Kids Yoga SYF2025

Amee Smith has been involved in yoga studies since 2003 when she received her first 200 hr Yoga Teacher Certification at 7 Centers here in Sedona! Now with well over 600 hrs Yoga teacher training, her background spans Hatha, Kundalini, Pre-Natal, Kids, Yoga Therapy and where her heart is most currently and divinely guided, Conflict Resolution. Through her own healing and recovery experience, she has worked in dual-diagnosis treatment as a technician and group facilitator teaching yoga, meditation/mindfulness. Amee enjoys working with special needs children and disabled adults and is committed to the health and support of our most vulnerable. An ordained minister, lover of the earth, all faces of healing and circles of bodies, she is thrilled to be playing and teaching kid’s yoga again this year in Sedona!

Amy was introduced to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation as a child. Since early childhood she was involved in creative pursuits including diving, synchronized swimming and dance, allowing her to indulge her love of inventing poses and movements. A student of Rama Jyoti Vernon, Amy’s classes are inspired by her Guru’s sense of wonder and appreciation of art and science. Paulie Zink, Doug Keller and Robert Boustany have also been guiding forces in Amy’s yoga journey.

Candace aka Pickles Lea is the owner of Pickles Lea Yoga. Pickles Lea Yoga is a 501 (c) 3 Nonprofit community-based yoga company in Prescott, AZ. All the classes are FREE if you NEED them to be! Look for Pickles dressed in her Pickles costume sharing the love of yoga with the community!

Candace has been practicing Yoga all over the US and Mexico for many years. You might find her on her mat on the beach or in the forest where she is surrounded by fresh air and nature. In 2021 she decided to take a Yoga Teacher Training to deepen her own practice and would now love to share this passion of Yoga with the community. She teaches Hatha yoga. “I love to create a fun, yet peaceful and energetic class that will leave you feeling so wonderful!
I am trained in Trauma Conscious Yoga and I am honored to create a safe space for you to explore.” www.picklesleayoga.org

Deborah has been a full-time elementary teacher at both Montessori and Waldorf Schools, with a yoga practice on the side as a means for health and wellness. After many years, she shifted out of full-time elementary teaching, and around that same time, her local studio offered its first 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. It became apparent that the moment had come to deepen her practice and prepare to become a yoga teacher. Deborah enjoys incorporating yoga into her elementary classes with children in the past. She currently teaches at the Sanctuary at Sedona and at the Cottonwood Hot Yoga studio. She also owns and operates her own Floating Yoga business and takes people out on inflatable paddleboards to practice yoga at the convergence of the Verde River and Oak Creek.

Jacquelyn is a yoga teacher for all ages but specializes in teaching children the yogic techniques to create soothing emotional transitions to help build pro-social behaviors. These techniques include yoga nidra to facilitate intention-setting; pranayama to help calm fluctuations in the nervous system; as well as asana to develop positive relationships to our body and our capacity to build strength. She is certified in 300 hours of yoga-teacher training from 7 Centers Yoga with an emphasis on conflict resolution using the yoga sutras and is finishing her certification in children’s yoga at Sedona Sol Yoga. In addition to teaching yoga, Jacquelyn has her own consulting business that focuses on fundraising for non-profits like Moving Medicine Forward, which educates physicians on disease reversal through plant-based nutrition.

Jennifer has a passion for stretching and movement that create healing and focus in the body. She practices yoga on a regular basis and recently completed Sedona Sol’s Joyful Kids Yoga program with Sedona Sol Yoga. Her goal is to bring more awareness of all the benefits of Yoga, especially for children.

A yoga student shared once one word to describe Kathy, and that word was Authentic. Kathy has a youthful, fun and practical approach to sharing yoga and meditation with others. Practicing yoga since her teens, she brings with her the understanding and importance of growth, and how yoga is essential as one undergoes changes in their life. Yoga is life, and she loves to live it!

Laurie Altringer is the founder and director of the Science Vortex of the Verde Valley, a children’s STEAM center (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) located in Cottonwood, Arizona. She is a certified teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience who is passionate about challenging children with fun STEAM projects that enhance their problem-solving, creativity, and perseverance skills.

Lou Ann Bruck has taught children, teenagers and adults, Yoga and Zumba. She’s also been a pharmacist.
She loves laughing and moving with kids of all ages! Yoga ‘Motion’ originated with Body and Brain Center
uptown Sedona. She became a yoga instructor over twenty years ago. Many of the Yoga postures and exercises
she does can activate the energy centers in the body, helping to create balance and harmony in the body, mind
and spirit. She hopes you can join her for the fun!

Magical Michael Steele has been entertaining audiences with his magic/yo-yo/juggling variety show throughout Sedona and the Verde Valley for almost 45 years. His rapport with children is as amazing as his magic and yo-yo tricks.

My teaching blends experiences from diverse traditions, including the Bihar School lineage, Tantra, and Kundalini yoga traditions. I guide students through asana practices that integrate pranic activation via mindful breathing, leading to the harmonious flow of energy and culminating in the stillness of the mind in meditation.

My goal is to create a space where physical, energetic, and mental practices align, fostering deep transformation.

Ruthann, a 500 E-RYT and RCYT through Yoga Alliance, is passionate about teaching youth yoga. Since her early years, she has explored wellness and holistic health. Initially drawn to yoga for better flexibility, her practice evolved, enhancing all aspects of her life. Ruthann actively pursues education, participating in various trainings to enrich her practice and share her growing knowledge with clients. Certified in children’s yoga, including Asana for Autism and Special Needs, she creates inclusive classes for children of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Ruthann’s goal is to make yoga, fitness, mindfulness and wellness accessible to everyone, dedicating herself to guiding students toward their best selves.

Shandra Ryan is the director of Conscious Education, a local non-profit organization supporting youth and families through nature based art, mindfulness and fitness programs. She has taught elementary school and special education and is a certified children’s yoga instructor. She is a native to Sedona and has raised her three children here.