Gioconda ERYT-500 has been teaching and practicing yoga for eight years. She enjoys working with students to improve flexibility and strength of both body and mind. She completed a 500 hour teacher training program in December, 2000 and has attended the Yoga Journal Teachers Conference in Estes Park from 2001 to 2006. Her Continuing Education includes courses with Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, Ramanand Patel, John Friend, Mary Romeu, Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten.

Duke RYT-200 has been teaching and practicing yoga for seven years.  His knowledge and experience with inversions as well as helping students to work with their nemesis poses is enthusiastic and inspiring.  He attended a 9 month Anusara Immersion with Mary Romeu and he has  practiced with Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, Ramanand Patel, John Friend,  Sri Dharma Mitra and many others.   Duke has been teaching at Castle Hill for 2 1/2 years and practicing for 5 years with Gioconda.

Elizabeth ERYT-500  began practicing yoga in 1995.  She was introduced to ISHTA Yoga, the Integrated Science of Hatha Tantra and Ayurveda This path lead her to teacher training at Be Yoga (now Yoga Works) in 1999 where she received a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification. She received a second Yoga Alliance certificate focusing on Anusara from Lois Nesbitt in New York City, in March of 2003 and has studied closely with John Friend, the creator of Anusara. In 2005 she achieved 500 hour Yoga Alliance certification from her Anusara and Yoga Therapeutics training. She currently holds Anusara inspired status and is working towards certification. Elizabeth is also Pilates mat certified from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York and has studied Therapeutics and Kinetic Awareness to further her knowledge of injury management, anatomy and the healing aspects of yoga.  In addition to teaching yoga, Elizabeth has run teacher trainings and workshops in both New York and Austin.

Juan is dedicated to transmitting the Ashtanga Vinyasa method according to the teachings of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India.  Many years of practice and dedication have affirmed his confidence in the wisdom of learning Ashtanga according to abilities and not the demands of the ego.  His teaching style illuminates the importance of setting and accepting limits in the practice so that patterns present throughout Ashtanga are understood and connected into an enjoyable harmony of movement and growth.  Juan is a direct Guruji student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and has been teaching yoga for 10 years and practicing Ashtanga for 9 year.  He furthers his studies and practice in Mysore, India. 

Malisa Shames

Malisa ERYT-500 has practiced Hatha and Vinyasa yoga since 1994. She holds a BA in Psychology with a Masters in Social Work. She understands and conveys the importance of the body-mind interplay in the practice of yoga. Malisa has had the privilege to study with Ana Forrest, Ramanand Patel, Rodney Yee, Mary Romeu and Murti. Her teaching focuses on the alignment of the body and the flow of the breath as means towards openness and balance. Malisa's classes are known for their consistent expression of healing and depth in a warm, supportive environment.

Lauran's study of yoga, the Self, and meditation began in her early childhood.  Lauran has found that yoga inspires compassion, self-acceptance and a genuine sense of humor.  Yoga lightens the heart and helps deepen one's awareness in each moment.  Consistent practice helps one see his/her inherent gifts more clearly and provides one with the sustainable energy needed to serve and engage with the world.  Today Lauran teaches yoga from a place of healing and child-like wonder, encouraging her students to follow the guidance of their breath and to open to their inherent compassion.  After several years of studying with Brigitte Snyder, Lauran received her 200 hour yoga certification at the Mount Madonna Center in Santa Cruz, California. 

Chris Rossbach took his first yoga class in 1988, undertaking a devoted practice in the early 90's. He trained as an Iyengar instructor under Catherine De Los Santos and senior Iyengar instructor Larry Hatlett, and begin to teach in 1996 at the Yoga Center of Palo Alto in California. Shortly thereafter, he discovered Astanga yoga, ultimately beginning to teach in that tradition as well in 1999 in San Francisco. Chris' teaching and practice have been influenced by exposure to diverse teachers including Dena Kingsberg, Shandor Remete, Ed Clark, and Larry Schultz. Chris' teaching relies on the precision and alignment of the Iyengar tradition, as well as the movement and breath of the Astanga tradition: his classes seek balance among the qualities of intensity, lightness, humor, and transformation.

Dido Nydick

Dido is a 500RYT certified yoga teacher. She has been practicing for 8 years and completed her training in ISHTA (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantric and Ayurveda) in New York City in 2003 under the direction of Alan Finger and staff. She is also certified as a "Relax & Renew" Restorative instructor by Judith Lasater and trained in Pre-natal yoga by Carrie Parker. Dido continues to study with teachers that emphasize the connection between mind, body and spirit. Her classes include poses, breathwork, meditation and philosophy to create a state of well-being.

Bekah Schouten

I have been a student of yoga for 6 years now and for the past 3 years I have taught the physical asanas full-time at various local studios. I love the Austin yoga community and I am honored to now be at Castle Hill. The physical and mental practice of yoga has brought a center and sense of calmness to my hectic existence. I live a better life everyday because of its benefits. I knew after I took my first yoga class this was going to be a lifetime passion and the desire to teach immediately overtook me. In  2004, I attended my first teacher training with Baron Baptiste in Hawaii. It changed my life, when I returned to Austin I left my legal career and began a much more RASA-filled existence as a yoga instructor.  I have never looked back.  My main teacher certification is with Baptiste Power Yoga Institute; my secondary training is in the Vinyasa flow of Shiva Rae.  As I continue to explore the nectar that this practice reveals, I look forward to sharing it with my students.

Clayton Aynesworth is a dedicated and client-focused Yoga Instructor and Massage Therapist with strengths inspired by various alternative western and eastern healing practices. He has been a practitioner in the Austin area since 1993. These modalities include: Iyengar Yoga, Internal Qigong, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Swedish Massage, Thai Massage and others. With over twelve years of experience, he works well in classroom settings to meet each individual’s needs with proper guidance and thorough instruction.

Maricarmen has studied yoga extensively for 11 years including Viniyoga, Iyengar, and Ashtanga traditions. Maricarmen has been teaching the Vinyasa method for 6 years and her teaching influences include Tias Little, Baron Baptiste, Erich Shiffman, and Stan Hafner. As Castle Hill's premier yoga instructor, she encourages students to source their own intuition and wisdom while embracing the challenges and rewards that come from a healthy yoga practice.

Mary Ann Forester has been practicing yoga since 1999 and has just recently decided to take her practice to a new level, completing a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program.  She was introduced to meditation in 2004 at Suan Mokh monastery in Thailand, which deepened her practice and inspired her to learn more.  Mary Ann enjoys helping others find their own inner strength, and encourages her students to be introspective while experimenting with new ways to grow.  Her hobbies include reading, drawing, knitting, making music, and traveling.

Australian Kale Leaf grew up with the waters of Bondi beach in Sydney as his favorite playground.  He turned to yoga as a cure for his chronic back problems caused by years of surfing. He quickly experienced the results that come from a consistent yoga practice and never stopped doing yoga after that.  30 years later Kale is still practicing every day. As the owner of Fremantle Yoga Center for 25 years, he taught beginners to advanced classes, private sessions, and specialized in therapeutic yoga. He worked with athletes, people with serious injuries, illnesses, and chronic problems, as well as the everyday neck and back problems. Kale built his own yoga wall, which constituted a keystone of his toolbox. He also ran a successful 2-year teacher training program traditionally based on an apprenticeship model.  Kale is glad to share his Aussie yoga experience with "y'all" at Castle Hill and is looking forward to making Austin his new home

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