About our Instructors
Ann Richardson
A Virginia Beach native, Ann was first introduced to yoga while directing her dance studio. Although familiar with yoga for some time, in 1999 she discovered that yoga generated a tremendous healing effect on several knee and back injuries sustained through her many years in the dance industry. Ann was hooked by the physical and spiritual benefits that she gained from the practice, and felt the calling to become a yoga instructor.
Ann has trained in several traditions, and has been fortunate to have studied and practiced with many extraordinary teachers, including Thom Birch, Sri Dharma Mittra, Tao Porchon-Lynch, Suzie Hurley, Tim Miller, and Christy Brock. She has practiced in many workshops and trainings with Doug Swenson-Sadhana Chi, occasionally assisting Doug in his workshops. She has also studied yogic philosophy (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali & the Bhagavad Gita) with author and comparative religion professor Dr. Graham Schweig. Ann continues gain experience by practicing at different studios locally and across the nation.
In 2001 Ann was introduced to Astanga/Power Yoga by her teacher, Beryl Bender Birch, founder and director of The Hard and The Soft Yoga Institute and author of best-selling books, Power Yoga and Beyond Power Yoga. Ann is a 500 hour graduate of Beryl's school and currently represents the Hard and The Soft in workshops and teacher trainings around the country. Ann is in Beryl's latest video, "Power Yoga, The Practice."
Ann is registered as a 500 hour multi-style Experienced Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. Currently, Ann is the yoga director at Inlet Fitness South, in Virginia Beach. She teaches a variety of classes (Astanga/Power, Flow, Gentle, etc) at several Yoga studios in Virginia Beach and Norfolk including Virginia Wesleyan College. Ann leads privates, classes, workshops, teacher trainings, continued education, and is taking her practice on the road in various locations across the country.
Ann’s love of teaching and years of experience are evident in the comfortable manner in which she conducts her classes. She is known for the infectious enthusiasm she brings to each session. With a keen eye for correct alignment and knowledge of modifications, Ann’s gift is the ability to tailor the practice to the specific need of the student, allowing that student to realize their own inner strength to face what life has to offer.
Alexandra Kedrock LCSW, CYI
Alex is a certified TriYoga Basics instructor and enjoys experiencing the mind, body, spirit union emerging within her yoga practice. She believes that all ages, sizes, and physical abilities can benefit from Yoga. With attention to breath and alignment, the spaces in between the bones open, the muscles relax and energy flows. With a lightness of approach and a respect for the body’s wisdom her classes encourage a sense of inner well being. Beginners and advanced students will deepen their practice as well as increase flexibility and strength. Alex is also a psychotherapist with 30 years experience using the mind/body connection for growth and transformation. She enjoys working with couples and with people in their transitional life phases. Cooking meals for friends and family, writing, social action, bicycling, dancing and serendipity awaken her soul. Alex supports the Nonviolent Peaceforce (What to say YES to when you say no to war) believing that we must offer the world new choices for resolving conflict. Sometimes she can get a bit serious and concerned and so then she spins. Spinning is her drug of choice and from time to time she even pulls out her hoola hoop! Alex is currently studying with Anna Pittman to receive her 200 hour yoga certification.
Brian Dunning RPh, CYI
Brian walked into his first yoga class in 2001 and immediately knew that this was where he was supposed to be at this point in his life. He quickly found that yoga was to be his path for spiritual growth and personal development. He completed his first formal teacher training with Anna Pittman, which focused on the philosophy of yoga, breathwork, meditation, and Iyengar based asana. The KaliRay Triyoga lineage really speaks to his heart and soul, and he has studied with Sri Kaliji and other Triyoga teachers in Santa Cruz, California. In 2006, he became a certified TriYoga Instructor. He views teaching as a way of “giving back” to the yoga community that has been so loving and supportive of his spiritual journey. When he is off the mat, he is a pharmacist for Sentara. He graduated from The Medical College of VA- School of Pharmacy in 1988. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with friends, gardening and camping with his life partner, Danny, and his dogs Fran and Abbey.
Cecelia Rice RYT 500
While pursuing a career as an interior designer, artist and dance enthusiast in 1987 Cecelia became a student and practitioner of meditation and the Healing Arts. She is Certified in Healing Touch I, Reiki I and Journey to Self/Way of Healer II. Cecelia participated in the Development of Intuitive Skills II- at the A.R.E. with Mary Roach 1992. In 2001, she was certified by Master Adam's International School of Yoga and received her 200 hour certification with Yoga Alliance. Cecelia began teaching in 2001 part time while still working as an interior designer and then began teaching full time 2003. In 2006, she completed Anna Pittman's 500 hour program for her 500 hour Yoga Alliance certification. Cecelia draws on her studies of The Yogic Breath with Kathleen Barrett, Purna Yoga with Adail Palkhivala, Anusara Yoga with Desiree Rambaugh and Restorative Yoga with the Piedmont School of Yoga. She continues her life's work following the Principles of Movement, Anatomy and Restorative Yoga. Cecelia's practice and teaching is shaped by weaving together her knowledge and precepts of the Healing Arts, Energy Modalities, and various styles of yoga including Purna, Iyengar, Anusara, Yin, Restorative/therapeutic as well as Breathwork, and Pranayama and Meditation techniques. She likes to describe her style as Slow Flow-enabling the student to experience a deep meditative practice. As an artist and dance enthusiast, she easily brings joy and creativity into her teaching. Cecelia takes a special interest in Restorative yoga for stress management, cancer recovery and all special needs(group or private).
Gabrielle Gerard Breathwork/Bio-energy Facilitator & Creative Spiritual Life Coach Yoga & Meditation Teacher
Gabrielle has studied and continues to study with a variety of teachers of Yoga, Alchemy, and the teaching of the Mystery Schools. She has been studying and teaching yoga since 1993. She has degree in Liberal Arts with focus on Philosophy, Religion, and Spiritual Studies. She has a strong private practice and teaches within the community. Gabrielle’s approach to teaching and guiding comes from her exploration and personal practice. She has a unique, playful and articulate way of guiding people into the understanding of the process of transforming from the inside out. Gabrielle teaches by example as she understands that we can not take anyone into places we have not personally gone. She began her studies of yoga, breath, and meditation in the early 1990’s with Kathleen Barratt at the Subtle Energy Institute in Virginia Beach, VA. She is recognized as an advanced teacher in facilitating and teaching Breathwork and meditation with groups and individuals, and she continues her studies through the Subtle Energy Institute. She has completed her training in Basics through Level One in Bio-energy as taught by Margaret and Mietek Wirkus. She is a certified teacher of the KaliRayTriYoga Method of Hatha Yoga. Basics through Level 2. She started studying with TriYoga in 1996.
Gabrielle co-founded Inside Out Yoga Studio in 1998-2006 with sister Anna Pittman. Gabrielle Gerard's business, InsideOut Yoga, has a strong private practice in Norfolk, Va. and internationally in yoga, breathwork & mediation, spiritual mentoring, creative life coaching and she is an Ascension Technologist. Her certifications are with: KaliRay - Creator of KaliRay TriYoga ~ Basics through Level 2 Kathleen Barratt - Breath, Meditation & Spiritual Mentoring, Life Coaching, Bio-energy Margaret and Mietek Wirkus – Bio-energy Mary Elizabeth Marlow - Mystery School Studies, Personal Process and Spiritual Counseling Dana How ~ Completed one Year Alchemy Program Suzanna Kennedy ~ Certified in Divine Human Upgrades. Ascension Technologist. On A Personal Note: It is a passion for me to support others in seeking what they desire to create in life and to discover what attitudes and beliefs are not in alignment with that desire. It is a creative and exploratory process that allows us to align ourselves with the soul’s purpose. I have explored the concept of living from intention, and I know its importance in supporting, shaping, and transforming consciousness. I teach what I practice, and I realize that my life is a work in progress. I continue to study, explore and share with other teachers and truth- seeking beings. I am a student of life, continually striving to obtain spiritual awareness through relationships and through my intense personal desire for happiness, health, wellness, wellbeing, freedom and joy. I am heart-fully dedicated to providing a warm and inviting environment for students to discover consciousness through the body. We honor the union of body, mind and spirit as a sanctuary to which we turn for peace and equanimity and a deeper connection to the authentic Self.
Kim Austin-Peterman, CMT RYT 500
Kim Austin Peterman CMT, RYT 500 Kim is the co-owner and co-creator of The Space Above Yoga Center. Kim not only appreciates the daily reminders yoga brings to who she is, but also considers the incredible influence it brings to her family. Raising her two children, daughter Josie and son Hobie, with the principles and understanding of Sankhya philosophy, Yoga and Ayurveda is how she consistently contributes back into the world. It is her goal to forward deeply her personal devotion to yoga, and equally important for her to share, on any level, the gift of yoga with others. Kim believes that by planting even the smallest of seeds to even the smallest of insights, is giving back on a Universal level. Until there are more people living a balanced, happy life then there are NOT, Kim believes there is work for her to be done.
By working with people in several different capacities she feels there are more opportunities for them to shift and open up to a better life. Her nine years experience as a massage therapist is only complimentary to her abilities as a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Practitioner. Kim has been practicing and studying yoga for seven years and has successfully completed both the 200 hour and 500 hour level of teacher training with well respected teacher Anna Pittman. At this level she is certified and registered (500RYT) with the National Yoga Alliance. Kim has also experienced profound influences studying under various Master level teachers such as Aadil Palkivala and Sarah Powers. She is currently working to complete 500 hours of study in Ayurveda to become a practitioner of this cosmic science. She will be certified by Emerson Theological Institute and the Dhanvantari Ayurvedic Center, after finishing her studies with teacher Vijaya Stallings sometime in early 2008. She plans to blend today's more modern lifestyle with the ancient wisdom of Vedic philosophy, by cultivating more interest and effort towards each. With this interest and more understanding, she hopes that the nature of an Ayurvedic lifestyle can become more available to the Western mind. Kim has also extended her yoga studies and teachings to infants, toddlers and children. She is trained and certified in the Internationally known Itsy Bitsy Yoga Program. Kim humbly and thankfully appreciates that her abilities and offerings as a mother, teacher and therapist are ultimately gifts of a divine nature.
Leah Hiyama MPT, RYT 200
Yoga found Leah when she moved down to Norfolk from Connecticut in 2004. She instantly fell in love and looked forward to retreating to the mat whenever possible. At first, the challenging yoga classes were just a great way to burn calories. But as her practice grew, Leah began to notice other subtle changes. Difficult moments seemed a little less stressful, compassion was expressed more naturally and a general sense of well being had taken root. The true meaning of yoga had permeated daily existence; what was once a good workout, became a way of life. Leah was inspired to spread her passion for yoga by sharing it with others. She completed her 200 hour Hatha yoga teacher training at My Yoga Spirit in August of 2006 and is working her way through another 200 hour teacher training with Anna Pittman at The Space Above. Yoga has also been a driving force in Leah’s career as a physical therapist.
Lisa Meer-Lewis CMT, RYT 500
Lisa is the co-owner and co-creator of The Space Above Yoga Center. She grew up as a Navy brat living all over the east coast and now lives in Chicks Beach with her husband, Andrew, her beagle, Clifford and her two cats, Herman and Lucy. After graduating from Old Dominion University in 1995 with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor's of Science in Human Services Counseling, Lisa worked in the mental health field for about a year before she was inspired by a close friend to attend The Fuller School of Massage Therapy. Lisa became a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist in 1997 and began working in private practice in Ghent that same year. In 1996, Lisa attended her first yoga class with Anna Pittman at the downtown Norfolk YMCA . Since she had been a competitive athlete most her life, Lisa was craving a way to bring more balance into her active lifestyle. Yoga was the answer! She continued to practice under the guidance of Anna Pittman and Gabrielle Gerard at InsideOut Yoga Center until 2006. She completed her 200 hour Hatha yoga certification with Anna Pittman in 2002 and her 500 hour certification in 2007. Lisa fell in love with the Iyengar style of hatha yoga in her first intensive training with Aadil Palkhivala in 2002. Acclaimed as "the teacher of teachers", Aadil is the founder-director of the internationally renowned health center, Yoga Centers in Bellevue, Washington and the all-inclusive style of yoga named after Sri Aurobindo's "Purna Yoga." Although Lisa feels that everyone she knows is an inspiration on her life's path, some of the major influences on her work so far include Beryl Bender Birch, KaliRay, Gabrielle Gerard, Tim Miller, Gabriel Halpern, Angela Farmer, Dharma Mittra, Suzie Hurley and Kate Miller. She has also studied yogic philosophy with Aadil Palkhivala and Dr. Graham Schweig. In addition to being a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Lisa is also a Certified Neuromuscular Massage Therapist through Judith Walker-Delany's program. She feels especially influenced in her bodywork style by her training in John Barnes's Myofascial Release technique, the Structural Integration method and her extraordinary 6-day human dissection experience with the Somanautics team of Todd Garcia and Gil Hedley. Lisa is currently a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance. She recently completed the first level of training for The Great Yoga Wall and is looking forward to sharing all of the fun and therapeutic benefits of having one available in the The Space Above. Lisa's passion for unraveling the anatomical complexities of the human body while acknowledging its subtle energy system is evident in her classes. She appreciates the opportunity to help her students understand what they are made of and what is possible in their body-mind. When attending Lisa's classes, you are bound to feel encouraged to flirt with your own perceived boundaries with a sense of humor and an open heart. With a discerning eye for safe physical alignment in postures, Lisa enjoys helping her students find their own unique expressions of the poses using modifications that allow for a blend effort and ease. She also has the ability to share her perspective on yogic philosophy in a simple and approachable way . When Lisa isn't talking about, thinking about or practicing bodywork or yoga, she may be out in the mountains on a backpacking trip for a few days with her dog, paragliding with her husband out west, climbing in the gym (or on a rock face in West Virginia when she's lucky) or curled up on her couch with her laptop.
Rosie Taylor E-RYT 500, CMT
Rosie Taylor has been a student of Iyengar Yoga since 1978 and a teacher in this tradition since 1991. She is registered with the National Yoga Alliance as a E-RYT 500-hour instructor. Her primary teacher is Kofi Busia, a nationally recognized senior teacher in the Iyengar tradition. She has also studied with Rodney Yee, Dean Lerner, Angela Farmer, Dharma Mittra and others. Rosie has been teaching in Williamsburg since 1991 at various locations including The College of William and Mary Kinesiology Department, Quarterpath Rec Center and currently Anahata Yoga Center. In 2004 she joined the staff of universalmovement yoga studio in Virginia Beach where she also directed the teacher training program. As an experienced teacher, she conducts workshops, intensives, introductory as well as advanced classes. Rosie is a certified massage therapist who currently is available for private sessions in massage, John Barnes’ Myofascial Release and Yoga. Recently she has developed Private sessions that combine yoga and myofascial release for a unique unwinding experience that helps the student deepen their practice.
Risa Fowler
Risa Fowler received her first guidance in teaching yoga at White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California from Ganga White and Tracey Rich in 2005. With these remarkable, world-renown teachers she studied vinyasa (flow) style Hatha yoga, which is infused with depth and meaning that relates back to each individual’s body. A personal relationship with the practice of yoga initiates from within. Learning to hear that guidance is an integral part of the experience and thus an important aspect of Risa’s teaching style. Each movement originates from the energy instilled in the body by the breath. In every session, time is dedicated to the breath, to tapping into the wealth of wisdom that is accessible through this ever-present custodian of life.
Risa has also completed preliminary training in the TriYoga method of Hatha yoga flow. Deliberate movement and attention to breath emphasized by this modality inspires great space and opening within. The flows, or kriyas, channeled by Kaliji are themselves incredible moving meditation (dhyana) and are supported effortlessly by breath (pranayama) and concentration (dharana) techniques. Risa continues to study this form to awaken more of the subtlety in her own experience so that she can continually share new insights with you.
Additionally, Risa has studied under several other yogis including Janice Gates, Tao Porchon-Lynch and Michael Stone. Locally, she has been embraced into the TriYoga lineage by Gabrielle Gerard. She derives tremendous inspiration for her yoga from a myriad of personal teachers including Eddie Ellner and Ancelyn Avila. It is the fusion of these myriad yogic experiences she wishes to make available to you.
Caitlin Pitts
Caitlin found yoga during her last year of college at William and Mary, then moved out to California where she studied intensively with many wonderful teachers (Sarah Powers, Rodney Yee, Tias Little, John Friend) in between her shifts at the collective organic restaurant which she jointly owned and operated with eight other people, all with very large personalities. There she honed her practice of the yoga of work and relationships, and continues to do so here in Norfolk within the yoga community. She is continually inspired and amazed in her practice and loves to share that in her classes, exploring the refinement of alignment, the nature of the breath, the energetic imprint of the poses and the depth of pure relaxation.