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Susan Mondi Bowen

Susan Mondi Bowen

Susan Mondi Bowen (E-RYT500, YACEP, Certified Sound Healer; Certified Integrative Reflexologist, and Founder of Thrive) has been teaching integrated methods for human change and transformation for 20 years. Susan studies, practices, and teaches from her more than 20 various yoga styles and physical healing modalities.

With Susan, you will receive personal attention to enhance your practice through anatomy cueing and self-awareness. Susan weaves her class sequences with instructional tips, ancient, science-backed techniques, and humor. As a curious student, you can expect to be challenged to learn foundational and advanced yoga methodologies that will rock your world. 

As a Longevity Specialist, Susan advises and teaches students the target practices and modalities that improve life today and can enhance healthspan and lifespan. Her recent greatest adventure was white water rafting 185 miles in the Grand Canyon. Her go to music playlist is anything Imagine Dragons.

Daniele Lorio

Daniele Lorio

Daniele Lorio (RYT500) walked out of her first yoga class 14 years ago feeling elated. She knew the practice was meant to stay.

Daniele comes from a home steeped in the visual arts. At 15, she went to a conservatory for classical voice and later opera. As a singer, Daniele used her body and voice as tools to create bonds between people and to move listeners through music. After many years of rigorous preparation, regimentation, and riding the emotional roller coaster of a performing artist, she finds solace, clarity, and acceptance on the mat.

In Daniele’s classes, you can expect to move, build strength, get to know yourself, and smile. Daniele honors her students’ inner wisdom by fostering a space that is physically and emotionally safe. Her philosophy is that yoga is an instrument by which we may help one another to realize a kinder world.

Felicia Piacente

Felicia Piacente

Felicia (RYT500; E-RYT 200) took her first yoga class in 2006 and immediately found what she was looking for—a physical challenge, a spiritual comfort, and relaxing aftereffects. She knew she had to share this with others, and subsequently completed her 200 and 300 hour teacher trainings at Thrive. As a life-long teacher, Felicia’s passion and expertise shines through in all of her offerings at Thrive. Felicia is also highly involved in development and mentoring of teacher trainees. 

Felicia teaches hot vinyasa, core vinyasa classes and excels at breaking things down for beginners. She has a popular following in various workshops. 

Felicia is passionate about the co-minglings of balance, inner peace, and revitalization, and has even gotten many students at the studio knitting — discovering the meditative properties of her other favorite passion! She has been teaching exclusively at Thrive since 2009.

Mary Rivas

Mary Rivas

Mary Rivas (RYT500) signed up for her first in-studio yoga class 5 years ago to help relieve prenatal issues during pregnancy and was immediately hooked. Mary loves coming into the studio for class, especially now that her 3 children are a bit older, but she never misses a chance to open her mat up at home. She says that the time spent playing on her mat at home helps bring inspiration to her fun vinyasa sequencing.

Her vinyasa classes have been influenced by former years of ballet and a natural love for being upside down. Expect a strong dynamic flow with some advanced posture play. Mary aims to bring body awareness and empowerment to all students ranging from a curious beginner to a seasoned yogi.

Jane Stelboum

Jane Stelboum

Jane (E-RYT500) was introduced to yoga and meditation as a child by her mother, and that in and of itself is special for her, but it wasn’t until she found Thrive that she really integrated yoga into her life. 

Jane trained at Duke University’s Integrative Yoga for Seniors, the Brain Longevity® Therapy Training offered by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). In 2012 she founded Sarasvate, Yoga Designed for the Brain, whose mission is to help prevent Alzheimer’s. Jane is also a Teacher Trainer at Thrive. 

Jane enjoys giving students the ability to align in a pose and connect it to their bodily experience through breath. Her teaching style is challenging but accessible to all, encouraging students to come as they are. Her classes are experiential, incorporating music, gongs, singing bowls, writings, yogic concepts, and themes, and include hands-on assists.

Katie Kecman

Katie Kecman

Katie (RYT500; Reiki I & II certified; Thai Massage certified) is a Health Education Specialist and gives health education seminars and webinars on various health topics and implements wellness and fitness programs for employees in offices. She also teaches chair yoga and meditation sessions for the employees and has been teaching yoga for over 6 years at multiple locations. She has a passion for teaching hatha, vinyasa, yin, and restorative yoga. When she is not doing yoga, one of her other favorite activities is lifting weights. Her favorite poses are hip openers and heart openers.

Alyson Gluecksmann

Alyson Gluecksmann

Alyson (RYT500) began practicing yoga in her early 20s at a time when she was working in a corporate job and running a lot. In 2012, Alyson completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Inner Strength Studios and subsequently completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training with David Vendetti and the Yoga Liberation Front training program. She has since completed various weekend workshops, including prenatal training, hands-on assists, and sequencing. Alyson also completed an additional 70 hours of training in yin yoga and continues to study that format. 

Alyson holds a B.S. in Mass Communication from Boston University and an M.S. in Health Promotion Management from American University. She is a mom to two beautiful, active boys that keep her very busy. When she has time to herself, she loves to be outside. The beach and local hiking trails are her favorite places to wander. She enjoys reading all things yoga-related, as well as true stories of inspirational people in the world.

Lalita Vayavananda

Lalita Vayavananda

Lalita (RYT200) was introduced to yoga by her older brother in 2008. Her enthusiasm for sharing yoga with others is influenced by the magic that happens on the mat that transfers to an authentically harmonious life off the mat.

Lalita’s certifications include Yoga Therapy Rx Level 1, Sound Healing Practitioner, Professional Thai Massage Therapy Level 5, Pre and Postnatal Yoga, Perinatal Education and Feng Shui. 

Lalita is a full-spectrum birth worker and has experience as a labor coach in assisting births, supporting loss, and providing volunteer doula services for vulnerable populations. She is a Senior Crisis Hotline Counselor for a non-profit mental health organization and has two bright and lovely young children who take up all her time. She enjoys being in beautiful spaces, exploring nature, learning, tapping into creativity, partaking in new experiences, and resting.

Nathalie Chang

Nathalie Chang

Nathalie (RYT200 + Reiki I and II) teaches thoughtful vinyasa flow style classes using creative sequence sets with the goal of having students feel renewed and alive! Nathalie focuses on nurturing her students through their practice in order to help them achieve greater mindfulness and increased body awareness. Through fluid movements and self exploration paired with the breath, her vinyasa classes create a space for energetic alignment to take place. 

As she currently pursues the RYT500 certification at Thrive, Nathalie is expanding her practice to Yin Yoga and also teaches at Senior Living Facilities and Memory Care homes in the area.   

Outside of yoga, Nathalie enjoys spending time with her family, taking care of her home and garden, and exploring the flow of creativity through writing, dancing, painting, and photography. 

Ashira Lavine

Ashira Lavine

Ashira (RYT-500, Licensed Massage Therapist, Professional Breathworker, Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapist, and certified in: Reiki I & II, Meditation, and Alchemical Alignment for Trauma Resolution)) is a holistic healer, mindfulness teacher, and coach with extensive trauma training. She is passionate about supporting people with emotional, physical, and spiritual transformation. Her favorite methods for change are breath and bodywork and she loves teaching mindful movement and meditation.

Ashira has made a career based on her intuition—reading bodies, voices, and energy for 25 years, as a Special Agent/Criminal Investigator and Deputy Director for the Federal Government, a world champion poker player, and a competitive fighter. She now lives a heart-centered life and has been told loving-kindness is one of her greatest superpowers. She adores animals and spending time at her family farm in West Virginia. 

Alexis Baden-Mayer

Alexis Baden-Mayer

Alexis Baden-Mayer (RYT200) started taking yoga in 2003. Yoga, breathing and meditation became her refuge in 2016 when she had to give up teaching ballet to fulfill her responsibilities as a sandwich generation caregiver. After her parents passed away, she decided to deepen her yoga practice in the Thrive Teacher Training.

Alexis’s yoga classes benefit from her decades of dance training and teaching experience. Her dance education in alignment is enhanced by her understanding of the body’s energy centers (chakras) from yoga. Her creative sequences help students of all levels increase strength, balance and range of motion. Alexis is a playful and supportive teacher who lives for those “ah” moments when everything clicks and students find their power.

Elizabeth Elliott

Elizabeth Elliott

Liz Elliott, RYT 500, completed 300-hour training at Thrive. Liz’s love of yoga is complemented by her background in dance and her deep commitment to healing as a registered nurse for many years. As a Yoga Anatomy specialist and teacher trainer at Thrive, she makes complex ideas simple by connecting anatomy concepts to poses and movement on the mat. Liz encourages students to practice with intention, to experience the connection between body and mind, and to deepen awareness of energy and alignment in the body.

Liz has advanced training in Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga, and practices Reiki and Sound Healing.  Liz also regularly swims with US Master’s Swim Club. Liz enjoys time with her two college-age daughters when they are in town, and with her husband, their Labrador, and three cats.

Reigna Celeste

Reigna Celeste

Reigna is a certified yoga instructor and trained in the Thrive Yoga School. Born in San Francisco, Reigna’s passion for the arts led her to Howard University (Theatre Arts). Her path then led her to adopt a dedicated yoga practice, which became a guiding force that influenced her mindset and daily life. With her sisters, she formed a 70s-inspired band called The Gem Fatales.

Despite her bustling career and artistic commitments, Reigna remains steadfast in her role as a devoted mother. Raising six children demands a delicate balance of time and effort, a testament to her unwavering commitment to both her artistic passions and her family. Her creative essence, seasoned with sensuality, has left an indelible mark on everything she touches, be it her yoga practice, her musical performances, or the nurturing of her children.

Beth Bruening

Beth Bruening

Beth’s artistic background is heavily movement based. She attended college for professional dance in New York, where she also studied Bartenieff Fundamentals, Kinesiology, and injury prevention. She earned scholarships to study with the Jose Limon Dance Company two summers in a row. 

Beth trained at Flow Yoga Center in DC in 2014, where she received her RYT200 and has largely taught community classes for the past 9 years. She is currently pursuing her 500 hour certification with Thrive. 

Beth is passionate about all movement and enjoys teaching various formats. She is a poet, runner, and lover of the world of fragrance.

Meg Flannery

Meg Flannery

Meg, RYT 200, is an eclectic Yogini who began meditation as an adolescent to manage chronic illness. If she’s not in the studio or home spoiling her pets, you may catch her on a hike or at a local venue attending a concert like AJR, Trevor Hall or Imagine Dragons! After diving deeper into the Yama & Niyamas in college, realization hit hard and fast that Yoga was the path she was meant to follow. She truly believes Yoga is for all bodies and holds a deep passion for Trauma Informed work, helping students stabilize their Central Nervous Systems. As a teacher, she is honored to help students piece together their unique practice. Asana with Meg tends to be on the gentler side most days, allowing students to explore their limits while inviting deep emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual release. Expect to integrate complementary practices such as Pranayama, Meditation Techniques, Crystal Healing & Aromatherapy for a well-rounded practice.

Willow Pogue

Willow Pogue

Willow (RYT-200, LMT, Reiki Master-Teacher) offers more than just a physical practice. Through a rich blend of presence, embodiment, and heartfelt joy, Willow’s classes are an invitation for you to connect deeply with yourself. Expect an invigorating flow with ample options to suit your level, balanced with breathwork and meditative practices that will leave you feeling revitalized from the inside out.

With over 10 years of yoga and meditation experience, Willow has experienced firsthand the inspiring benefits that these practices bring to our lives. She completed her 200-Hour Vinyasa Yoga Training in 2020, and continued her education through advanced study in Alignment-Based Yoga with Annie Carpenter and Tantric Hatha Yoga with Rod Stryker, in addition to frequent silent meditation retreats up to 4 weeks in length. As a Licensed Massage Therapist and a full-time student pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Nursing, Willow brings a refreshing and holistic approach to her teaching that aims to support health, vitality, and vibrancy on every level.