"Thank you so much, you guys are definitely doing something right! I love the gym... it is by far the best one I have ever joined."
Jennifer

"I am enjoying the gym so much. I have tried 3 gyms in my adult life and never went more than a handful of times....I am loving the zumba class, tatum's cardio class and the yoga wall. I like that Jenn knows my name when I check in. Thank you for creating a great atmosphere for me to get healthy!"
Nina

"Malisa is the least pretentious yoga instructor I've ever had! I feel so happy to attend her class. Not only is her physical instruction top notch, her instruction on the inner aspects of the practice is relatable and stays with me even when I am not in a class."
Trish Benford

"Thanks for all of your help! Everyone at Castle Hill has been wonderful so far and I'm very happy that I made the switch from Pure! You all make me feel very welcome and not like just part of the crowd."
Jill Welch

"This gym is not merely a place to workout like a gerbil in wheel. Castle Hill encourages you to make health and fitness a lifestyle."
Amy S

"I think you could successfully promote your environmentally conscious gym in advertising. It is so attractive to many Austinites to find a business with that commitment and very unique as well. Thanks for creating such a great space to work out in."
Laura Balla

"I love the gym, how it appeals to young and old and how clean it always feels.  I asked you a few weeks ago to fix the total body gym and was gratified about how quickly you responded."
Jan Dailey

"Your gym is the best! And I am proud of your commitments to your love for health, life and the environment."
Katherine Butler

"I am one of the first clients of Castle Hill and it is truly my home away from home as well.  I can honestly say that I am in better shape and health since faithfully going to this gym.  This well-being makes me a better person toward everyone."
Janet Sullivan

"Fitness is indeed more than lifting weights for body strength - Castle Hill demonstrates this!"
Rich Armington

"As I often tell my children "you have to be different to make a difference"! Castle Hill is different."
Julie Horvath

"I love the little community you've created at Castle Hill... thanks for all your work!"
Lesley Ramsey

"Castle Hill Fitness is an exceptional place.  Thanks for providing such a first class facility and group of people."
Randy Rice

"I don't know that I have ever been associated with a better managed facility. Your very happy client,"
John Mobley

"Thanks for caring about the environment.  I have been very happy at the Castle."
Penny Hobbs

"I'm happy and proud to be part of such an awesome community.  Castle Hill rules!"
Selena Pang

"I'm very proud of you and proud to be a member of Castle Hill!"
Toni Thomasson

"I love your Planet Castle Hill. It has made a huge impact on the health and well-being of both my daughter and me. Keep up the amazing work and spirit!"
Barbara Laing

"I love Castle Hill and the people in it - thanks for all that you do for us!"
Amy Roberts

"I had no idea that the most favorite gym that I've ever used in my life, the one that finally turned around my contempt of exercise by actually making it fun and unintimidating, also was run with the same concern and thoughtfulness for the future of the planet and its inhabitants that I feel.  "
Heather Page

"Castle Hill has totally changed my lifestyle. The teachers are unparalleled. Now I exercise every day and I feel completely different. I hate to miss a day!"
Janis Hydak

"Castle Hill is different from other gyms because of the cool laid back atmosphere and it's not a meat market. What keep me coming back are the instructors. Great gym: clean, cool and just my style."
Melody Thames

"Castle Hill is the most welcoming gym I have ever been a member of. People who work there and who attend are warm and friendly, and focused on fitness and health."
Jenn Lindberg

"Everyone treats me with respect and near admiration for showing up consistently. I have made quite a few new friends."
Steve Jung

"I have had more personal attention from your staff in one month than I did in a year and a half at my old gym."
Joe Wojtowicz

"I must tell you that I have belonged to many gyms and I am in love with working out at Castle Hill… I am 6 pounds lighter today… I feel so much better."
Aimee Deputy

"All three instructors I have taken yoga with have been much better than average: articulate, knowledgeable and attentive to their pupils."
Byron Thomas

"I am truly inspired by your staff and the commitment they have to your patrons and members"
Angie Houtz

"Know that I recognize and deeply value the loving contribution of artistic form + imaginative function = Castle Hill Fitness"
Dianne Graham

"It is almost a family environment, very personal. This is the first time I really stick to a program simply because I truly enjoy the hour I spend at Castle Hill every day."
Peter Burner

"The Castle never lets me down!!! This month is my 3 year anniversary!! I could not ask for a better gym or a more delightful group of dedicated athletes to staff it."
Anna Krachey

Meet our Yoga Instructors

At Castle Hill Fitness we pride ourselves in hiring an eclectic group of people that bring their individual teaching styles to the classroom. With our seasoned instructors we are able to provide the highest quality yoga classes, workshops, and training programs in the city.

Click on the thumbnails below to read more about our teaching staff:

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Juan Anguiano

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.

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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.

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Mandy Eubanks

Mandy Eubanks was introduced to yoga in 2003 while still living in her hometown of Tulsa, OK. In 2005 she moved to Austin, Texas where she was first introduced to Anusara Yoga. Mandy's heart was touched by the method, practice, and the Anusara community and since then Mandy has been a dedicated student of Anusara Yoga. She has trained extensively with John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga. She has also studied closely with several other certified Anusara Yoga teachers.. Mandy's teaching style is playful and nurturing. She strives to create a safe and supportive space in which students can grow and expand in her Anusara Inspired™ classes.

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Gillian Barksdale

Gillian Stahl Barksdale is a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor who began her yoga practice in 1996. She completed a three-year intensive teacher training program at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles, and has enjoyed teaching since 2001. Gillian has studied with many talented Iyengar instructors including Manouso Manos, Leslie Peters, Karin O'Bannon, Jo Zukovich, and Gloria Goldberg. In addition, Gillian feels privileged to have attended the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park where B.K.S. Iyengar taught in 2005, and the Iyengar Yoga Odyssey with Geeta Iyengar in 2001. Gillian teaches with clear and precise, verbal and visual instructions, and brings a sense of joy and humor to the class.

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Maricarmen Wilson

Maricarmen's teaching practice is based on the zen philosophy of keeping the open mind of a beginner. With over 15 years of study and 10 years of instructing, she has been inspired and guided by her iyengar, jivamukti, prajna, and ashtanga teachers. Her vinyasa flow classes are a reflection of her commitment to remain awake, curious, and self aware in one's own practice. In the creative design of each class, students are encouraged and supported to tap into their power, intuition and true potential with grace. She is eternally grateful to her teachers tias little, Sharon Moon, Shiva Rea, and Peggy Kelley and continues her advanced studies in prajna yoga and vinyasa flow yoga. She lives her yoga with her husband and three beautiful boys in Austin, TX.

"the mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habit of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.." - baker roshi

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Selena Pang

Selena is a student of Nancy Gilgoff and has been practicing Ashtanga since 2000 and teaching since 2006. She believes Ashtanga yoga brings healing and creates an energetic body, mind and spirit when practiced appropriately for each individual in a safe environment, and hopes to transmit the teachings to inspire a joyful lifelong practice. In addition, Selena loves to share the benefits of yoga with perinatal women and has completed pre and postnatal yoga studies with Iyengar teacher Leslie Lytle.

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Brigitte Edery

Brigitte's been a devoted student of yoga since 1987 and has been registered as a certified yoga teacher through the Yoga Alliance since 2003.She began practicing yoga after years of chronic back pain and a severe accident that left her blind in one eye.

Her first experience (of yoga) was with Swami Satchidananda's Integral Yoga in NYC.

After moving to Austin in 1989, she discovered the healing benefits of Iyengar Yoga, a system of Hatha known for its precision and structural alignment. Most recently, her love of yoga has led her to John Friend's Anusara® Yoga which integrates universal principles of alignment with a life affirming, heart expanding tantric philosophy that rocks! She has attained 'Anusara Inspired' status through her extensive study and practice of this transformative style.

When she's not on the mat practicing or teaching, Brigitte loves to paint, travel, dance (especially West African), read and relax with family and friends.

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Jenn Wooten

Jenn's yoga roots are planted in both the Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga lineages. She draws from these foundations and other yoga styles (Anusara, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga) to create a Vinyasa Flow Yoga style that cultivates strength, grace, fun and freedom of expression.

Her classes are dynamic, powerful, feminine and spontaneous. She encourages students to focus on the process of self-understanding over the poses and highlights the importance of discovering one's inner teacher and one's own authentic expression of yoga.

She has an academic background in anatomy and physiology which informs her understanding of alignment and yoga as a therapeutic tool. She has taken over 1000 hours of advanced study and has taught classes, workshops and retreats in Thailand, Venezuela, Mexico and the U.S. Her yoga practice and her family are the glue that hold her life together and she is deeply grateful for both.

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Clayton Aynesworth

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.

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Mark Franke

Mark practices and studies the Anusara® method of yoga. He is currently working toward certification as a teacher of this method. When he is not teaching, he spends his time practicing asana, playing music, reflecting on his experience in the world, and connecting with the people he loves.

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Hannah Emlen

Hannah is an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher with over eight years of teaching experience. Her greatest aim is to instill truthful, accurate and joyful living both on and off the mat. She is devoted to recognizing, embodying and sharing the abundance of life, and the transformational power of yoga. Hannah's classes blend biomechanical precision, artful expression, breath and silence. She strives to offer asana practices that are both challenging and nourishing to the spirit. She is currently pursuing Anusara Yoga certification.

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Dido Nydick

Dido is an E-500RYT certified yoga teacher. She has been practicing since 1999 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.

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Jenny Wicke

Jenny was introduced to yoga 15 years ago. In 2004, she completed her first teacher training program with Clayton Horton. She studied closely under his care and participated in his Mysore assistant program at Greenpath Yoga in San Francisco. She completed another "teacher training" with David Swenson in 2007.

Her appreciation for Eastern practices, including Vipassana Meditation and traditional Ashtanga Mysore-style yoga, draw her continually to India. She has found the Ashtanga practice most useful to effect cleansing and self awareness. In India, she has studied under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharath and Saraswati, as well as Rolf Naujokat. Now, back in Texas, her intention is to inspire conscious living in her own community.

Jenny's classes incorporate movement with breath to aid in circulation within each system of the body. This way, toxins can be released and the usage of energy becomes efficient. She works with beginners to build strength, stamina and flexibility. She encourages her students to use their practice as an opportunity to turn inward and find stillness.

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Gioconda Parker

Gioconda Parker, ERYT-500 has been practicing and teaching yoga for over a decade, and still finds new inspiration every day. She balances a deep respect for the lineages that have carried this ancient tradition and a desire to make these teachings relevant and accessible to everyone. Gioconda has led workshops, intensives, teacher trainings and retreats, and enjoys sharing yoga in a variety of formats and environments. She also works with individual clients, helping them to develop a personal connection with the practice and to incorporate it into their daily lives. For more information visit: www.giocondayoga.com.

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Christina Sell

Christina Sell has been practicing yoga since 1991 and teaching yoga since 1998. She is a certified Anusara Yoga teacher and author of the book Yoga From the Inside Out: Making Peace with Your Body Through Yoga. Her second book My Body is a Temple, My Heart is the Shrine: Using the principles of Anusara Yoga to Develop a Life of Practice and a Personal Connection to Grace will be released this year. Known for her clarity, precision and sense of humor, Christina's classes are fun, inspiring and dedicated to helping people of all ages and abilities experience the joy of practicing yoga. Certified since 2003, Christina serves on the Anusara Yoga Ethics Committee, the Anusara Yoga Certification Assessment Committee and the Anusara Yoga Curriculum Development Committee. Christina resides in Austin Texas with her husband, three cats and a retired greyhound. She maintains an active local and national teaching schedule. For more information about her and her work, please visit her at www.christinasell.com.