Instructors
Wendy Andersen
Wendy (E-RYT 500) is the owner and director of Shine Yoga Center. A former corporate litigation attorney, Wendy retired from the practice of law in 2002 to open Shine, teach yoga and create a family with her husband Scott (and now Luke and Sam).
Wendy is a certified teacher of Anusara Yoga. She has also studied Iyengar and Ashtanga Yoga. She is known for the clarity of her alignment instruction and for her ability to express energetic action in an understandable way. Her intention is to help students at Shine connect more fully to their own inner wisdom.
Shalini Latour
Shalini (E-RYT 500) began her journey into hatha yoga while living in an Ashram. She practiced yoga, meditation, chanting, studied philosophy, and traveled to India twice during her 10-year stay there. She has been dedicated to the study and practice of Anusara Yoga since 1989. Shalini is a certified Anusara instructor and is known for her fun loving, light-hearted teaching style. The therapeutic aspect of yoga is of special interest to her and she enjoys sharing the knowledge she accumulated thru her extensive studies and her own injuries. Shalini is also a pastry chef, she creates unique cakes from her home kitchen. Visit her web site at www.shaliniscakes.com
Rosanna Juncos
Rosanna is an Anusara Yoga certified teacher and has studied extensively with John Friend, Rodney Yee, Judith Lasater, Sianna Sherman, Mitchel Bleier and many other excellent teachers. She has been an ardent and committed yoga practitioner since 1991 and has been teaching in the Cincinnati area since 1996. Her classes focus on mindfulness and helping students find optimal alignment in the poses, in part so they can reap maximum benefit from their practice, and also because she believes yoga is as much an exercise of consciousness as of the body. She brings her playfulness and love of poetry and philosophy into her classes, liberally sprinkling them with beautiful thoughts and quotes from whatever book she's reading at the time.
Kathleen Noble
The inspiration for my teaching style is rooted in the poetry and celebration of everyday living. My greatest hope is to help my friends and students find a deeper level of insight, comfort, and joy in their unique experience of life. I am eternally grateful for the transformative practice of Yoga and feel blessed with the opportunity to share it! As well as yoga for grown-ups, I lead the various family based Yoga classes her at Shine and teach Yoga for Pregnancy. I am devoted to helping women feel empowered as they transition into motherhood.
I fell in love with teaching movement based classes very early on. I taught my first gymnastic lessons at just 14 years of age. After college I became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and achieved the affiliated Anusara Yoga Instructor status in 2002. When I became pregnant in 2003 I began my pre-natal training and received certifications in pre- and post-natal fitness and yoga from DSW Fitness and Mother-Well Maternity Fitness and Yoga. You can find more about me and my work at www.flourishunlimited.com or e-mail me at katenoble@fuse.net.
Karen Johns
Karen (RYT 200) has been practicing asana for over 10 years, and intends to practice until she’s a happy, silly old lady with well-lubricated joints and a knowing smile. Karen teaches Beginner, Yoga for Stress and monthly chanting classes at Shine with a particular fondness for the newbies. She remembers what it was like to try to touch her toes when she first started, and makes yoga do-able with humor, empathy and solid alignment instruction to help students feel safe, good and encouraged to continue.
Karen also loves writing, singing and playing devotional music and has to pinch herself to be sure that it's real when she wears the hat of office manager here at Shine.
Karen is certified through Shine's Teacher Training program as a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance.
Brenda Villa
Brenda has been studying Anusara at Shine since it opened more than 5 years ago, and has accumulated over 300 hours of study with John Friend, Sianna Sherman and Mitchel Bleier. Her teaching style is dynamic and joyous, and her classes are not to be missed.
David Martin
David Martin has been practicing yoga for 6 years and wonders what he did without it. He began studying in the Iyengar tradition and was drawn to Anusara yoga in 1999 after experiencing its capacity to open the heart and inspire. He has trained as an Anusara teacher for over 300 hours with Senior Anusara teachers Sianna Sherman, Mitchel Bleier, Naime Jezzeny and Sue Elkind. He has also attended 100 hours of workshops with John Friend, Anusara Yoga’s founder. David has had a daily meditation practice for ten years and remains a student of meditation teacher, Sally Kempton.
During the day, David trains and coaches corporate executives and delivers a leadership develop program called Momentum to build their leadership skills and accelerate their successes. David teaches beginning classes at Shine because he loves to share the practice of yoga and because he is grateful to be with the awesome people Shine attracts.
Alan Hundley
Alan is a licensed massage therapist and certified instructor in Tai Chi and Qigong for Health with Dr. Paul Lam. He has been teaching Tai Chi and Qigong for the past 4 years. He is currently working with Grand Master Ken Cohen towards another certification in Medical Qigong through Ken's Qigong Practice and Research Center in Boulder Colorado.
Donna Covrett
Donna has been a student of yoga since 1974, living in the Sri Rudrananda Ashram for five years studying Kundalini and Tantra yogas. Since then, she’s had the great fortune to study with many gifted teachers in a variety of yoga styles, all of whom continue to inspire her classes and daily life. She brings sincere respect for the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of yoga through her lively classes.
Bev Palmer
Bev (RYT 200) has been a member of the Shine community since we opened our doors seven years ago. Coming to yoga as the result of a serious condition in her spine, Bev has experienced first-hand the therapeutic benefits of a regular yoga practice. She has studied with all of our teachers at Shine and, in addition, with all of our visiting veteran Anusara yogis, including founder John Friend, Sianna Sherman, Betsy Downing, Desiree Rumbaugh and many more. Bev infuses her classes with the joy and enthusiasm of a heart-centered practice, balanced by competence and a solid understanding of the principles of alignment. She is committed to helping each student find the optimal blueprint for his or her unique physical challenge and to encouraging self-love, compassion and gratitude as the foundations for healing and growth.
Patsy Baughn
After living in Cincinnati for more than 15 years, Patsy Baughn moved to Los Angeles, CA where she spent 5 years training and teaching in some of the most well-known Anusara studios. Patsy completed her first teacher training in 2001. She became an Anusara Affiliated teacher in 2004 after studying more than 300 hours with Anusara certified teachers and more than 100 hours with John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga. Patsy received her prenatal training under the tutelage of certified Anusara instructors with prenatal specialization and also taught Mommy and Me classes for more than two years. Patsy is honored to be invited to teach prenatal classes at Shine.
Kim Nietch
Kim Nietch (RYT 500), a former New Jersey yoga studio owner, offers her adept skill as a teacher and yoga practitioner in all of her classes whether teaching here or at her home studio. Her classes flow and move beautifully to her own fabulous music mixes. Her classes are unpredictable, creative and challenging. A perfect opportunity to apply your alignment principles in a more flowing practice style.
Melanie Wright
Melanie Wright is an Anusara-Inspired Yoga Teacher and a Licensed Massage Therapist known for her clear and precise instruction as well as her poetic presentation. Her classes are light-hearted and emphasize a celebration of the heart to help empower students to feel good about who they are. She believes that compassion and a love for one's self is what can allow each of us to find deeper meaning and beauty in the world.
Initially an auto-didactic yogini,she began her personal practice at age 16 utilizing books and videos at home in rural Ohio. As her love of yoga grew she knew that teaching yoga could and would become her passion. Within a year she auspiciously met internationally renowned yoga teachers Mitchel Bleier and Sianna Sherman and they immediately became her mentors. Under their tutelage she completed teacher training in Cincinnati and began teaching at 18. Since then, Melanie has had the opportunity to study extensively with many more of the top yoga teachers in the nation such as John Friend (Anusara's founder), Todd Norian, Sue Elkind, and Naime Jezzeny. Off the mat she engages in an ongoing study of Ranjanaka Tantric Yoga philosophy with Dr. Douglas Brooks, one of the world's leading scholars of Hindu Tantrism and the esoteric traditions of the Goddess.
Beryl Donenfeld
Beryl Donenfeld (RYT-200): Beryl's energetic vinyasa flow yoga classes are based on her extensive study of Anusara Yoga and over 20 years of experience as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She weaves
elements of athleticism, strength, flexibility and grace into each class with special focus on anatomical alignment. Beryl owns Beryfit LLC, a personal training company. Her A.C.E. certifications include Personal Training, Group Fitness Instruction, Lifestyles and Weight Management Consulting. She is a certified Johnny G. Spinning Instructor and certified by The PhysicalMind Institute as a Pilates Instructor. Beryl is also certified by The American Arthritis Foundation.
Jo Griffith
I have been practicing yoga 10 years, and teaching yoga for 5 years. To me, yoga is a tool to joyously explore both the external and internal. I delight in teaching others the pathways to both the movement and the stillness inherent in this process. I continue to study with many extraordinary teachers, including Sianna Sherman and John Friend. I am registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200 hr level, as well as being an Anusara-inspiredTM teacher. Come explore and experiment with me. Happy trails!
New Teachers
The teaching of this class is shared by our most aspiring new teachers who have worked extensively in training programs at Shine to bring you their understanding of proper alignment in a heart-opening practice.
Kathleen/ Patsy
Kathleen Noble and Patsy Baughn will alternate the teaching of the Saturday prenatal class.
Patricia Sheerin
Patricia Sheerin (RYT 200) has been practicing yoga faithfully since 1996 and teaching for over ten years. Her students value her for great love of yoga, which she shares enthusiastically through her open-hearted approach. She is also known for her knowledge of functional anatomy, clearly communicated through voice, touch and demonstration. This combination of compassion and precision creates a non-judgmental atmosphere in which one can explore the energetics of a deeper yoga practice.
Patricia's studies in Anusara Yoga have been complimented by her training in Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic diet and Meditation. Her foundation practice is also informed by her practice in Shiatsu, Thai Yoga Massage and Synergetic Structural Integration (Deep Tissue Bodywork). She also happens to be a very proud mama of a beautiful little girl who will help her teach her Sunday classes here at Shine.
Leslie Kreines
Leslie has been an avid hooper for 1 1/2 years. Ignited by the energy and contagious fun hooping inspires, her passion for hooping got a kick start at the Hoop Convergence where she received her teacher training. Last year, the hooping class at Shine was voted best fitness class by Cincinnati Magazine. Who knew that a hooping class burns as many calories as a spinning class? AND it's an amazing core workout. Leslie also teaches hooping at the Blue Ash Recreation Center on Tuesday nights at 6pm.