Forest Qigong. Karen is a Level 2 Reiki practitioner and has trained inother forms of the healing arts and meditation.

Yoga guided Meredith back to laughter and joy through learning to nurture her true self after her mother passed. Wanting to share the light and healing she learned through yoga, Meredith completed her 220 hour teacher training through The Bodhi Tree with Lesa Crocker in 2007. Wanting to share the light and healing she learned through yoga, Meredith completed her 220 hour teacher training through The Bodhi Tree with Lesa Crocker in 2007. The other joys in her life besides yoga are her husband and two small children. She enjoys taking family walks, dancing in the living room with her children, jewelry making, reading and watching college sports with her husband.

Although she didn’t know at the time, Amy’s life was forever changed in 1998. That was when she first started practicing yoga and meditation on a regular basis. That led to her insatiable desire for knowledge about health and wellness. Since then she spent years avidly studying and practicing a variety of healing arts – tai chi, qi gong, Reiki, Touch for Health, and nutrition to name a few. She consistently continued her yoga practice through two pregnancies and a debilitating back injury. These experiences are how she arrived at her revelation of most recent mission. She feels her purpose now is to share the message that anybody can use gentle movements to create physical and emotional well-being, no matter what their current physical condition. She believes that the mindfulness and self-awareness that gentle movement creates is as important as it’s physical health benefits. She promotes a practice that: reminds us to honor and respect the present needs of our bodies, discourages judgment, promotes mental clarity or spiritual connection, and teaches us how to lovingly accept our limitations.

Uni Smith is an Insurance Sales Professional and has worked in a Sales Organization for over 20 years. Her occupation was draining her physically, emotionally and mentally. She was seeking something to help ease the stress from my daily life. She was introduced to the Twin Hearts Meditation in March 2013. The difference it made in her life was immediate and simply incredible. She has been practicing Twin Hearts Meditation almost daily ever since.Since practicing the Twin Hearts Meditation, Uni has cultivated love, peace, joy, patience, balance, and good health and is still in Insurance Sales. The Twin Hearts Meditation has truly blessed Uni's life. In return, she decided she would like to be in and of service to others by teaching others how this simple guided meditation can bless them too.Meditation on twin hearts – is an advanced, guided meditation technique for individuals 16 years of age and older, with the focus on an act of service and loving-kindness to promote peace in the world.

Sharon Whalen, a doctor of pediatric physical therapy by trade and a homeschooling mom by choice, fills her days with as many outdoor activities as possible. She has extensive education to include yoga in her therapy practices with adults and children. In her personal practice, Sharon enjoys all types of yoga practice and meditation.