Yoga

Deb’s passion for yoga began over 14 years ago when she went away on a girl’s weekend retreat and experienced her first yoga classes. She was hooked! Returning home she found a local yoga studio and practiced for several years with Katherine Conte of Focus Yoga, beginning her yogic journey!

While raising four children, yoga became her sanctuary and she quickly realized that allowing herself the opportunity to practice self-care was not being selfish, but a necessary part of her well-being. Yoga has made a profound difference in how she views herself and her life and she would like to offer her students the opportunity to explore and inquire within with compassion and nonjudgement. 

After her children were grown and started out on their own paths, she decided to dive deeper into her practice and completed her 200hr Kripalu based Pranotthan Yoga Teacher Training in 2019 through All That Matters in Wakefield, RI. This was one of the best gifts she has ever given herself! Her love of learning left her wanting more, so she went on to complete the Level I Restorative Teacher Training with Sudha Carolyn Lundeen and both the Level I & II USUI/Holy Fire Reiki certifications with Myra Partyka. She has also completed workshops in Nurturing Self-Care, Grief Yoga, Vagus Nerve Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Deb plans to become certified in Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra in the Spring of 2022.

Deb enjoys being both a student and teacher and will continue to explore opportunities for growth and life-long learning. Her classes explore the five Kosha’s with an emphasis on feeling, diving deeper and letting go. She believes in this busy world we don’t take the opportunity to slow down, notice and feel. The magic happens in the pauses, in the quiet moments, with so much benefit to be gained. Deb offers a calming and supportive practice that leaves her students feeling confident, rejuvenated and whole.

 Rachel Dembkowski is a 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) who came to yoga  after leaving an abusive marriage. Hearing that yoga was good for stress relief and anxiety she  was intrigued by the idea of discovering healthier ways to work through trauma and creating a  healthier lifestyle. She tried a gentle class and struggled, huffing and puffing through it. In many  ways it was the most uncomfortable hour of her life but there was something about how she  felt in the moments, hours and days following that kept her coming back to class week after  week. She happened upon a hot power vinyasa class later that year and fell in love with the  fluid movement connecting body and breath. Rachel completed her teacher training in 2018 through Recovery Yoga. She believes in  a compassion centered philosophy, encouraging students to become a compassionate  observer and challenging her students to notice what is happening within their bodies without  judgement. She believes that everyone should come to their mats exactly as they are and that  it is a sacred space where they should feel supported, held and encouraged. Her belief is that  yoga creates breath and body awareness and nourishes the mind, body and soul so students  will leave their mats feeling refreshed and renewed for whatever life throws their way.  Her passion lies with sharing her love for restorative yoga and breath work with the  community. Rachel loves guiding her students through grounding meditations, pranayama,  energy healing and encouraging them in stillness. Her desire is to cultivate a space where every  student is accepted and empowered to be exactly as they are.  Rachel loves teaching beginners and watching them fall in love with their practice in the  same way she did. She believes in being a life long student first and teacher second. When she  isn’t on her mat, she is spending time with her family, homeschooling and soaking up as much  nature as she can 

 Cheryl started her yoga teaching journey in a 14-month 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training in 2016 in Southern CA. It was with the intention to deepen her own personal practice. After the first couple of months, her passion for yoga increased greatly, and she made plans to start a new career teaching. She taught professionally in the yoga studio where she graduated from, in addition to giving private sessions at her home ranch studio.  After relocating in 2020 to CT, she started Yoga with Heart LLC, and recently connected with Mystic Bridge to Wellness.  Her classes include: Yoga for Anxiety, and Yoga: Body Awareness through Somatic Techniques.  She is Certified in Beginner, Gentle, Intermediate, Chair and Yin Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation and has a Certificate in Sound Therapeutics.   

 Allie is a toddler mom and nature lover with a wide range of experience working with young people. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Boston College and a Master’s degree in Education from Sacred Heart University. She is certified to teach both Social Studies and Special Education, and worked with students with social/emotional needs in the public school setting for five years. It was this work that inspired her to become a children’s yoga teacher; in 2017 she was trained and certified in the Deep Play for Kids school of yoga. Since then, she has shared the joy of mindful movement with children and teens in public and private schools and informally with family and friends. Allie is also a Level Two Reiki practitioner and budding herbalist. Most importantly, she is the mama of a curious and silly toddler who inspires her with creative energy every day. She is so excited to share children’s yoga and Reiki energy work at Mystic Bridge to Wellness!  Allie will be teaching Yoga for kids & pre-teens!

Originally from Southeastern CT, Emily has been practicing yoga for about 20 years. She recently moved back hOMe to Niantic, where the energy of the sea called her back after many years of living in the mid-Atlantic with her family. During that time, of practicing yoga, and experiencing glimpses of the healing powers of the ancient traditions of yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, Emily began studying Prana Flow® yoga, a style of vinyasa flow developed by Shiva Rea, with Maria Garre in 2010. She enjoys practicing all styles of yoga, but is especially inspired by the way Prana Flow® yoga brings peace to the body and mind through movement meditation. It is her goal to help each and every student find a practice that is accessible, balanced and healing. 

Emily’s classes provide an inviting and comfortable space for students of all levels to explore their own practice. Her vinyasa flow classes link poses together through movement at a pace that is comfortable for beginners, yet with creative sequencing that practitioners of all levels will enjoy. 

Emily earned her 200 hr certification in Prana Flow® yoga in June 2012 from the Samudra School of Yoga at Ananda Shala, Frederick, MD, and her 500 hr certification in Prana Flow® yoga, through Samudra School of Yoga with Maria Garre, Shiva Rea, Sonia Masocco (Ayurveda), Lorin Roche (meditation) and Radhe Pfu (philosophy and Vedic Astrology) in 2015. She has been teaching throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast for the past 9 years. 

She is currently studying bioregional and western herbalism and folk medicine of European, Celtic, Chinese, and Native American traditions with Brittany Wood Nickerson of Thyme Herbal, and Jade Alicandro Mace of Milk and Honey Herbs since 2019. She integrates this earth wisdom and practices of the wheel of the year into her teaching to help students connect their own healing nature within. 

 Melanie Cipher earned her 200-hour yoga teacher certification through Recovery Yoga at Zen & Now and her 30-hour Yin certification with the Yoga Ranger Studio.  A product manager by day, she has been practicing yoga on and off for more than 20 years and credits the practice with helping manage her anxiety.  She practices mostly at home with the lights dimmed and her eyes closed.  Her focus is on finding your own flow for your body and truly going inward so you can relax.  Her classes are calming, slow, stretchy - and fun!  In her free time, her nose is usually stuck in a book and she’s got at least one of her three cats in her lap.