Amanda Hamp, Certified Yoga Therapist, e-RYT 500, is the owner of Hot Yoga Studio Community Wellness & Yoga Therapy & School Director of National Yoga Academy. She teaches that there must be space for the adaptation of the Yoga lifestyle, practice & nutritional needs per person. She teaches a bio-Individual approach to finding balance from the inside out. She has been practicing Yoga and BASI Pilates since 1995 and has over 2000 hours of training under numerous yoga masters & therapists. She has learned to heal her body from major complications & surgeries, balance running her own businesses since 2002, having a family of 4, loving & educating others about the healing qualities of Organic Foods & Farming, Yoga Therapy & Ayurveda. Amanda has trained to be a CYT- Certified Yoga Therapist, eRYT500- Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, CPT-Certified Personal Trainer, CHHC-Certified Holistic Health Coach, Pilates teacher, Prenatal Yoga Teacher, Kids Yoga Teacher, Yin Yoga Teacher & Organic Foods Chef. She has completed Yoga As Medicine Level & Phoenix Rising Level 1. Amanda’s training has equipped her with extensive knowledge in holistic & integrative nutrition, Ayurvedic health coaching, and the importance of preventive care in both exercise and how/what we eat.

Kate Burns, found yoga after a running injury in 2003 and is grateful for it! Since then she’s completed two 200-hour training programs and a 500-hour program. She’s also taken a multitude of workshops with teachers well-known by many in the yoga community and those content to stay quietly in the background passionately sharing their knowledge and this gift.

In 2006, Kate began studying Ayurveda, literally translated “the science of life” and the sister science of yoga. Much like traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda is an ancient, holistic approach to health. As a consultant, Kate makes lifestyle and food recommendations. As a yoga teacher, she infuses each class with seasonal postures to achieve balance according to Ayurvedic principles; yoga therapy. Kate’s mission is to help people of all backgrounds discover their best self believing it’s never too late to change or improve the course you’re on. Her classes both challenge and heal nudging you to find the guru within.

Kathleeen Hoff, “Kat” to her friends, visited and revisited yoga for years. In the midst of mourning the loss of her father, she finally fell hard into yoga’s warm embrace, and, surprise, it transformed her life! After the intensity of bodybuilding, powerlifting, running, crossfit, and falling into a career firefighting, yoga is a haven.

Kat is a full time firefighter and paramedic. She teaches yoga in her free time, but she spreads her love of yoga to everyone she meets! She practices daily, even at the fire station! Committed to health, Kat was a personal trainer and a massage therapist in the past and draws on this knowledge to teach her classes. Now that she’s added certified yoga teacher to her qualifications and talents, she looks forward to being a lifelong student as well as teacher.

Lydia Smith Talley began her wellness journey as a young mother, becoming increasingly interested in holistic wellness as a way to keep her family well. Yoga practice became a way for her to manage the stresses of life as well as a way to occupy time with her children. This lifestyle choice eventually led her to Institute for Integrative Nutrition where she studied Holistic Health, Bio- Individuality, Yoga and Fitness, Ayurveda, and 100’s of dietary theories with lectures being taught by master teachers and world renowned healthcare practitioners including John Douillard, Ayurvedic physician, Holistic Health and Integrative Medical Dr., Andrew Weil, as well as Mind Body Connection and Spirituality expert Joan Borysenko, to name a few. While studying with integrative Nutrition Lydia’s interest in Yoga grew which found her at the doorstep of National Yoga Academy where she completed both 200 and 500 hour teacher trainings. She is a group/private therapeutic yoga instructor and holistic health coach at National Yoga Academy and Wells therapeutics in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Brock Martin, is a certified 200-hr. yoga teacher from Virginia Beach. He completed his training here at the National Yoga Academy and is currently studying the foundations of Yoga Therapy. His main focus is allowing you as the student to be your own best teacher, and serves only as a guide. Join Brock to find your Light within and connect with Self.

Ana Maria Gooding has been teaching for the last 10 years. Yoga has been a part of her life for the last 15 years. Her specialty is with Vinyasa yoga. She also practices Ashatanga yoga. Ana Maria is Yoga Fit certified in Levels I through V, Seniors, Yoga Kids, and is a 200 Hour RYT yoga teacher, with over 1,500 hours of experience.Yoga is not to make us like gymnasts, but to help us find the best that our bodies can be. We are all so different and we all have different health problems, yoga adapts and helps each of us. Ana Maria instructs students to move from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale with flow synchronization that is focused in alignment. This helps release tension, toxins and allows our body to move deeper and more freely. Her sessions end
with meditation and relaxation exercises.This Vinyasa yoga is designed to provide a harmonious balance of fitness, meditation and relaxation. Ana Maria puts it all together in a seamless natural flow.

Melissa York completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with the National Yoga Academy in 2019. Following years of strong interest in yoga and an on and off practice, she was finally ready to embark on a true journey to personal healing-in large part applying the knowledge and wisdom of this far-reaching, all encompassing ancient practice. As a result, her role as mother, daughter, sister, friend, massage therapist and yoga instructor is now reaching new levels of connection, growth and mindfulness. Melissa has a strong passion for facilitating the healing process in others, and encourages them to believe in themselves along the way. Paying it forward is a concept she lives by daily.

Emily Wilson teaches and offers guidance from her more than ten years of practice, and eight years teaching to help transform lives through the lessons of yoga, meditation, and breath practice. Since completing her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification, she’s trained in the art of adjustments with Eddie Teboul, completed intensive training in ashtanga and pranayama with Beryl Bender Birch, and studied transcendental meditation with Philip Hosley.

After a decade of practicing and teaching she still testifies to “love that there is always something new to practice. I am drawn to yoga for the benefits of finding presence on and off the mat, the rejuvenation from breath work, and the feeling after a great asana practice.”

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, San Bernardino for 20+ years. Amy’s degrees include a B.A. and M.A. in Health Promotion and a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology.  Amy has travelled to India many times and was certified to teach Yoga/ Yoga Therapy in the Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya.  Before that, she was certified by several other internationally recognized Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapist (IAYT).  Amy also helped the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy.  Amy is the Founder and Director of Optimal State of Living Programs, which provides both Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs.  See www.AmyWheeler.com for details.

Dilip Sarkar, MD, FACS, CAP., is one of the foremost experts in Yoga Therapy who combines his 45-year experience in Conventional Medicine with his extensive knowledge of Integrative Medicine, including Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy. Dr. Sarkar has held positions that included teaching as a primary focus of his medical career.  He serves on several local and national healthcare boards as: President, Board of Directors, American Heart Association, Hampton Roads, Virginia,  Chairman of it’s Mission Committee and My Life Check; Life Member, National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and Member of its’ Standards Yoga Subcommittee;  President, Board of Directors, International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT);  Fellow, American Association of Integrative Medicine (AAIM) and Chairman of the Board, Life in Yoga Institute. See more… http://www.dilipsarkar.com/bio/

Ann Swanson is a certified yoga therapist and author of Science of Yoga, which is being translated into over 10 languages. She helps people safely and effectively manage stress and relieve chronic pain—like back pain or arthritis.