Meet Your Teachers
Connie Bisesi
aaron cassada
Rebecca Collins
Connie began practicing yoga in her early 20's and spent the next 9 years as a dedicated practitioner. Connie is an elementary school Art teacher, so teaching is a calling in all forms. She felt the call to deepen her knowledge and practice, beginning her 200-hr training with Dharma Richards at Yoga Garden Apex in 2013. She began teaching in 2014 and completed her next 300-hrs of training with Blue Lotus NC in 2023.
As a teacher, Connie wants people to know that this practice is for anyone who wants it and that their practice is personal to them so it can be whatever they need it to be both on and off the mat. Students are encouraged to do what works for their bodies, but also have opportunities to challenge themselves. Connie's classes are a space to enjoy yourself and find pieces of your practice that you can take with you when you leave.
After settling into the Triangle area for a year, Aaron is eager to grow new roots in the community. He first tried yoga as a holistic alternative to surgery, but soon found the greatest benefit was a quieter mind. When there was a sign for yoga, Aaron was there, curious and open to what this tradition had to teach. After several years of practicing and a couple of trainings, Aaron met his teacher, Todd Geiser, the originator of Yogastha Sadhana – a modern-day Raja Vinyasa method. With countless and continuous hours of one-on-one guidance, Aaron holds authorization to share Yogastha with others seeking transformation in their lives.
Through contemplations and meditations on the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads, Aaron strives to bring these timeless lessons to life in every class. Infused with Sanskrit, anatomical cues, purposeful modifications, and heartfelt encouragement, his classes offer something for every practitioner, regardless of age or experience. While it might take a few classes to get familiar with the sequencing of Yogastha, Aaron assures everyone will find some benefits for their yoga journey.
Rebecca is inspired by a deep commitment to creating a more just and sustainable future. Through gentle, mindful movement, breath, and meditation, she empowers students with the physical and mental resilience necessary to navigate our changing world. Drawing upon yogic philosophy, neuroscience and her experience in the field of sustainability and climate adaptation, she encourages students to recognize the interconnectedness of all things and how their personal growth ripples into positive societal change.
Rebecca was drawn to online yoga classes during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to feel connection with community and to support her physical and mental wellbeing, and fell in love with gentler, restorative yoga styles. Being encouraged to slow down and do less to improve her health was a revolutionary idea.
Rebecca received her 200-hour certification from Yoga Garden Pittsboro in 2024. She recognized that yoga could be a powerful tool to build a more sustainable society one person at a time. She continued her yogic education with a 75-hour certification in NeuroSoma yoga in 2026. Diving into the neuroscience of yoga brought a new depth to Rebecca’s teaching, allowing her to incorporate practices designed to support brain health as individuals age.
Katie Cousins
Katie grew up in Sanford, NC and graduated from NC State with a BA in Communications. She discovered yoga in 2013 after moving to Charleston, SC and quickly fell in love with the challenge, the sweat, and the powerful mind-body connection. Katie completed her 200-hr Baptiste Power Yoga teacher training and Art of Assisting program in 2014. She later earned certifications in Prenatal Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Levels 1 & 2, and Yin Yoga. Katie has also completed over 30 hours of anatomy training through Yoga International and Yoga Medicine, and is pursuing additional certifications in Equine-Assisted Learning for Educational and Personal Development to blend her passion for mindfulness and somatic healing with the wonderful world of horses.
Katies teaching style is authentic, playful, and a little bit unpredictable. She rarely plans her classes in advance, preferring to respond to the bodies in the room and teaching what the students actually need in the moment. Her classes can be challenging, but they're always grounded in curiosity, laughter, and connection.
Meadow Defosche
Meadow was originally drawn to explore yoga 27 years ago while serving in the military. Although her practice was initially sporadic and a complement to a traditional fitness regimen., the benefits became apparent after a car wreck left her with chronic, debilitating pain. Through a regular practice, she was able to find relief where traditional medicine had been ineffective.
She decided to deepen her practice by studying Classical Raja Yoga under Dharma Richards, and continued her studies to earn her advanced certification shortly thereafter. She is certified in Restorative Yoga, Yoga for Post-Traumatic Stress through Yoga Warriors International, Yoga for Stress Management through Satchidananda Ashram, and Yoga Nidra through Arhanta Ashram, as well as an Accessible Yoga teacher and Thai Bodywork Practitioner. She has had the great honor of studying under other amazing teachers such as Dharma Mittra and Erich Schiffman.
Susan Friedman
Yoga for Susan began 20 years ago, a search for relief from pain and overwork. In the quiet of the mat, she discovered that the breath eases the gap between discomfort and ease, teaching her that even in the midst of life's difficulties, we can find a centered place of belonging.
With a background in social work and a lifetime that has been dedicated to community care, Susan facilitates spaces where the heart can rest and the spirit can reflect. Her approach is trauma-informed and deeply rooted in empathy, weaving together the wisdom of Yoga, meditation, and Tai Chi to foster emotional resilience and collective healing. She believes that it is together where we find the strength to heal.
Susan is a 500-hr Yoga Alliance certified teacher and a certified Tai Chi Practice Leader. Beyond the credentials, she finds that each time she settles onto the mat, she learns and grows.
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sky maxwell
Lisa Pigeon
maia rhenish
Sky started practicing yoga through classes offered at her high school in Wendell, North Carolina and continued at a number of vinyasa focused studios around Raleigh, North Carolina and San Luis Obispo, California.
She went on to complete her 200 Hour RYT training from Andrew Stackhouse at The Center in 2022 with an emphasis on vinyasa style yoga. Sky began teaching at Dharma Yoga Loft in Paso Robles as well as “mindful movement” for the Boys and Girls Club where she helped children ground and find stillness within themselves.
Sky’s main teaching style is power with the occasional slow flow, her classes focus on breath-to-movement and encourages modifications that help students feel safe, challenged, and capable through their practice.
Lisa was introduced to yoga in 2008. At first, the practice served to release stress and grow self-confidence. Over time, it began to shape her emotional landscape and experience the world. In 2018, she completed a 200-hr teacher training with Sage Roundtree at Carrboro Yoga Company, and promptly began teaching.
Lisa's teaching style is inclusive, inviting students of any level to focus on physical and energetic alignment. Her cueing is precise, and includes instructions for all bodies. Yoga philosophy is shared throughout class, and usually laugh or two, while students move and breath together.
Lisa has so much gratitude for her teachers, Paul and Sommer Sobin of Thousand Petals Yoga. Paul's instruction gave Lisa the language to teach and the ability to have fun with the practice. Sommer's teachings remind Lisa to relax and enjoy each movement while staying in her power. Both have influenced her in ways she'll be forever grateful for.
Maia Rhenish is a sound healing practitioner, embodied voice coach, musician, and Shamanic Reiki Master with over 30 years combined experience in music, education, and the healing arts.
In her practice, Maia weaves together gentle breathwork, vocal toning, somatic movement, and sound healing instruments, inviting the body and mind to slow down, release stress, and return to a natural state of ease and balance.
Rooted in the belief that healing begins within, Maia guides others back to themselves through self-awareness, deep listening, and connection to the wisdom of the body and the sacred rhythms of life.
Beyond her healing and teaching work, Maia enjoys wandering in the woods, hammock camping, songwriting, gardening, dancing, dreaming, and adventuring with her two teenage boys.
lisa roth
Nicole Souther
jessica starr
Lisa’s first yoga and meditation experience was in college in 2005, but she really dove in around ten years later. Feeling a pull to go deeper than practice, she trained with the EmbodiYoga Teacher Training with Lisa Clark in 2019, earning her 200hr certificate. Lisa became so much more engaged in the experience, more connected in mind-body-spirit, and learned to see yoga as more than mindful exercise or stretching! She didn’t feel ready to teach until recently after healing and working on herself, and truly feeling the wisdom of her body and her life experience.
Lisa’s approach to yoga is a mix of functional movement, embodiment, and play. She believes ‘Your body is your best teacher’, and likes to explore and experience new ways of moving while honoring our bodies. Through yoga philosophy and physicality, we can know ourselves more deeply.
Lisa’s classes can include gentle flow, body awareness, soft strength, and some meditation. She also likes to laugh and enjoy the journey! Come explore greater ease, resilience, curiosity, and presence—both on and off the mat!
Nicole is a movement enthusiast who brings a multidisciplinary approach to her classes. She discovered yoga in the 90's and has been a consistent practitioner ever since. She is a 500-RYT who takes an inspirational approach to classes but stays grounded in technique, alignment, and her own experience.
She often employs a multidisciplinary approach when working with clients and likes helping people discover their own potential through movement.
Jessica Starr is a bridge-builder between the modern science of the nervous system and the ancient mystery of sacred embodiment. As a licensed Somatic Psychotherapist, Qigong instructor, and the creator of Sacred Somatics, her body of work is rooted in the truth that the body is not only capable of healing trauma, but is a portal for profound wisdom and transformation. She shares these practices through a private clinical practice, as well as classes and retreats locally and internationally. Jessica is also the visionary behind a cooperative, land-based, yin healing community sanctuary in North Carolina.
Deeply committed to collective liberation, Jessica intentionally cultivates safer, inclusive, and identity-affirming spaces where every body belongs. Her work is explicitly anti-oppressive, honoring diversity across all lived experiences. As a guest and practitioner of ancient movement arts, she walks with deep humility as a white, cis woman—actively de centering herself to honor the teachers, ancestors, and indigenous wisdom lineages that have kept these healing traditions alive across generations.
Aviva Tulasi
Aviva Tulasi (she/her) is a C-IAYT and holds an M.A.T. in physical science. She invites you to notice sensations using her classical Hatha Yoga training from the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. Aviva guides you to gently reconnect and learn more about yourself through breathing, slow mindful movements and stillness. Aviva thinks of herself as a lifelong yoga student who always is up for spending time in nature (bonus if it’s in a hammock). In addition, Aviva shows up for the community as much as she can. She is always willing to leans a helping hand. She takes an active role in combating food insecurity by running Fuel Up at Perry Harrison School. And yet her number one priority is to be present with her husband, step-children and dogs.
Aviva has 1000 hours of training with the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center (200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and 800 hour yoga health education) along with training in Chair Yoga, Yoga for Osteoporosis, Yin Yoga for Any Body and Y.O.G.A. for Youth.
Roz Tyburski
Roz has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for more than 25 years. Raised in a household where yoga philosophy was part of everyday life, she has spent decades exploring the connection between breath, movement, and awareness. Her classes are rooted in a flowing vinyasa style that links movement with breath. They are designed to be both challenging and accessible, creating a space for students to build strength while staying attuned to their bodies. Roz's teachings are also rooted in her work in somatics, breathwork, and applied neuroscience.
With a deep understanding of the nervous system and how the body holds stress and builds resilience, she guides students to move with awareness, breathe more fully, and reconnect to their own inner steadiness.
Jaime Warkonyi
Jaime began her journey on the mat while attending a weekly Hatha Yoga class at Edinboro University or Pennsylvania, where she first discovered the power of breath and began her path of "training for life." With a professional background in education, she brings a deep understanding of relationship-building, compassion, and Seva (selfless service) into her teaching.
Jaime completed her 200-hr training at Asura Yoga Academy, studying under Jennie Wise, with a focus on Yoga Psychology. She later completed her advanced 300-hr certification through Mindful Muse at Yoga Garden School of Yoga under her mentor Dharma Richards, also earning certification as a Yoga Warriors International Teacher.
Jaime is also a Usui/Tibetan Holy Fire® III Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher through the Intonational Center for Reiki Training, as well as a trained Yoga of 12-Step Recovery (Y12SR) Peer Support Guide. She completed her Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training under Keval Kaur Khalsa and continues to deepen her studies in Kundalini Yoga and yoga philosophy.
Donna’s yoga journey began in 2022 when she accompanied her stepdaughter on a 3-week SYI 200-hr. yoga teacher certification program and adventure in Peru where they were
introduced to Mystical Hatha and Vinyasa in the sacred valley. She came back feeling healthier in both mind and body. Although certified, she did not yet feel ready to teach but came home knowing that yoga had made a profound difference in her life and wanted to continue deepening her practice and learning more about Yoga.
She immediately began practicing regularly at Yoga Garden where she found a beautiful community to practice and grow with.
Donna completed her 200-hr. Yoga teacher training in May of 2026 at Yoga Garden with Meadow and Lexie as her teachers/mentors/supporters and is so grateful for her time training with them. She is excited and ready to continue her yoga journey by sharing her practice with others so that she can share the joy and sense of peace with others that she has found through yoga.
Donna loves gentle, slow, mindful classes that take you deep within and leave you wanting to carry this beautiful feeling out into the world for the rest of the day. She also enjoys
vinyasa flow classes that help build strength and balance, incorporating breathwork and movement where you leave the class feeling energized and strong. She appreciates how Yoga meets you right where you are at the moment, and that everyone’s practice is unique and perfect just as it is.
When Donna is not practicing Yoga, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and dancing.
DONNA WASELESKI
Bill Wofford
Yoga has shaped the way Lexie lives—how she breathes, meets challenge, and moves through daily life. What began in 1999 as a physical practice has become a steady, evolving path, and that lived experience is what she brings into her teaching: not a pursuit of perfection, but an invitation toward presence and a more meaningful experience of being alive.
In 2017, she co-founded Yoga Garden Pittsboro with her longtime teacher, Dharma Richards, and went on to grow and sustain it as a vibrant, deeply rooted community space. There, she taught classes, led circles and trainings, and supported students through many different seasons of practice and life.
Her training includes 200-hour (2018) and 300-hour (2021) certifications with Dharma Richards, along with advanced study through the Sattva Yoga Academy with Anand Mehrotra in Rishikesh, India. She completed a 300-hour training in 2024 and Master Level Teacher Training in 2026, immersing in the study of Kriya Yoga, meditation, and subtle yogic practices. These teachings continue to deeply inform both her personal practice and the way she guides others.
Lexie’s teaching is grounded, thoughtful, and soulful, with an emphasis on breath, awareness, and sustainable practice. She values meeting students where they are, while gently opening the door to deeper experience over time.
She continues to walk the path as both student and teacher, guided by practice, community, and a genuine love for the work—returning again and again to the simple, steady rhythms that yoga offers.
Lexie Wolf
Bill's yoga journey began in New York City in the summer of 1992 when he accepted an invitation from his big sister to join her downtown after work. After stretching and sweating his way though a mixed levels Hatha class, he was amazed at how quickly and fully he was immersed in the peaceful bills of savasana. Snoring might have happened during that savasana, and not for the last time.
For the next couple decades, most of his studies took place in Chapel Hill and Carrboro with teachers trained in the Anusara, alignment-based style of yoga, notably Somer Paris and Paul Sobin. The years of regular weekly practice were peppered with local immersions and occasional retreats in exotic locales.
In 2024, Bill heeded the call to get certified as a yoga instructor, enrolling in an online 200-hr yoga teacher training program led by Anand Mehrotra, founder of Sattva Yoga Academy. In the fall of 2024, Bill went to Sattva in Rishikesh to dusty Kirya Yoga in the 300-hour program led by Anand and his team. Bill returned to Sattva in January 2026 to complete the Master Training Program.