KATHLEEN MARONEY
E­RYT certified Baptiste teacher, founder of LUNA VINYASA and On Your Mats for Cats™

In 2007, Kathleen trained with Baron Baptiste and completed her Baptiste Level One training.  In 2011, she completed Baptiste Level Two training and became Baptiste Certified as well as registered with The Yoga Alliance.  Kathleen  continues to train with The Baptiste Institute.

She also founded On Your Mats for Cats™ in 2015. Through this organization, Kathleen teaches  yoga classes with the proceeds going to cat rescue organizations. You will see some of these Luna's class schedule.

" I am very excited to create space and develop a hot vinyasa yoga community in Middletown Connecticut. To teach and share this practice has become such a huge part of my life. The practice is healing, life changing, and just plain awesome. While constantly evolving, yoga has become my refuge, my peace, and my inspiration." - Kathleen Maroney

Aaron Diamond, RYT 200

Aaron received his 200 hr YTT from Devarshi Steven Hartman and Jovinna Chan through the Pranotthan School of Yoga at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. Since then he has been training with several national teachers but most prominently being Justin Wolfer, Raghanauth and Matt Giordano.

In Aaron's class you can expect guided-meditation, breath work (pranayama) and creative asana flows that cultivate fluidity and steadiness in the body. He will safely explore the relation between motion and stillness making each class an experience of meditation in movement. Aaron emphasizes slowing down the practice with attention to breath & body awareness. Some examples of theories covered in class include flexion/extension & spinal articulation. 

Lisa Nasser, RYT 200

Lisa's passion for teaching enables her to connect deeply to others in a friendly and honestway, naturally through the practice of yoga.  She believes that her contribution as a yoga teacher is a small step in helping her students create a more sustainable, way of coping with every day stresses through the physical practice of yoga and meditative breath work. One breath at a time, moment by moment, allowing for a more compassionate, joy filled existence, while moving through the gateway of present moment awareness.  She has been teaching yoga in various studios and venues since 2005. She also loves working one on one with her students and small groups and integrates her years of experience as a certified personal and fitness trainer, with her training, credentials and knowledge of yoga.  As a lover of nature she holds special outdoor classes throughout the seasons, as a reflection and reminder of the beauty and freedom of the the great outdoors, and her responsibility for stewardship to this planet. 

Kat Lig, RYT 200

Kat believes in yoga. She completed her yoga teacher training Crossroad’s Soul Space in Southington, CT under the supervision of her teachers Crystal Sullivan and Shelley Nyren. Kat has been studying and practicing yoga for six years with foundations in hatha and vinyasa yoga. Kat is a graduate of Emmanuel College and holds BA’s in Sociology and Global Studies & International Relations with specific attention to population and ethnicity studies. She has backgrounds in eastern ideology and spirituality and strives to bring this knowledge to western classrooms. Kat began her yoga journey in college when she wanted to reconnect the light inside her with her physical body. The motivation to teach yoga stems from seeing lives and attitudes change and move forward as a result of practice. With a friendly and encouraging presence, Kat hopes to bring wellness and relatability to her classes, setting an example that yoga is attainable for everyone. She is an amateur gardener, freelance writer and avid traveler, hoping to empower and bring awareness to those struggling to find a balance. She fundamentally believes in finding what feels good on the mat and living mindfully and authentically.

Courtney Eliza Brooks, RYT 200

Courtney uses yoga as a tool on a journey of mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional growth.  Her classes will teach you how to be present in the moment and meet yourself exactly where you are at.  Some days this practice will allow you to express joy and gratitude for your body, other days it will allow you to heal and transform your body.  Whatever you need, she will help guide you to it on your mat. 

Courtney's teachers include Annie Quagoiaroli and Kimberly Charbonneau.

Anne Konstantino, RYT 200

Anne has been practicing yoga for 16 years. She is a certified Baptiste Yoga instructor, having trained extensively with the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute. In addition to Anne's experience as a yoga teacher/student, Anne is also a licensed Physical Therapist. Her love of anatomy and expertise in hands-on care bring a uniqueness to her style of teaching yoga. Anne's teachers include Baron Baptiste, Coeli Marsh and Ana Forrest. 

Gabrielle Ponce, RYT 200

Gabrielle recently moved to Middletown to join the faculty of the College of Letters at Wesleyan University.  She first discovered Hatha yoga while in high school and has been practicing ashtanga-based vinyasa flow with Kim Manfredi's Charm City Yoga (Baltimore) since 2012.  In the summer of 2016 she completed her 200 hour YTT with Breath of Life Yoga (Ashtanga, Hatha) in Crete.  She has also enriched her practice through Martha McAlpine’s Kundalini classes and readings in the philosophy and history of yogic traditions.  She is thrilled to join the community of Middletown and Luna Vinyasa Yoga.

Marcy Ranfone, RYT 200

Marcy completed her teacher training with Summer Quashie and Leigh Evans at Greenhouse Holistic in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and continues her studies in advanced Asana and Pranayama under Michael Carroll Yoganand.  Enchanted by the body's powerful inner rhythm, and unique fluidity, she invites inward awareness to shape ones practice, mixing creativity and mindfulness into the ever flowing dance that is yoga. Her love for yoga has lead her to travel to India and delve more deeply into the yoga tradition.  Marcy's classes are both challenging and revitalizing; encouraging one to tune in, breathe, and explore ones' boundless potential for growth and movement in the safety of an alignment based class. Marcy continues to be motivated by various styles of yoga, meditation, and energy work and is perpetually inspired by sharing that passion with others.
 

Lindsey Quinn, RYT 200

Although yoga found Lindsey many times throughout her life, it was not until 2010 that Lindsey found yoga. As a former college athlete and an avid runner, Lindsey, like many, welcomed the practice of yoga into her life after suffering from multiple bone stress fractures. Initially explored as a way to physically engage her body, Lindsey quickly learned that yoga offers so much more, restoring not only the physical body, but also offering a release of mental, emotional and spiritual build-up attained through life experience. Practicing yoga, in all forms, has allowed Lindsey to embark on a transformative journey that has rewarded her with an unwavering sense of love for self and love for all. 

Lindsey received her Bachelors degree from Bucknell University, her Masters in Teaching from Sacred Heart University and is currently pursuing a Masters degree from Wake Forest University in Mental Health Counseling. Lindsey’s passion for nature coupled with her mindfulness based approach to teaching and counseling allows her to bring a playful balance of energy, challenge, love and forgiveness to each practice she shares. Lindsey loves welcoming new faces into her classes, as she believes that it is her calling to share the healing power of yoga with as many people as she can in this lifetime.

Lindsey truly believes that if more people practiced yoga, the world would be a better place. Lindsey completed her 200 RYT and Recovery Yoga certification with Elizabeth Johnstone, Sue McClain and Lisa Bragaw.  She has also received her 100 hour Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness Counselor Certification from Sivananda Bahamas and the American Institute of Vedic Studies under Swami Sitaramananda and Durga Leela. 

Brigitta Zimmer, RYT 200

Brigitta began her yoga journey in 1985, coming and going away from it for a decade when she realized the powerful transformative effect yoga was providing her.  Never intending to teach, only to improve her knowledge for her own yoga practice, in 2008 she completed the 200 hour teacher training program at Sacred Rivers Yoga (SYR) and received the Yoga Alliance RYT200 certification.  During this process, almost by accident, she discovered a joy in sharing the gift of yoga and started teaching that same year.  She is currently enrolled in the 500 hour teacher training, also at SYR.  Brigitta has been teaching yoga at the Middletown YMCA and substituting classes at area yoga studios and fitness facilities since 2008.

Her classes include pranayama, meditation and asana practices that encourage students to find clarity of mind and peaceful dispositions, as well as help transform their bodies to be stronger and more flexible. Offering guidance towards the magical union of body, mind and breath along with an open heart and sense of humor.

Didi Cowles, RYT 200

Didi completed her teacher training with Karen Anderson at Yoga Vail in Vail, Colorado. Her love of yoga developed slowly yet steadily through the years. As an avid exerciser, gym-goer, and sports fanatic she initially found yoga to be a bit “soft.” However, despite this hesitancy, she found herself continuing to return to the mat year after year. Without being able to put her finger on it, yoga gave her something she couldn’t get from her other exercise endeavors. She always left class feeling a little lighter, lengthened, and content. Today yoga is a vital part of her life. It keeps her flexible, grounded, and grateful. What inspires her most about yoga is the interplay between strength and calm, toughness and vulnerability. Yoga pushes these boundaries and challenges us to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Didi is excited to be able to share her passion with others.

Alex Buell. RYT 200

Alex completed his 200-hour teacher certification at Live Love Teach® Teacher Training School. He is a proponent of healthy living and believes that yoga is accessible to all. Alex hopes to bridge the gap between modern medicine and mindfulness based practices as he pursues his medical degree.

Rachel Payne, RYT 200

Rachel is a certified Kripalu yoga instructor who began her journey with yoga in 1999 when a friend gave her a VHS tape of am/pm yoga, which planted the seed of a regular home practice. A year later, Rachel took her first class in a studio (Bikram yoga), where she got hooked on hot yoga. Since then, she has explored many types of yoga and has taken classes with some truly gifted instructors, including Patricia Walden, Coby Kozlowski, Diane Ducharme, Shiva Rea, Rajashree Choudry and Jason Crandell. Rachel enjoys blending forms and infusing the practice with joy. She believes that what happens on the mat is a microcosm for what happens in life. Sensation – supported by proper alignment and breath – guides the practitioner. As such, she encourages everyone to listen to his/her own body as they flow through the practice….and life.

Rachel’s professional career highlights her commitment to the wellness of mind/body/spirit: as a licensed foot reflexologist and the founding president of the Massachusetts Association of Reflexology, Rachel owned an alternative healthcare company in Harvard Square before moving to CT and finishing her doctorate in Spanish. She completed Rajashree’s Pregnancy Yoga teacher training in 2011 and her RYT 200 hour yoga teaching certification in 2015.