Ashley Erikson

Ashley believes that yoga is for everybody and every BODY and that the sacred practice is so much more than advancing to the next pose.  Her classes are inclusive with an intent to nourish the physical body and calm the nervous system while connecting to the universal wisdom that resides within all of us. With an extensive knowledge of the chakra system, she weaves it in to her classes as a way for her students to tune in to the subtle energy that exists within the body. She completed her 200 hour teacher training at Sky House Yoga in 2019. She is also trained in yoga therapy in the acute stage of trauma, reiki level 1, mantras & mudras, kriya yoga and the kosha system. Enjoy moving in ways that feel good with breath work and moments of meditation as she guides you through her practice. 

Holly Gardiner

Holly is an enthusiastic yoga instructor and practitioner whose mission is to create a yoga environment that is inviting and accessible to all budding and experienced students. Holly has been practicing yoga since 2005. In 2007, she became certified in Yoga for the Special Needs Child with Sonia Sumar. After recognizing the benefits of yoga for individuals of all ages and abilities, Holly continued her yoga studies and practice. She completed her RYT-200 and RYT-300 at the Yoga Center of Columbia. Holly enjoys teaching Chair, Gentle, Beginner and Mixed-level community and corporate classes. Holly has taught adults, teens and children in group and 1:1 classes. In 2014 she received certification in Chair Yoga with Lakshmi Voelker. In 2019 she received certification in Yoga for Seniors with Kimberly Carson and Carol Krucoff. Holly has studied locally with Lucy Lomax, Kathy Donnelly, and Cheryl Catranbone. She has attended several yoga trainings on yoga philosophy, anatomy, and adapted yoga. Holly has practiced yoga with infants and children as young as 6 weeks and with adults into their 90s. She has found great joy in teaching and sharing yoga in its various forms and adaptations to meet the needs of her unique and varied students.

Kami Guiden

Kami was first introduced to yoga at 17 after her grandmother gifted her a Patricia Walden DVD. After 11 years of practice and believing that becoming a yoga teacher was a natural progression of her journey, she became 200 RYT certified in 2017. Juggling a 9 to 5 as a marketing director, teaching yoga part-time, and struggling with symptoms from Crohn’s and celiac disease, she took a sabbatical from teaching to rediscover the importance of a regular practice. Informed by her own experience, her classes allow students to explore poses and find their own expression in yoga.

Rachel Henry

Rachel’s yoga journey began in 2005. What started as a means to “work out,” very quickly evolved into a place of deep reconnection with the self. The process of integrating mind, body and breath opened a new world for Rachel. A world with more self compassion, self awareness, clarity, serenity and empowerment. Rachel graduated from Blue Heron Wellness’ RYT 200 program in 2013. Rachel’s classes are light-hearted and lively while also offering the opportunity to dig deep into the potential of your postures and personal practice; peeling away the layers to re-connect with your natural, unique gifts and let your inner light shine. You can expect attention to alignment, to help finetune your asanas, as well as a sweet flow. Rachel is continuously inspired by her three playful, young children and supportive husband. Rachel is forever grateful to her beloved teachers, with whom she credits the transformation of her practice.

Sun Kim (she/her)

Sun (E-RYT 500) started practicing yoga regularly in 2007 in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. She was immediately drawn into it, noticing the transformations she experienced in her body, mind, and heart. Sun has studied with numerous master teachers such as Jason Crandell, Tiffany Cruikshank, and Natasha Rizopolous to expand her practice and teaching skills over the years. Sun leads breath-focused, challenging vinyasa sequences while reminding students to deepen and nurture their practices with safety and alignment in mind. She invites students to gaze inward and empower their physical, mental, and emotional bodies through the connection of asanas (poses) and pranayama (breath). When off the mat, she fosters and molds the minds of local middle school students as an English Language Development teacher in MCPS.

Amy Langevin

Athletics, fitness and wellness have always been a part of Amy's life. She played a variety of sports growing up and coached elementary aged girls in basketball for almost 20 years. She has spent almost her entire life in Silver Spring. After having kids, Amy got into running with a group of friends.  In the past 10 years, running has become her passion. She has always known the importance of cross training so she would often try to encourage friends and family to mix things up in their fitness programs. Amy loves strength training and yoga! Her natural coaching skills led her to pursue a career in personal training through National Sports Professional Association in 2013 and her Yoga Teacher 200 Hour certificate through Grace in 2018. Amy began teaching small group fitness classes privately and out of her home as well as working at a Personal Training Studio in Bethesda, Fitness Together. Her love for coaching is what helps her motivate her clients to work to their fullest potential and to help them meet their personal goals. Amy loves the one on one support she can give to clients by providing personalized programs but she loves teaching group classes because of the incredible energy and team building.

Shervon Laurice (she/her)

Shervon is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), a certified Yoga Therapist and Cannabis Assisted Psychedelic Therapist (CAPT). She has been practicing yoga for over 30 years and teaching yoga for over 10 years. With almost 20 years of experience working with individuals living with depression, anxiety, PTSD and chronic pain, Shervon knows that healing does not just happen on a physical level. Sustained healing is a process of deep exploration and developed self-awareness that ‘clears away the mud’ from the lenses with which we see ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.

Suzanne Muro

Suzanne is an experienced yoga instructor (E-RYT 200) and curious movement lover. She has been teaching vinyasa flow since she completed her 200 hour training in 2011 and teaches in Maryland and DC. Her love of yoga is also informed by her love of and passion for many other forms of movement; she has completed her Power Pilates Core Mat level 1 training, and she is a certified Level One Yoga Tune Up®️ teacher. In her many years of teaching yoga and movement, Suzanne strives to keep her teaching current and fresh by pursuing new knowledge of her own body and learning from other teachers in the areas of anatomy, private yoga and yoga incorporating strength and corrective movement with weights, resistance bands, balls and all kinds of props as feedback for the body. She is grateful to all of the teachers she has learned from and practiced with for opening the doors and layers of her teaching and her practice.

Claudia Neuman (she/her)

Claudia Neuman, MSW, E-RTY 500, YACEP, was born in Los Angeles where as a child she joined her Mother at community Yoga classes. As a teenager she pursued daily classes through Integral Yoga Society, and also spent time at the Sivanada Yoga Society. Claudia began her serious study at Yoga Works in Santa Monica where she was fortunate to study with and assist some of the most influential teachers of our time while honing her own teaching skills. She was even more fortunate to have Rod Stryker initiate her into the ISHTA Yoga tradition at that time as well.

Claudia received her Masters in Social Work from USC in 1985, where she had also been offering free Yoga classes to staff and students on campus. During this time it became clear her love of the Yoga tradition, and her desire to elevate the human condition would become her calling. She spent many years as a Family Systems Therapist specializing in addictions while continuing her work as a Yoga teacher. Through her years of study and teaching, Claudia has become even more wholeheartedly committed to helping individuals find the source of their internal light through the practice of Yoga.

Her love of the Tantra Tradition has been a cornerstone of her life’s work; she sought out teachers such as Douglas Brooks and Paul Muller-Ortega, and, in 2004, she certified in Anusara Yoga. In 2013 she reconnected with her former teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker, the founder of Para® Yoga, and knew immediately she was home. Claudia became certified in Para® Yoga Nidra in March of 2021, and was awarded a Level One Para® Yoga Instructor certification in August of 2021.

Today her students describe her classes as ‘mini Yoga retreats’ that offer a complete experience of Yoga while putting them in touch with their own power and strength.

Jade Olubayo (she/her)

Jade has received the gift of practicing yoga for over 16 years. The time spent on her mat has helped her through the most rewarding and challenging times in her life. She transitioned from teaching 5th graders in Washington DC to teaching vinyasa in local gyms, corporate settings and privately. She enjoys sharing the knowledge that she has acquired and eagerly continues to grow as a student. Jade is a firm believer that yoga is for all and should be taught with care, safety and respect for the practice. Introducing others to yoga is up there as one of her all time favorite things. Her 200 hour training was at Yoga District and she continued to study a teacher apprenticeship at Skyhouse Yoga. This is Jade’s third year co-leading the 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training at Grace.

Angelique Raptakis

Angelique Raptakis is an E-RYT200/RYT-500 Yoga Teacher, certified Reiki Master, and certified Community Herbalist who looks to nature for inspiration, weaving its lessons into her classes. She believes that through the practice of yoga, we can more easily come to the connection between our body, our breath, our mind, and the universe we find ourselves. Angelique has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. Yoga has helped her recover from injuries, work through grief, and manage anxiety. She enjoys working with people in group classes and private sessions to facilitate a state of balance and connection between mind, body, and spirit, from the physical/material body to the energetic subtle body, through the use of asana, pranayama, and meditation.

Sherry Rockey

Sherry Rockey RTY-200, first came to the mat in search of an alternative to a demanding professional life, and discovered that yoga brought her to a deeper sense of calm and a way to connect with her true self.  After 15 years of practicing, Sherry turned to teaching as a way to share her joy of yoga. She received her RTY-200 from extendYoga.  

In class, Sherry helps students explore the mind-body connection through breath, mindful alignment and movement. Her classes balance fun, energetic and creative flow with relaxation and release. Sherry sees yoga as a continuous journey of self-discovery for herself and her students, and encourages students to celebrate their own unique experience with the practice of yoga. 

Sherry hopes her students walk out of her classes feeling empowered and centered, and ready to engage mindfully in the world.

Lauren Schulz

Lauren has been practicing yoga since 1997 and completed her 200-hour training at Blue Heron Wellness in 2012 to become certified with Yoga Alliance. She draws from a variety of styles in her teaching and believes yoga helps us to be more ourselves. Her classes emphasize breath, grace, and the delightful intersection of effort and ease. Lauren continues her yoga studies as she works with pre-K yogis, preteens, teens and grown-ups. She lives with her family in Silver Spring.

Delores Simmons (she/her)

During her 15 years in the wellness industry, Delores has worked with a wide range of clients, including beginners, persons with limited mobility, fitness enthusiasts and seniors.  After teaching strength and pilates for many years, she came to yoga after experiencing a side-lining foot injury and mental burnout (both as a fitness instructor and an attorney).  While completing her yoga teacher training at Grace in 2019, she was pleasantly surprised by the increased mental and physical resilience she experienced when engaging in the movement aspect of yoga, as well as when practicing breathwork and meditation. 

 All of these yogic practices were crucial to her well-being after learning that her 22-year-old godson—a Private in the army—had died by suicide.  Delores now supports others who are navigating the grief journey by serving as a GriefShare facilitator and a Mindful Grieving Yoga facilitator.  She also supports military and Veterans populations through her work as a Warriors at Ease trauma informed yoga and mindfulness instructor. 

 While working with these populations, Delores developed a love for teaching accessible yoga classes that are welcoming to persons regardless of age, size, ability, or experience level.  To that end, she completed her Accessible Yoga Training and teaches a wide-variety of classes, including yoga classes where her chair and non-chair students can practice alongside one another.  Delores’ students often comment that they appreciate her clear cues, calming voice, and her ability to explain how they can adapt yoga poses to address their injuries, as well as mobility and flexibility challenges.     

 Delores’ goal is to help her clients achieve their health and wellness goals, celebrate their strengths, as well as honor their bodies and nourish their spirits.

Lenore Fusciello Baker (she/her)

studio owner

Lenore found her health and fitness career by way of American University, where she majored in International Relations! In her senior year, she realized she had completed all the requirements for her major, so on a whim, she took classes in fitness instruction and health promotion. Her life course was changed forever. She began working in corporate wellness teaching classes, private sessions and assisting with health promotion initiatives. Lenore went on to get her masters in Human Development at UMD, College Park while also becoming a health and lifestyle coach. Lenore was part of the inaugural Grace 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Class of 2015/16. The experience was transformative. It deepened her own practice and connection to yoga, while reigniting her passion for teaching. Her style is creative, fun and compassionate. She draws from her deep desire to help each student discover their strength and grace on and off the mat.

Michelle Radecki (she/her)

studio owner

Michelle (RYT 200) began her yoga practice in her 20’s it has served as indispensable part of her life through her career as a corporate attorney and busy mom. She made the transition to full-time yogi and founded Grace with Lenore in 2014 after being inspired by many local teachers and a desire to share the many benefits she has received from her yoga practice with her community. Michelle was part of the inaugural 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Class of 2015/16 and is honored to have the opportunity to lead classes and workshops for her friends and students at Grace.

Michele Russ

wellness & studio director

Yoga has provided me with the tools to lead a more balanced and mindful life. To me, yoga is meaningful yet fun, challenging yet restorative, dynamic and steady all at once. My intention is to help students experience and deepen their relationship between mind, body and the breath through challenging, yet nurturing classes, so that they can step off the mat feeling strong and renewed. Michele (E-RYT, 200) completed her 200-hour teacher training through Sky House Yoga in 2015 and is currently working on her 500-hour training to continue to build her knowledge and grow as a teacher. This will be her seventh year co-leading the 200 Hour YTT Program at Grace.