 Susan
Bowen [susan@thriveyoga.com]
Susan Bowen is the studio owner and a RYT200 and Certified Baptiste Instructor. Susan's classes are challenging and inspire students to explore the practice of unifying the breath, mind and body to a place of comfort from the common western habit of distraction and discomfort. Susan's style is most inspired by Yogiraj Alan Finger and Baron Baptiste and you will recognize the influence of ISHTA Yoga (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda), Kundalini Yoga and other Vinyasa expressions. Susan was first introduced to yoga in college by a Buddha-like yogi and has studied and practiced yoga all over the United States while traveling for 15 years in the corporate world. Because of many years in a high-stress job (tight shoulders and distracted mind), Susan gets it when her students seek the refuge of peace in a yoga practice. Susan heard the intuitive voice to be a teacher while experiencing the death of her sister, Carol, to leukemia at 43. Susan is a mother of a 9-year old, Alexa and a wife of Dave (Co-owner of Thrive) for 15 years. Susan writes the Thrive Blog.
 Dave Bowen
Co-owner of Thrive, Dave has studied world philosophies for human potential and transformation since nearly dying in a car crash in the early 90s. Dave has a MSW from Catholic University and committed himself to the welfare of children as a child abuse and neglect investigator for Montgomery County Child Protective Services before becoming a stay-at home dad in 1999. Before embarking full-time at Thrive, Dave was in private practice as a counselor and has coached several leadership workshops and programs for Landmark Education (The Forum). Dave studies Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin and is in the process of completing his yoga teacher certification. Dave is also known for his creative abilities and led the construction of Thrive and is responsible for many of the artistic touches! Paintbrush and OM!
Lisa Johnson
Lisa Johnson R.Y.T. is an Affiliated Anusara Yoga teacher dedicated to cheerfully guiding people in the divine dance of body, mind and spirit known as yoga. Her classes provide students with a thorough knowledge of body mechanics while honoring each individual's unique abilities and limitations in a supportive, uplifting environment. Lisa encourages each person to recognize their inner light and then inspires them to move from their heart. Each vinyasa class incorporates a theme associated with an alignment principle that is further clarified through pertinent verbal imagery, specific demonstrations and manual assistance. Lisa is grateful for wonderful teachers who have given her the knowledge, skill and desire to help herself and others tap into their potential for a full and radiant life. Lisa credits her enthusiasm and knowledge primarily to Anusara Yoga founder, John Friend, Kathleen Hogan, Moses Brown and Mary Romeu, as well as other certified teachers in the worldwide Anusara community with whom she has studied since 1999. Lisa benefits from her previous experience in other yoga styles and continues to study yoga therapeutics, pranayama and philosophy. Lisa has devoted herself to understanding the relationship of the body, mind and spirit throughout her life. She studied therapeutic massage in Santa Barbara, received her BFA in Dance at the University of California, and subsequently settled in Washington D.C, to pursue a professional career in teaching and performing. Over the next 20 years Lisa developed a deep appreciation for movement as a healing art though studies in the kinesthetic application of energy anatomy and therapeutic movement techniques that she has gratefully incorporated into all her classes.
Karen Bralove
A native Washingtonian, returns to the area after living in Los Angeles for 10 years where she became obsessed with yoga and began teaching. She had practiced yoga on and off for over 20 years, but it wasn't until she found just the right teacher, Julian Walker at Ana Forrest's Forrest Yoga Circle, that she immersed herself in the practice. She taught at Center for Yoga, MuDo, InHarmony and the Westchester Family YMCA. A teacher in her soul, and loving to work with children and teens, she taught acting for 24 years at the Sidwell Friends School. Her yoga style, spiritual in nature, is a combination of Hatha Flow and Anusara. Every summer, she and her best friend, Elizabeth Bunker of Yoga & Nia For Life in West Concord, Mass., lead a sublime yoga workshop in Italy, Bella Yoga in Bella Italia
 Christina Conrad
Christina's fascination of movement, music and the human body began from the moment she could walk. She first tried vinyasa yoga in 2000 to explore an alternative to dance classes during a time when a torn meniscus in her knee caused excoriating pain. She was immediately drawn not only to physical benefits of the practice, but even more so to the sense of complete relaxation and glimmer of a clearer, more focused mind. In her yoga teaching, Christina strives to create a supportive playground in which the yoga practitioners discover their physical and mental edge with a sense of curiosity and openness to what may or may not happen. She incorporates meditation, breath-driven flowing movement with time for opening areas of tightness and going upside down, and hints of anatomy. Christina completed her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification at Tranquil Space in Washington, DC. She is currently working on her 500-hour Yoga Alliance certification at OM Yoga in New York City, in which her focus is on yoga therapy for chronic and acute conditions.
Gretchen Eyth
Gretchen creates an energetic and compassionate class environment in which she encourages students to move towards their edge and to explore what it means to take yoga off the mat and into their own lives. Her love of animals and former animal-related careers inspire her to help her students move with a natural grace and power in their Vinyasa practice. Gretchen has followed a path leading to a career teaching yoga since age 13. Yoga has always come naturally to her. She has been standing in Tree Pose while cooking and doing dishes since long before she even knew what Tree Pose was. Gretchen studied Iyengar Yoga in Switzerland and after giving birth and focusing almost exclusively on raising her two sons 18 months apart, Gretchen turned to Vinyasa Yoga to help her rediscover herself and to bring balance back into her busy life.
Annie Dennis
Travelling for the Summer
Annie’s yoga practice became a pathway on her spiritual/creative journey in 1995 in a Power Yoga class with Bryan Kest in Santa Monica, California. In 1997 she began exploring voice practice through yoga, guided by the faculty of the National Voice Intensive in B.C., Canada. She went on to receive her MFA in Acting with a specialization in Voice from York University in Toronto and taught in Universities in California and Oregon. Her path eventually lead her to The Omega Institute in upstate New York, the Nation’s largest Holistic learning center. Annie spent three seasons on staff practicing self – awareness through Seva (service), energy awareness, intuition, creative writing and Yoga. She was fortunate to work extensively with Master Yoga teacher Glenn Black and to develop her own practice - the core of her spiritual journey. Annie believes in the human body’s infinite power to restore and heal itself through awareness, breath, sensation and vibration. She also teaches workshops and gives private vocal and sound healing sessions.
Chris Gamble
Chris' classes provide a compassionate, nurturing, and sacred space where students can experience the transformative nature of yoga. Chris uses her experience as a former elementary school teacher to carefully explain the asana sequence and asana modifications. Chris has been practicing yoga since the birth of her twin boys in 2001. Her training (CYT200) and experiences include Anusara, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and various Hatha flow styles of yoga. Chris holds a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work and an elementary teaching certification. She was an elementary school teacher for seven years. She has also coached competitive and non-competitive gymnastics for thirteen years. In her spare time, Chris enjoys weight lifting and running. She runs in many local races every year and has completed two Marine Corps Marathons.
 Marylou McNamara
MaryLou McNamara, MS, RYT500, is an Affiliated Anusara Yoga teacher and a Registered Teacher with the Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level. She has been teaching yoga in Montgomery County for over seven years. Marylou teaches a fun and inspiring class focusing on the Universal Principles of Alignment and celebration of the heart. She is passionate about sharing the benefits of yoga and witnessing transformation in her students lives. Marylou has studied with John Friend, Kathleen Hogan, Suzie Hurley, Betsey Downing, Desiree Rumbaugh, Jenny Otto, and others.
 Maura Kibbey
Maura Kibbey, RYT200, is certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy and has experience teaching a wide variety of students, including students recovering from breast cancer and living with other chronic conditions. Maura first came to yoga to heal her own chronic joint pain and knows first-hand about the power of this practice. She enjoys challenging all class participants to open their hearts and heal themselves physically and spiritually. Her flow classes fuse breath with motion, opening energy channels, and releasing blocks in the body and mind. Her classes are most inspired by many years of Anusara yoga practice. She hopes that her students leave the studio refreshed and ready for life off the mat. Maura also has a Ph.D. in Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology. She did cancer research for many years before working in biotechnology companies and then starting her yoga career.
 Robin Countryman
Robin is a certified Kids Yoga Instructor and has been practicing yoga for over eight years. Fitness has always been a part of Robin's life. She has been a life long competitive swimmer and runner and recently completed the Marine Corp Marathon. After having two children, she has appreciated the mental and physical balance that yoga brings to her life. Robin truly enjoys sharing this with others, especially children! Robin's classes help kids develop strong, healthy minds and bodies. Robin inspires creativity, imagination, and self-confidence.
 Marilyn Carroll
Marilyn has been practicing Yoga for over 15 years, and has been a certified Yoga Instructor since 1998. In her classes, Marilyn blends Sivananda, Ashtanga and Iyengar styles of Yoga for an eclectic blend of movement and right alignment. Most recently Marilyn has enjoyed working with teens and young adults. Her fresh approach is partially derived from being a mom of two teenage children. Marilyn is also a licensed medical esthetician in one of the area's top spas, she takes a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Devon Roe
Devon is a certified yoga teacher and has been teaching Ashtanga yoga since 2000 in the US and Puerto Rico. Devon has trained extensively with Beryl Bender Birch. Before giving birth to her son in 2005, she traveled throughout the US assisting Ms. Birch with teacher training. Devon has also traveled throughout southeast Asia studying and cultivating her meditation and yoga practices. Aside from teaching yoga, she is also a massage therapist and polarity practitioner and recently began teaching natural childbirth classes. Devon is “hands-on” with her students and refreshingly offers both modifications and “tricks” to inspire students to practice to their edge.
 Dana Cohen
Travelling for the Summer
Dana has shaped her life with the profound yogic principals for over 13 years. Her classes are influenced by Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, Svananda, Restorative, and Yin styles. Dana's classes have a strategic flow that is guided by breath, encourages awareness in the present moment, and balances strength with flexibility. She infuses asana, pranayama, and meditation, as this is the traditional way of preparing students to go deeper inside. She gives nurturing adjustments, puts a strong focus on safe/correct alignment, and encourages students to observe limitations while working their edge. Dana has designed a unique programming just for kids and teens that playfully encourages them to celebrate their unique qualities, and self acceptance. Dana is also a certified practitioner and teacher of Thai/Yoga Massage.
 Claudia Neuman
Claudia Neuman is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor as well a R.Y.T. at the 500 hour level. Los Angeles born, Neuman was introduced to Yoga in 1966, by her mother, at the age of 8. Claudia studied with the Shivananda and Integral Yoga societies until the opening of Yoga Works in Santa Monica. Being situated in close proximity allowed her to study and train with some of the top teachers of the Yoga world today, including Sri K. Pattahabi Jois, Rod Stryker, Eric Shiffman, and Anna Forrest. Claudia’s classes reflect her dedication to the Universal Principles of Alignment of the Anusara tradition while encouraging her students to find their own truth. In her own words, "Anusara Yoga is very much a path of the heart; we learn that a yoga practice is not just physical. It is a precise technology that escorts us to our Divine nature, and shows us how to live from there." Claudia’s intention as a teacher is to help everyone experience their intrinsic good and find the powerful place of their own heart.
 Tonya Bennett
Tonya is thrilled by the opportunity to share her love of yoga and art with children. An abundance of warmth, enthusiasm and compassion is awaiting the youngsters! Tonya’s classes offers a cozy, welcoming space for stretching, relaxing, and self expression. Tonya leads students to have fun while exercising their bodies, minds and creative spirits through the arts of yoga and craft-making. Tonya has taught children's yoga in the Washington, DC area over the past four years while also working as an actress and broadcast journalist.
Mary Jean Eig
Mary Jean considers yoga to be a transformational art and science through which one's true self manifests. She believes that by feeling connected with everyone and everything, the burdens of stress may be lifted and the joys of life shine through. She feels honored to have the opportunity to teach yoga skills to others so that they might explore this ancient and timeless holistic system. Having taught yoga for the past ten years, studied for 15 and had an interest since she was a teenager, Mary Jean is thrilled to find herself in the first ISHTA Teacher Training at Thrive. She holds a certification from Betsy Downing and Kevin Perry and wishes the gratefully acknowledge her teachers Alan Finger, Sarah Platt, Douglass Stewart, Wendy Newton, Peter Ferko, Kara Sekuler, Carol Cavanaugh and Heather Schwartz.
 Christine Peterson
Christine
became interested in yoga as an undergraduate living near H. H. Swami Satchidananda's Yogaville Ashram. Visits to the Ashram marked the start of her journey on the spiritual path, and she has remained a serious practitioner ever since. Christine has a unique ability to connect with, challenge, and inspire her students through her Kundalini and Forrest yoga-infused Vinyasa Flow Yoga classes. Her mission is to create a sense of strength and well-being in her students so that they can walk with freedom, confidence and beauty, both on and off the mat. Her classes are designed to instill a sense of strength and freedom that will allow her students to connect with their spirit as well as the courage to walk as their spirit dictates. She helps her students connect to their inner teacher so they can discover their truth and find the courage to embody their authentic selves. Above all, she encourages her students to heal, grow, and welcome their spirit home. She completed a 200-hour Prana Vinyasa Flow Training with Shiva Rea and a 300-hour Forrest yoga training with Ana Forrest. Christine is a member of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington where she studies Vipassana Meditation with Tara Brach and Jonathan Foust. She has completed three years of doctoral work and laboratory research in Immunology, and is fascinated by its connection to yoga and Ayurveda. She aspires to complete the Ayurveda training program at Kripalu.
 Pierre Couvillion
Pierre Couvillion, E-RYT500, is a traveling yoga instructor, working in the DC area for the summer Pierre has taught in several lineages, including Ashtanga Vinyasa with Tim Miller, Hot Yoga in Encinitas, California, and Viniyoga (specific, adapted to the individual). In addition, he instructed at bodywork schools in California for 7 years, teaching styles from Thai massage to acupressure. His regular yoga classes include enough movement to sweat, concluding with a few minutes of meditation and chanting. While in the area, Pierre will be filming instructional videos and is looking for volunteers.
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