Kim, RYT-500
The past three years of instructing yoga have been the richest of Kim's life. Her greatest joy is found in sharing her love of yoga with everyone open to its benefits. She encourages her students to approach yoga as a way of life, to practice with a beginner's mind, with compassion and sincerity. Her classes are grounded in tradition with great attention to the universal principles of alignment and breath, while her approach is imbued with warmth and humor. Her classes are designed to develop bodily awareness and poise which lead to a better quality of life overall. Her focus is on cultivating self awareness, freedom of movement and developing a calm inner strength though yoga. Currently, Kim's primary studies are directed towards the effects of yoga on sleep.
Since 2001, Kim has studied various yoga traditions as a means to better manage the stresses of corporate life. Her practice and teaching have been influenced by many styles of yoga, including Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar and Yin Yoga.
She credits Richard Freeman as being her main yogic inspiration.
She has extensive training with the yogis who continue to inspire her, including Richard Freeman, David Swenson, Dharma Mittra, David Williams, T.K.S. Desikachar, John Friend, Roger Cole, Edward Clark, Bo Forbes and Jason Crandell.
She finds inspiration locally at the Dallas Yoga Center with her primary teachers, David Sunshine, Jeff Clardy, Mike Mauren and Jennifer Mabus. Kim continues to educate herself in the vast studies of yoga by attending workshops encompassing many different traditions and viewpoints. She has attended the Yoga Journal Estes Park, Colorado, Conference in '07, '08 & '09 to enhance & deepen both her personal practice and her teaching. She had the privilege in July '09 of participating in an intensive workshop with Richard Freeman at the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In May 2009, Kim founded Outdoor Yogis, teaching free classes to anyone who wishes to participate, simply because it's fun to practice outdoors somewhere beautiful ~ and because Yoga transcends walls. She believes we can all find inspiration for our yoga practice while connecting with the natural world.
Kim expresses deep gratitude to her teachers, her fellow yogis, and her students for being a continuing, expanding source of yogic knowledge and joy.
Eagan
Eagan first noticed the benefits of yoga in 2006. He took his first three yoga classes one week out of curiosity. Interestingly enough, it was after he skipped a few days & went back to his original routine that he noticed that he "needed to go back to a yoga class." Yoga has since helped Eagan find equanimity in the corporate world as a design engineer for Blackberry. He also practices yoga as a way to manage the side effects of a herniated disk in his back. Over the past four years, Eagan has seen his strength and flexibility improve through his practice of various styles of yoga, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga.
You'll usually see Eagan at the front desk or taking an evening class. Please feel free to ask him any questions & know you'll always be rewarded with a friendly response. You will always be treated with warmth, courtesy and humor (and handsomeness) when Eagan's at the desk. (written by Kim, so I am a little biased)
Shanon, E-RYT
Shanon Buffington, E-RYT, began practicing yoga in college as a supplement to teaching aerobics, weight-lifting, and running. But what started as exercise became much more. After years of suffering from pain caused by degenerative discs in her neck, Shanon began to find that the more she practiced yoga, the less pain she suffered. And as her practice deepened, she realized that yoga not only helped her body, but also helped her mind. She began teaching yoga in 2002 as a favor to a friend, but it wasn’t long until she discovered that her true passion was to share yoga with others.
Shanon graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla with a Bachelor and Master of Science in Engineering Management. She spent 6 years working in the software consulting industry. In 2002 she left her career in consulting and started her adventure with yoga. Shanon co-founded the Surya Center for Yoga in December 2003 with the hopes of providing yoga to anyone open to receiving it.
Shanon’s teachings are influenced by the Tantric tradition of Sri Vidya and the lineage of Sri Swami Rama of the Himalayas. She aims to bring an authentic experience of the yoga tradition to each class as well as to everyday life. She is one of the few teachers transmitting an authentic, living tradition that has been practiced and taught from teacher to student for thousands of years.
Shanon’s training includes certifications from the Yoga Institute and Para Yoga. Her training is in classical Tantra, Hatha, and Raja Yoga. She is a member of the Yoga Alliance, with over 400 hours of yoga training. She has studied with her teacher, Yogarupa Rod Stryker, considered to be one of the pre-eminent yoga and meditation teachers in the United States, since 2005.
Shanon lives in Coppell with her husband of 11 years, Gary, their son Jack, and two cats.
Brook, RYT-200
(bio coming soon)
Dhanashri, RYT-200
(bio coming soon)
Gloria, RYT-200
Gloria de la Garza Pemberton, RYT, has been in the fitness profession for over twenty years and was introduced to yoga as an alternate form of exercise while dealing with her Lupus. She quickly became hooked on not only the physical aspects but also the therapeutic benefits it has provided her. Gloria decided to completely immerse herself into yoga and has pursued this effort with her typical level of energy and enthusiasm. By practicing yoga and meditating it has given her a spiritual well being she hopes to share with others through teaching yoga.
Gloria's training includes Yoga Fit certifications in Levels One, Two and Three, an intensive teacher training with Baron Baptiste in the Catskills Mountains, NY, and training and studying with Rod Stryker, Beryl Bender Birch, and Sean Corn. She currently has over 250 hours of training in Power Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga and Raja yoga. In addition, Gloria has been a certified fitness instructor through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America since 1989, and is also a certified Reiki practitioner.
Gloria graduated form The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She lives in Coppell with her two children and her best friend and husband of 21 years.
Heather, RYT-200
(bio coming soon)
Melissa, RYT-200
Melissa Bittner discovered her passion for Ashtanga in 2002 through the loving and playful guidance of Maureen Bosker. She has since been a long-time student of master Ashtanga instructor Andrew Eppler.
Renowned teachers such as David Swenson, David Williams, Danny Paradise, Annie Pace, Dharma Mittra, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Bryan Kest, Melanie Fawer, Kathy McNames, Mathew Sweeney, Edward Clark, and Tias Little have also been influential to her practice.
Melissa balances her practice between the disciplined tradition of Sri K. Pattabi Jois and mindful ahimsa. She is drawn to the deeper aspects of yoga and is grateful for her two children, who give her wonderful opportunities to fully explore this realm. In addition to yoga, she is also fascinated with other natural healingtechniques. Her knowledge in this area has grown organically through self-study.
Mike
(bio coming soon)
Tracie
(bio coming soon)
Our yoga studio is conveniently located to the Coppell, Dallas, Lewisville, Irving, Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Grapvine areas.