INSTRUCTORS & ASSISTANTS

Teachers: {Angela} {Samantha} {Janie} {Ashlie} {Becca} {Deanna} {Katrina}
Assistants: {Dayna} {Mike}

ANGELA BARRESE grew up playing sports and taught group fitness classes after college but thought she was entirely too intense for yoga. When the stress of her job took over, she found her way to a gym yoga class. She enjoyed the stretching but still felt antsy and unsettled in class. A year later, her mom told her about her Baptiste trained yoga teacher back in Boston. She said, "Angela you have to try this style, it's amazing. Trust me, you will love it." As moms often are, she was right. Angela immediately found a Baptiste teacher in Dallas and dedicated herself to learning the practice to help heal her depression and anxiety. In 2002, she attended Level One Teacher Training Bootcamp and has been dedicated to teaching BPVY ever since. She attended Level 2 in 2005 and 2007 and is the only certified Baptiste Instructor in Dallas. In 2004, she opened YogaSport and dedicated her life to teaching others to find their authentic selves through this practice.

"I love this practice because it's for real people with real struggles. It's not just for the fancy and bendy people and it's not trendy (because I am definitely not fancy, bendy or trendy!); it's just real. Every class challenges me in a different way, and unlike any other style I have tried, it feeds me mentally and has helped me grow into a person I truly love. With much tough love, my classes will help you move through your life with more ease and grace. Be willing to come undone on your mat and together we will build ourselves back up to become stronger and more powerful people. If we are willing to put in the work, we have everything we need to make the changes we want in our lives. It really doesn't get much better than this!"

Angela holds a Bachelors Degree from Trinity University. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance as well as a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor and a Red Belt Budokon Sensei under Kancho Cameron Shayne. She continues to grow her Baptiste practice by studying with Baron a few times a year and has assisted him at a Dallas Personal Revolution Weekend.

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SAMANTHA MABRY was a casual yoga practitioner in the Metroplex throughout college, but it wasn’t until moving to Boston for graduate school and discovering Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga, that she realized what a serious yoga practice could do to transform all aspects of her life.

“I had the choice to devote my life to the stuff going on in my head, stubbornly sticking to a safe, planned-out path I thought would bring me all the fruits of life, or move out of my head, take a chance, make a change, and discover true happiness. This is what I am learning: a good life is about laughing, loving, and having faith in the universe. It took me a long time to realize this, given that the only reason I took my first yoga class was because I couldn’t touch my toes.”

Samantha attended Baron’s Personal Revolution Weekend in Dallas in November of 2006, Level One Teacher Training in Hawaii in February of 2007 and Level Two Teacher Training in Montana in June of 2008.

In addition, Samantha holds a B.A. in English and American Literature from Southern Methodist University and an M.A. in English from Boston College and teaches college-level composition. She wrote an article, “Far From the Maddening Crowd,” about her move from Boston to Lubbock, TX that appeared in the January/February 2007 issue of Yoga Journal.

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JANIE MONTAGUE discovered the healing practice of yoga following the persistent encouragement of a dear friend to try a Baptiste Power Vinyasa class in 2000. The practice and the delivery of the message quickly found a place in her body, heart and soul. Daily practice lead to a deeper study of the art of yoga and ultimately to a calling to teach. “Sharing the practice with others has enriched my life beyond measure. I experience each student as a teacher, both to themselves and to those around them.” Following an independent study of the Baptiste practice under the guidance of Jessica Young, Janie embarked upon her journey as a yoga teacher.

Janie has attended Revolution Weekends with Baron Baptiste and continues her study and practice of yoga each day, both on and off the mat. “The light you discover when you allow yourself to shine, illuminates the path of life for yourself and most importantly, for those around you. Ultimately, your source of strength comes from deep inside. Through yoga, you discover that you no longer have to shout to be heard, or to decorate yourself to be seen; your light is authentic and shines from deep in your soul connecting each of us to the strength and softness in each other." Janie is a former account executive, a current mother, wife, sister, friend and student of life.

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ASHLIE BROOKHART MCGILL fell in love with yoga while working the check-in desk at a small studio in West Hollywood in 2000. When she moved back to Dallas a year later she practiced with Jessica Young, who introduced her to Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow. Ashlie was drawn to the idea of yoga’s transformative energy and the authentic lifestyle that yoga encourages and urges each person to find within his or herself. She is truly grateful for heart-opening vinyasas, and she digs a powerful class. Ashlie attended Baron Baptise Level 1 Teacher Training in Maya Tulum in October 2006 and Level 2 in Montana in September 2007. Ashlie has also attended workshops with Julie Boyd, Denise Cook, Kendall Inman, Leslie Munday, Rod Stryker, and Jessica Young. Ashlie will be on maternity leave in May and June of 2008. We wish her and her family well as they welcome their first child to the world!!

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When BECCA ZAFAR first started taking yoga classes in college, she had no idea how important the practice would become in her life.

As a way to ‘mix up’ her existing exercise routine, she enrolled in a few classes, but it wasn’t until Becca moved to Dallas after graduation that she discovered Baptiste Power Vinyasa at YogaSport. She quickly fell in love with the invigorating and calming practice. BPVY was like nothing she had ever experienced – it was as challenging as it was rewarding. The peace that she felt after practice was indescribable.

After practicing at YogaSport for a year and half, Becca and her husband moved to Indianapolis, IN. While in Indy, she continued her personal yoga practice, although she missed the BPVY style. Becca’s next stop was Philadelphia, PA. She was thrilled to have moved to a city with such a great yoga offering, including Power Yoga Works, a Baptiste Affiliate. She quickly re-immersed herself into the practice and soon thereafter felt called to teach. Becca completed and received a 200-hour Power Vinyasa Yoga certification and is working to become registered with Yoga Alliance. She also attended Baron’s Personal Revolution Weekend in NYC in November of 2007.

Today, Becca feels fortunate to be able to help beginners who may feel just like her several years ago as they discover what BPVY can do for their well being – at the very same studio at which she got her start! She is equally as excited to help those who are more advanced in their practice and experience, and, above all, hopes to help bring all varying students to their next level.

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DEANNA CHIOVERA'S initial draw into total body transformation was the physical challenge of aerobics, but the constant beating on her body left her uninspired and interested in a spiritual practice. After 27 years of aerobics, she stepped onto a yoga mat and into a new space in her life where she could be pushed to her edge physically while reaching new and inspiring levels of mental, emotional and spiritual heights.

"What I have learned on the mat is how unique I am and I want to share that with others so that they can see their lives from a new perspective of authenticity. Come and experience your transformation through consistent breath, and an awaking of the body. I lead a very physical class so be prepared to sweat. But more important be prepared to laugh. Life is too serious so in class my goal is to have fun and enjoy the experience."

Deanna is an Associate Baptiste Instructor and trained with Baron Baptiste in Level One and Level Two Teacher Training Bootcamps. She recently moved from North Carolina where she taught at another Baptiste Affiliate Studio, Yoga One.

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KATRINA ROGERS has always had a fascination with balance. She earned a BBA focused in economics, but that just wasn’t quite the balance she was looking for. She began a journey into yoga in 1999, and left her first class on a cloud. Feeling open and free, she’s been hooked ever since. This was more the balance she was looking for! Katrina attended Baron Baptiste's Teacher Training Bootcamp in Tulum, Mexico and is a 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She has certifications in Shakta Khalsa"s "Radiant Child Yoga Program" and Karen Prior’s "Let's Play Yoga", both of which are teaching yoga to children. She is also licensed to teach "Mamaste Yoga", a prenatal yoga certification. Katrina is passionate about helping others find balance in their bodies and lives and is dedicated to keeping herself balanced. She has committed herself to doing what she loves, and she hopes she can ignite others to find and do what they love!

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TEACHER ASSISTANTS

DAYNA AHRENS













MIKE LUCKOCK