Bio: Shining in ballet from the age of three, Desirae took a lead role in the Nutcracker by the age of six with the Fort Worth City Ballet Company.  Through high school and college, she continued a path of competitive sports mixed with the arts. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she followed a creative marketing path and in 1993 opened her own graphic design studio called American Pie Design, Inc. Desirae discovered that yoga provided a counter to the stress of the corporate world. Traveling the country for major corporations, she experienced many yoga styles, but found Baptiste Power Vinyasa provided a spiritual aspect, the missing puzzle piece to her life. In 2006, she opened Breath and Body Yoga in Austin, Texas. At present she works closely with Baron Baptiste and brings a new dynamic to the practice where vinyasa flow meets alignment.  She has also established the leading 200 and 500 hour teacher training school in Austin plus produces online classes and yoga videos. The University of Texas's Women's Volleyball, Softball, Golf and the Men's Baseball teams hire her to bring strength, flexibility, breath and alignment to their collegiate sports.  

Bio: Kate Campbell began her journey with YOGA about 7 years ago at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute Boston. She trained as a hands-on assistant at BPYI with the incomparable Gregor Singleton and Claire Este-McDonald and completed Teacher Training Level 1 and 2 with the inspirational Baron Baptiste. She is in ongoing training with Baron Baptiste and Shiva Rea and is Yoga Alliance RYT 200 Hour Certified. She has been on the BPYI Boston teaching team since 2009 and has taught at numerous universities in the Boston area including Boston University and Lesley University.

Kate is a passionate, expansive teacher. Her teaching is influenced by years of hands on assisting at BPYI Boston as well as her ongoing study of the life science ayurveda. She deeply appreciates and honors the timelessness of yoga and it’s omnipresence. Yoga is everyone, all the time, and a path to source, absolute peace and limitless power. She feels blessed to hold the sacred space for her students to breath deeply and explore their mind, body and spirit from a place of trust, creativity, freedom, playfulness and no-thingness.

 

Bio: G'Nell Price has been practicing yoga since 1998. She is a licensed Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher, and has accumulated over a thousand hours in teacher training. G'Nell is passionate about life and dedicated to helping people. Her classes are lighthearted and challenging: you will feel supported, experience blissful alignment, and leave with inspiration in your heart and a smile on your face.
G'Nell was given the yoga name, Karuna, "she who is full of compassion", which appropriately describes her dedicated teaching. She also works full time as a Behavior Specialist (and yoga program coordinator) for children with multiple disabilities at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. G'Nell has witnessed amazing results for the differently-abled children practicing yoga.

G'Nell can be found practicing on her mat, hiking, biking, running or swimming in Austin, Texas where she lives (east side!) with her husband and black lab.

Currently: G’Nell continues her study of the Anusara method and is enrolled in the teacher training. She has assisted Baron Baptiste and intends to continue working for BPYI throughout the year.  She plans to attend Radiant Child Yoga Trainers’ Program, where she will be certified to train teachers. 

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.  Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” - Carl Jung

Bio: Leah loves the process of exploring and unfolding life through yoga. She brings vitality, openness and playfulness to her classes, as she encourages you to find your edge. She believes that practice on the mat is about deepening into your body and into the present moment, rather than searching for the “perfect” pose.  Leah works with world-renowned yoga teacher and author Baron Baptiste at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute.  She has the great honor of traveling the globe assisting him in his Teacher Trainings and other Baptiste Yoga Trainings. She is in Baptiste’s newest DVD, Ignite & Integrate.  In 2009 and 2010 Leah organized and led a team of nationally recognized teachers who brought yoga to the White House lawn as part of a Presidential initiative to encourage healthy and active lives among children. After sustaining a severe neck and back injury cheerleading in college, and then years of stress from working in politics, Leah was drawn back to her practice as a form of physical therapy, balance and stress relief. She was home.  Leah’s teachers include Baron Baptiste, Anne Marie Kramer and Lama Marut amongst many others.  Leah has found greater peace, happiness and equanimity through her practice, and looks forward to sharing these amazing gifts with you.

Bio: Yoga has been my “fountain of youth.” As I started coming into my 60’s my body began sinking forward, my hip joints were inflamed, and vertigo stopped me in my tracks. After one year of power vinyasa I had regained ½ “ in height and the hip joints healed. My second year has been a complete marvel! Headstands, handstands, backbends, that I never achieved as a child are giving me a new world. As for the vertigo….the peace found on the mat guides me gently, and now the spells do not exist.

Currently: Cythnia develops raw granola called Capital Crunch.

Bio: Rebecca Fulton brings all aspects of yoga into her life and all aspects of her life into her yoga practice. An enthusiastic equestrian and dancer, she has practiced yoga for more than 15 years. Beginning with Baron Baptiste as her teacher in the 90s, she continued her yoga exploring in Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Jivamukti styles, returning to become a Baptiste teacher in 2009. She earned her 200-hour Yoga Alliance training with Desirae at Breath and Body and completed Level 1 with Baron in 2010 and Level 2 in September of 2010.

Currently: Rebecca works in the film and television industry as a script supervisor. In between movies and television she teaches at Breath and Body Yoga. She has directed two 60-minute Breath & Body videos with Desirae leading and more are in the making. Rebecca also is co-facilitating with Leah Cullis the largest ever 40-Day Personal Revolution program at the studio. Achievements: She has completed 200- hours of the Breath and Body Yoga Power Vinyasa Teacher Training and 200-Hours with Baron Baptiste. She completioned Baptiste certification in the fall of 2011and is assisting Landmark Forums while on the leadership track with Landmark Education.

Bio: Sami Lipman turned to yoga to give her powerful strength, relief from back injuries, and a mindful attitude towards life. 

As a former ballet dancer, Sami has always been passionate about exercise that integrates the body with movement and rhythm. After dabbling in many styles of yoga, from Kundalini to Bikram, Sami found that Power Yoga gave her peace of mind in an otherwise very busy life, as well as a camaraderie with her physical body rather than seeing it as a barrier. 

With an excitement for sharing the positive benefits of yoga and being a part the global and local yoga community, Sami completed the Power Yoga 200 Hour-RYT certified at Breath & Body Yoga in 2010, takes part in many workshops, and aims to continue her training throughout her life. Sami maintains a daily practice and is inspired by Baron Baptiste and the Anusara-method. Sami is also a Senior Graphic Designer at an Austin-based communications firm; and loves spending time in our amazing city with both her human and furry loved ones. 

Bio:

Kaley Klasson discovered yoga in 2005, when she stopped dancing competitively and found herself in search of a new physical outlet. Kaley immediately fell in love with the heat, liveliness and grace of Baptiste Yoga, as it allowed her to express her natural flexibility. However, yoga quickly became much more to her than an asana practice. Kaley's  heightened sense of  empowerment, joy and love allowed for a more authentic relationship with herself and her community. Most importanly, yoga fulfilled it's definition as it ultimately brought Kaley peace. Kaley has successfully completed the 100 hour Baptiste Level One Teacher Training in New York and Breath and Body's 200 hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification. At the age of twenty-one, Kaley is proud of these two yogic accomplishments, but also is so excited about the trainings and opportunitues ahead, including her Baptiste Certification after Level Two Teacher Training in the Fall of 2011. Her classes are marked by a balance of compassion and power, with an intention to always leave her students feeling joyful and light. When Kaley isn't teaching or practicing yoga she works as a personal shopper and stylist at Saks Fifth Avenue, honoring her passion for the art of fashion and her degree in Public Relations and Fashion Merchandising. Kaley joyfully practices yoga everyday and is honored to work as a yoga teacher at Breath and Body Yoga.

Bio: Growing up in Louisiana, Katie fell in love with nature and learning about the evolution of the earth. This eventually inspired her to study geology at Louisiana State University. After obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in Geology, she moved to Austin in 2009 to begin her Master's in Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. IIt was during this time she discovered yoga, and it immediately changed her life. Within a month of practicing, she felt a strong calling to become a yoga teacher. She was inspired by the freedom, love, and light that yoga brought to her life and wanted to share it with the community. Geology has brought Katie all around the world, studying and learning so much about how the earth has changed in the past. But it is on her mat where she has learned so much about herself.

 

Bio:

Lauren was raised in Abilene, TX and has permanently settled in Austin after stints in Chicago and New York City.  She works as the financial director for a small business, and spends her free time playing the piano, drinking wine, and enjoying the outdoors.

Lauren was first drawn to yoga in college as a way to work out and condition her muscles.  The mindful, mental practice of vinyasa provided tools that she could take off her mat and apply in daily life.  The positive effects of her practice were the inspiration to complete the Power Yoga 200 Hour-RYT Training at Breath & Body Yoga.  Lauren continues to learn and grow as a student and teacher through her daily practice, workshops and trainings.