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| Established by Brandon Hartsell and Nicole Shaw, the first classes at Sunstone Yoga® began October 26th, 2002. Thousands of students have enjoyed the clean, friendly and courteous environment that together with our exceptional teaching community make Sunstone Yoga the best hot yoga and power yoga studios. Since 2002, we have grown to include studios throughout the DFW metroplex, Austin, Houston, Florida and Colorado, and have over 60 highly trained instructors teaching hundreds of classes a week. |
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Sunstone Yoga Certified |
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Certified Yoga Specialist |
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Yoga Alliance Registered |
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Fire Series Instructor |
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Earth Series Instructor |
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Metal Series Instructor |
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Water Series Instructor |
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Wood Series Instructor |
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Kids Yoga Instructor |
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Nicole Shaw, E.R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Certified: Yoga College of India
Certified: Jimmy Barkan
Location: Dallas/Plano
Nicole is a registered yoga teacher at the 500 hour level, and an E-RYT since 2006. She has been a certified Bikram Teacher since the fall of 2000. She also teaches Advanced classes, Restorative, Pre-Natal, Post-Natal and Mature Yoga and is the primary instructor of the Sunstone Yoga Teacher Training programs.
Nicole was born and raised in Australia and taught in Sydney for just under two years before coming to the United States to teach. She first discovered yoga while on vacation in Hawaii and immediately knew it was going to be her life's work.
Through her teaching Nicole has learned that everyone can do yoga. She has a kind and gentle approach and can teach everyone regardless of age or mentality. She is pleased that more and more people are discovering yoga and that the past misconceptions about yoga have diminished, giving her the opportunity to teach a variety of students.
Students find that Nicole teaches straight from her heart and experience.
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Brandon Hartsell, E.R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Certified: Yoga College of India
Certified: Jimmy Barkan
Location: Dallas/Plano
Brandon has been practicing yoga since October 1997 and began teaching in August 2000. He is a registered yoga teacher at the 500 hour level and an E-RYT 500 since 2006. He was certified in Bikram Yoga in November, 2000 and has taught in California, Australia, and India. Brandon played college basketball at the University of Dallas and professionally in Croatia and Germany. His success as an athlete has brought him broad exposure to many forms of physical fitness: weight lifting, running, cycling, spinning, rock climbing, aerobics, and martial arts. His passion for teaching began in college as a personal trainer and has culminated as an extension of his yoga practice.
Brandon understands the pressures of the corporate environment and the benefits yoga offers to the working professional. He worked as a financial analyst for 3 years in Dallas and then 3 years in San Francisco. He has a degree in Economics and an MBA.
Brandon teaches with a vitality that takes students to new places in their practice.
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Ashley Sells, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Yoga College of India
Location: Dallas/Plano
Ashley has been consistently practicing hot yoga since December 2001 when she discovered yoga is great exercise. No stranger to exercise, Ashley has a Bachelors of Exercise Science and Health from Abilene Christian University and taught aerobics and kick boxing for 7 years. In August 2003 she left her job and became certified in Bikram Yoga.
Ashley says, “When I heard the yoga class was 90 minutes all I could think was, 'I can’t stay still and not talk for that long.' And I love being active, but since I have scoliosis, yoga is the ultimate workout.”
Ashley teaches with lots of energy, passion, and compassion, helping both beginner and regular students to the next level of their own practice.
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Andy McDonald, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Andy developed an interest in stretching and flexibility as a complement to athletic performance while participating in youth track and field, and maintained this interest throughout years of playing soccer. Following the recommendation and encouragement of his best friend, Andy began formally practicing yoga at Sunstone in January of 2004. He quickly enrolled in the Sunstone teacher training program and has been teaching yoga at Sunstone since August of 2004. He has attended workshops on hot yoga, vinyasa yoga, yin yoga, Scaravelli yoga, yoga philosophy, and meditation.
Prior to teaching yoga Andy spent two and a half years teaching youth and adults how to manage and conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. He also spent four years managing a database administration “troubleshooting” group in the wireless telecom industry. This varied academic and corporate experience gives him insight into many different types of people.
A long time lover and student of nature, Andy finds practicing yoga has helped him deepen his connection with nature, re-energize his appreciation for the natural world, and better understand his inter-relationships with others. He enjoys the calmness and grounding energy he experiences through practicing yoga and spending time in nature, and draws upon this energy in his teaching.
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Allison Strickler,
Trainee
Location: Dallas/Plano
Allison began practicing yoga in 2000 to help her train for a marathon. “I was hooked from the first class. It instantly made a difference in every aspect of my life." Allison feels like her “best self” when she is practicing yoga.
Allison has worked in business development, marketing and non-profit management. She understands the demands of a fast-paced corporate environment and what it can do to a person’s mental and physical health. She believes a good practice and a lot of smiling can help keep even the busiest person happy and sane.
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Tida Chambers, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Tida has been a consistent yoga student since 2000. Initially, she started yoga as a supplement and cross-training tool for racewalking. Yoga helped her to put in her best race walking times by strengthening her body, and increasing her flexibility. She has practiced many forms of yoga and it has become a major focus in her life.
She says, “Through Sunstone's teacher training program, I opened up my body, mind, and spirit to new levels. I look forward to making yoga a lifetime practice, and encouraging others to find their own path to harmony with their body, mind, and spirit.”
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Maria Durand, E.R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Argentina, Maria moved to the United States when she was 12 years old. She graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in journalism and political science. For close to ten years she worked in different aspects of journalism, from print to television, in Miami, Texas and most recently New York. Life led her to yoga while training for the 1998 New York Marathon, which she ran in 4 hrs 21 min. She moved back to Texas in 2003 and began practicing and training at Sunstone Yoga, leading to life-altering changes and setting a new path in self-discovery by exploring the connection between mind and body. She has been teaching here since February 2004. She now dedicates her time fully to yoga and acting. She is a local professional actor featured in dozens of regional and national advertising campaigns. As a teacher, Maria endeavors to inspire passion for yoga and life and to be open in all situations.
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Elizabeth Rondeau, R.Y.T., R.M.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Certified: Yoga College of India
Location: Dallas/Plano
Elizabeth took her first yoga class in New York with a friend, but not until she tried hot yoga a few months later did she notice the impact: from the struggle of the heat and the postures to the pleasant, but unfamiliar sensations at the end of class. "Physically I was tired but relaxed. I even felt like I could see colors more brightly and images seemed sharper. Even though my mind was protesting, my body and mind felt great in a completely new way."
In less than an month Elizabeth knew she would become a yoga teacher, to complement her massage therapy practice and allow her to help people to take an active role in their health. Combining her experience as a massage therapist, yoga teacher and nutritional counseling working with herbs, diet and exercise, Elizabeth offers a holistic approach to overall health to her students.
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Chris McGraw, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Chris is an avid athlete who has found his love in yoga. He is also a dedicated practitioner of Vipassana meditation. Chris appreciates the grounding effects of yoga as well as the physical benefits that have helped him alleviate back trouble. Chris enjoys sharing his love for yoga through his teaching.
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Gina Palavicini, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Gina was born in Mexico and raised in Dallas. She first tried hot yoga at university and was hooked. After graduation, Gina explored the world by working for Royal Caribbean Cruise, and then came home to follow her passion for yoga.
Gina came to Sunstone Yoga one day in October 2004, took one class and immediately joined the teacher training program to become a Sunstone Yoga Instructor.
As a student as well as an instructor, Gina finds peace and calmness every time she enters the yoga room. “As we all know, life can be a roller coaster ride of experiences and emotions, but there’s something about yoga that brings you back to who you are; it helps you find calmness and grounding in hectic surroundings."
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Meagan Lee, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Meagan became a student at Sunstone in February 2004 after wanting a new challenge in her fitness program. She was active in weight training and running, and completed the Dallas White Rock Marathon, among other races. Meagan heard about yoga in a heated environment and wanted to give it a try. It immediately became her new consistent form of exercise. After seeing and feeling the results of her yoga practice, she was passionate about telling everyone around her to try it. This led her to teacher training at Sunstone Yoga.
Meagan has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from Texas Tech University and is a pharmaceutical sales representative. She finds that yoga helps balance the demands of work, being active, and everyday life. She hopes to encourage students to find balance with yoga, and be supportive as they both continue on the path of yoga as a lifetime practice.
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Erin Pack, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Certified: Yoga College of India
Location: Dallas/Plano
Erin started practicing Bikram yoga 5 years ago, and started teacher training in 2002. Erin loves to see her student's break through to new places in their practice. "I find the students inspiring. As I guide them through class they continually help me to fine tune my skills and motivate me to become a better teacher."
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Su Hsu, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Before Su found her way to teaching yoga, she had studied and worked in a number of diverse areas of interest, including school teacher, cosmetics artist, computer science and software engineer, Sunday school teacher, bridal designer and make up consultant, financial planner and full time mother. In 2005, she came to Sunstone Yoga with a friend to try the 10 days for $10 and knew right away she would practice for the rest of her life. Inspired by Nicole, Su began teacher training and became a member of the Sunstone Yoga family. "I love being a yoga practitioner and I love sharing all I know about yoga to everyone and anyone. Being a real yogini is my destiny of this life."
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Jessi Kennedy, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Jessi has been with Sunstone Yoga since the Fall of 2006. She comes from a lifetime of avid outdoor athletic activity, and began her personal yoga practice at home before joining Sunstone Yoga's Teacher Training program. Jessi teaches with a passion for correct alignment and the anatomical benefits of each posture, and she enjoys bringing inner balance and peace to the students through a dedicated yoga practice.
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Wendy Boyce, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
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Yong Swearengin,
Trainee
Location: Dallas/Plano
Yong was born in Korea, raised in Florida and moved to Dallas in 1998, where she started practicing yoga in 2002. After discovering hot yoga in 2003, Yong knew the path she wanted to take would lead her to teach yoga and own a studio. She registered for teacher training a week after her first Sunstone Yoga class, and started teaching five months later.
"Teaching yoga has been one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life. Every time I walk out of the yoga room after class, I know there was an improvement (physically, mentally or emotionally) in everyone that walked in 90 minutes ago, including myself."
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Lizzie Criner,
500hr Certification
Location: Dallas/Plano
Lizzie moved to Dallas in 2003 to pursue a degree from SMU and stumbled upon Sunstone through a random google search. A dancer since the age of 3 in Little Rock, AR, Lizzie found the Arkansas humidity had been preparing her for her new life in yoga. "Yoga has been a wonderful addition to my college curriculum. I have learned so much! I see yoga as a long winding path that all of us are on."
Lizzie finds that everyday there is something new to learn from her teaching and personal practice that she can use to help others realize their potential. She believes yoga is for every body, no matter a student’s age, shape, or flexibility level. "I’ve found that bringing my body to class, willing to accept whatever will come once my feet hit the mat, balances out even the wildest day and always inspires my heart."
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Angi Hunter, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Always the fitness enthusiast, Angi’s been involved in some form of exercise all her life – whether it was weight training, aerobics, spinning, cycling, running, swimming, or the latest fitness trend, activity as a form of stress release has always been a priority. Angi was introduced to yoga in 1997 when she stepped into her first Hatha Yoga class, and she’s been hooked ever since!
Over the last 6 years, she’s dabbled in all styles of Hatha, Bikram, Iyengar, Ashtanga and Sivananda Yoga. Over the past few years, her routine has focused on Series Yoga in a heated environment. The benefits and insight she’s gained from her yoga practice has led her to delve further into all aspects of yoga and bodywork. This includes interests in massage therapy, meditation, yoga theory, teaching philosophy, and anatomy. Angi completed her 500-hour level of teaching certification through Sunstone’s Teacher Training program, and has been teaching at Sunstone Yoga since June of 2003. Her passion for yoga and the unbiased essence that this style of yoga offers leads her to a teaching style that benefits most everyone.
Coming from a background of finance and over 8 years in the corporate world, she understands the tensions derived from our work environments. She feels a regular yoga practice, coupled with a healthy and balanced lifestyle, is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Her motto is “Yoga may not be for everyone, but everyone should at least try it!”
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Susan Kaleta, R.Y.T.
500hr Certification
Certified: Sunstone Yoga
Location: Dallas/Plano
Susan had a life changing operation in 2001 that brought her to her first yoga class. In January of 2002 she took her first hot yoga class at Sunstone Yoga. A massage therapist and talent agent, Susan recalls a wonderful experience; she loved the calmness she felt after class and the fact that you truly do have to live in the moment. The more classes she attended the more she realized teaching yoga was exactly what she was looking for. One of her favorite messages describes her love of teaching yoga. “As yoga speaks to you, eventually there comes that deep desire to give back, to share that which has so inspired and transformed your life that what overflows from you, in your own unique way, can be used to ignite that spark in others. We teach because we care, because we are excited and inspired, because our desire to open the door for others is an innate wish and a natural inclination. We teach to learn more about ourselves and because, we feel ourselves being quietly drawn by the deeper pull of what we truly love.”
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