by Tara Malouf of Red Thread Photo

Julie Bradley

A mental health professional  with more than 30 years of experience serving individuals with serious mental health challenges, Julie began exploring yoga in 2010 as a way to improve her own holistic health and wellness.  She completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction series at Three Trees, and is also a graduate of the 2012 Three Trees Teacher Training Program.  Through establishing a personal yoga practice, Julie has found a new way of approaching life, and has experienced the joy of finding a “steadiness and ease” in daily life situations that is truly transformative.
In addition to a long-standing daily meditation practice, Julie uses asana, mantra, pranayama, and basic guidelines of Ayurveda, for supports on her own path.  These are also what she offers to students in her classes, with particular emphasis on reducing stress and anxiety, building self-confidence, and enhancing general well-being through learning to access the place of groundedness, compassion, and deep peacefulness within themselves.

 

Karissa Bryant

Since 2005 yoga has brought consciousness, connection and compassion to Karissa's life. She started practicing with her sister in Federal Way and since then has studied yoga in five countries, recently finishing a 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training with Agama Yoga in Thailand.  She is happy to be back in the northwest after almost three years in Asia teaching, studying, and exploring yoga intellectually and experientially. During her two years teaching English in South Korea, she offered weekly community yoga classes and also taught yoga to parents, students, and teachers. Karissa has explored many different styles along the way, from hot yoga to restorative, traditional Thai yoga, Tantra, Vinyasa, Kriya, and many styles of meditation.  Through yoga Karissa has found a deep sense of peace and hopes to share this in her teachings. Her focus is helping students explore the three different dimensions of being - body, mind, and spirit - for positive growth and transformation in every area of life.  She teaches yoga to kids and adults with a focus on developing an internal calmness, a constant place of stability and quiet surrender that they can always return to. She is grateful for all the support and love in her life, for the myriad of teachings and Grace she receives, and for the opportunity to join the beautiful community of yogis in Federal Way!

Dhaval Dhru, MD

Dr Dhru is a certified Yoga teacher approved by Yoga Alliance having undergone yoga teacher training at White Lotus foundation, Santa Barbara, CA and also at Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque.  He teaches at Three Trees Yoga and provides individual and private yoga classes incorporating Ayurvedic principle so as to come up with appropriate yoga practice for an individual.

Dr. Dhaval Dhru MD, retired ENT Surgeon, now provides Ayurveda and Yoga Consultation and Education by appointments. He teaches Ayurvedic seminars at various locations nationally as well as internationally including teaching assignments at Ayurvedic Institute, Albequerque, NM and Kerala Ayurveda Academy, Seattle, WA.  He studied Ayurveda with Dr. Lad, the world renowned Ayurvedic educator, practitioner, author and founder of Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque.  Click here for more information about his Ayurveda and Yoga Consultation services.

Suzy Green-Cindrich, E-RYT

I first fell in love with yoga in 1991 during a ski holiday in Vail, CO with childhood friend Fenella Zimmern. Fenella had just returned from India, was in the midst of her teacher training in London and happy to share her new passion.
Fenella went back to England to become a fabulous teacher and eventually to develop the Yoga Bugs™ program (seeYogaBugs.com).
I went on to have a couple of babies and forget about yoga in an effort to stay on top of the laundry. When I realized it was time to find a interest outside of being a wife and mother, I made a very clear intention about finding my life’s passion. After a friend’s repeated encouragement to join her yoga class-I was finally ready to make room for it. During that first class it all came back to me-how much I loved yoga in every fiber of my being. I began signing up for classes wherever I could find them including week long conferences in San Francisco and Orlando.
After moving to Federal Way I made another intention (feeling very successful at the whole intention thing) to find a Hatha yoga teacher not more than 5 minutes from my house that could challenge me. Two weeks later at a school auction I bid on and won a life changing series of yoga classes from Jeni Martinez who became a dear mentor, teacher, friend – and now partner.
Do you know how you are on the right path? The most amazing teachers keep taking your hand and helping you with your footing down that path.
It is my hope to be able to provide a hand for others.

Dana Keegan

I began practicing yoga in 2003 and was immediately taken with the wonderful affects I received. On my mat I felt challenged physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, but I also had a sense of connection I’d never felt before. Since that first class, I began to face life’s challenges differently, coming back to my mat, sometimes after long absences, where I’d find a calmness, steadiness, comfort and a connection to self. In a recovery program since 1995, I absolutely love the way these two entities enhance each other in my life! I became a certified yoga instructor in July of 2012, completing an intensive training at Konalani Ashram in Kona, Hawaii. I love the practice of Ashtanga Yoga,  and I encourage all who attend my classes to honor exactly where they are on their own yoga journeys! I look forward to sharing the magic of yoga with you~ Namaste

Lawrence Loofbourrow

Lawrence is a martial arts practitioner and teacher with 35 years of experience. His roots are in Kajukenbo kung fu, for which he holds the rank of black belt, but his passion and joy is Tai Chi.  Lawrence has been tested and certified to teach Tai Chi by two separate martial arts organizations: The International Tum Pai Association, a branch of Kajukenbo, and the Chen Style Xinxi Hunyuan Institute in Beijing, China, through his current teacher Harrison Moretz.  Lawrence has been with Harrison, the founder and director of the Taoist Studies Institute in Seattle, for 20 years.  Lawrence is Harrison's senior disciple. Harrison is a close personal disciple of Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang, Beijing, China.  Feng Zhiquiang is the 18th generation Grandmaster of Chen Style Tai Chi and founder of the chen Style Xinyi Henyuan Taijiquan system. 

Melissa Lundsgaard, RYT

Melissa discovered yoga through an Intro Series at 8 Limbs Yoga Centers Seattle in 2001. As a dancer and choreographer, she immediately connected to the idea of breath leading the flow of the body through movement as not only beautiful and strengthening, but as healing. It was as though someone had opened the door to the world she had been waiting to discover. She has since studied under various teachers and styles gathering a mix of ingredients that fuel her passion for creative, playful and dynamic flow. Coming full circle, she graduated from the 200HR Teacher Training program at 8 Limbs Yoga
Centers in 2012. Melissa intertwines her background in dance and more recent endeavors as an aerialist, to create a liberating, explorative and graceful practice.

In addition, from a young age Melissa has had a fascination with the miracle of motherhood and has felt drawn to work with pregnant women in a supportive capacity. One reason for attending yoga teacher training was to focus on pre and postnatal yoga. Her desire is to provide a supportive environment, empowering women with knowledge, strength and a healthy connection to their bodies through this cycle of life.

For all students, Melissa provides a safe space to honor the humility of curiosity and welcome the thrill of discovery in the potential of each individual human body, no matter what phase of life is being expressed. She is inspired daily by the body’s physical capabilities, the mind’s profound power and the spirit’s emerging freedom.

If not flowing on her mat, you may also find Melissa and her husband, Rob, leading Kirtan or devotional chanting around yoga studios, festivals and retreats. Find them at www.lundsgaardmusic.com.

Jeni Martinez, E-RYT

I have been teaching Hatha yoga since 1990.My first teacher, Renee Taylor, was in her late 90’s and lived in Redondo Beach, CA. I was so inspired by her work and her wisdom that I agreed to do a teacher training program with her. I had absolutely no intention of ever teaching yoga at the time. (Why would I give up a stressful management job that gave me stiff necks and migraines?) With her encouragement, I discovered that I loved teaching yoga as much as I loved doing yoga. My teaching style is best described as playful, yet challenging and is based on the Kripalu and Iyengar influences that have shaped my own practice.

After 14 years of teaching, I attended another teacher training program, this time at Pacific Yoga in Seattle. Suzy and Karen were also in the program and it was during our year of commuting that the idea to open a yoga studio together was born. In June 2005, Three Trees Yoga & Healing Arts Center, Federal way’s first yoga studio opened its doors. I am grateful to the incredible community of teachers, massage therapists, healers and students who have been drawn together at Three Trees Yoga.

My son, Cody, recently asked me what dharma was. When I told him it was his life’s path or purpose, he responded, “Well, your dharma is to teach yoga, be my mommy (and his twin brother Devin’s) and to be Daddy’s wife! “  I couldn’t agree more.