In June of 2016, Melissa acquired studio space on California Ave. and created the boutique healing oasis, Temple. She envisioned Temple Yoga as a place for stress management, community, and a living alter where your body is the inspiration for your devotion.  She began studying yoga in 1999, took her first yoga training course in 2007, and began teaching full-time after the 9 week 500 hour course. A passion for attending training courses immersed and she hasn't stoped learning since. Melissa is dedicated to the Dharma of the path and considers her role as a Mother to be her greatest accomplishment in life. Her yoga instructor training includes over 2,000 hours of Yoga Teacher Training courses beginning with Bikram Yoga Training in 2007. Mel's enthusiasm for sharing yoga eventually led her to training in Bhakti Flow with Rusty Wells. She completed a 500-hour journey that continues with Janet Stone Yoga immersing through travel, India, South America, and many more sources of inspiration. Finding joy through teaching public yoga classes yet wanting to create community, she began We Are One Yoga Teacher Trainings in 2013. The teacher trainings are in-depth study modules exploring the many ways to embody the teachings of yoga. Her yoga classes are strong yet basic, sweaty and also cool, radiant and relaxing--an experience of yoga.

I have been practicing asana for many years, and bit by bit, experiencing little openings to something bigger. After traveling and working different jobs, I felt pulled to come back to Reno and dive in deeper. This led me to completing my 200hr RYT in Reno with We Are One Teacher Training. Since then my practice, studentship, and curiosity have grown into something I can’t help but love to share. The classes I offer intend to create a space for someone to explore whatever it is they are looking for in the practice. The beauty of it is when one gets on that mat, and experiences a connection to themselves through the mind, body, and breath. The results can be limitless! My classes consist of Hatha yoga with flow and attention on concentration.

Tracy went looking for a yoga teacher in 1996 with a few of her closest friends. They found Lorna Benedic, and started this life changing journey. She completed her first teacher training with Erich Schiffmann in 2002 and has been teaching yoga ever since. She also has studied with Lynne Ramsey, Eddy Modestini and Nicki Doane, Lama Chistie McNally-Tibetan Heart Yoga and most recently Carol Lyons, here at Studio 8. She finally understands the saying, "do your practice and all is coming. " After many years of "studying" yoga, Tracy has finally found how to "practice yoga"  here at Studio8, practicing astanga. She prefers to practice mysore style, but will try to attend a led class once a week so that she can "hear " Sanskrit, chat with the class, and to learn more about the practice. Tracy came from a completive swimming, triathlon and marathon running background. She also has raised three children.  She can honestly say that Yoga has enhanced everything in her life, and she hopes continue the practice always. When not practicing or teaching  yoga you can find Tracy at Studio 325 where she works as an Aveda Aesthetician.   “ I finally understand the saying ‘Do you practice and all is coming'."

Ashlee Skow began practicing yoga in 2001 after a gradual decrease in her health due to a lung disease known as Cystic Fibrosis. After starting to practice, Ashlee noticed that her lung function and health had become significantly more stable and she knew that yoga needed to be a core part of her life. Ashlee graduated her 200 YTT through We Are One Flow Teacher Trainings and has continued her trainings here in Reno. In 2014 Ashlee also became certified in Paddle Board Yoga and began teaching classes on Lake Tahoe. Ashlee loves classes that are energetic and dynamic on fun movements and breath-work to build heat in the body. Her classes tend to be more challenging but are achievable to all levels. She believes that yoga is perfect for anyone and acknowledges the beauty in everyone who ventures on to their mat.

I teach yoga because I believe in the practice. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be a yoga teacher today, I would have laughed in your face. I was a gym rat, yoga was for hippies. I took my first yoga class on a whim. I thought savasana was stupid and forward folds were impossible. Something kept me coming back. That something was a desperate need from within, from my spirit, to connect with myself (I am now kind of a hippie after all). Three years later in 2007 I carted myself off to an ashram in Nederland, Co., the Shambhava School of Yoga, where I learned there is so much more than the gym style power yoga I was accustomed to. So, I studied very hard and earned my 200hr RYT certification. I came back to Reno excited to teach and continue my education. I enrolled in the personal training certification program at Truckee Meadows Community College where I furthered my studies in anatomy, exercise physiology, and kinesiology, and I began teaching yoga in gyms, studios, homes, and classrooms all over Reno. In 2010, life happened and a series of illness and loss forced me to put down my active personal and professional practice to heal myself and care for my loved ones. I lost a lot of faith in myself during those years. Even in the most difficult times, however, when I actually tried to lose faith in yoga, in that connection to myself, the practice would continue to break through the fog of hurt and fear and be my truth when there was no other truth. Yoga evolved into more than my physical practice; it became my way of life. There is nothing like yoga that I have found that holds you up during times of pain and difficulty and lifts you higher during times of celebration and joy. It is always accessible, because it is you: your body and your breath; a constant in chaos and in stillness. It is just our luck that yoga is also great for health and wellness physically, emotionally, and psychologically. The depth of the practice is fathomless and the list of benefits is endless.  

Skylar Atencio is a student at the University of Nevada, Reno to pursue a career in English and Communication.Growing up Skylar has played and competed in many sports including gymnastics, snowboarding, golf and softball. Through gaining certifications she grew up instructing snowboard group and private lessons to all ages and skill levels. She also taught indoor cycling classes for years. "I am fascinated and love movement analysis. To be able to diagnose someone's physical or mental limitation and come up with a plan to help them get better at their sport." Her first experience with yoga was during her first year of college. She began to take classes to increase her mobility and flexibility. Yoga became more than just a physical (asana) practice to her. Yoga helped her battle and overcome depression and anxiety. In order to dive deeper into the practice Skylar completed her 200hr training with OM2YOGA September 2016. She strongly believes and strives to make yoga accessible to everyone. Yoga, Skylar believes yoga should be accessible to everyone, because everybody can benefit from the practice one way or another, physically or spiritually. She teaches yin yoga and vinyasa flow with yoga philosophy (sutras). She is going to continue to further her understanding and continue to expand her yoga practice and teachings. "My relationship with myself began the day I stopped criticizing and being harsh on me. The day I started paying attention to the voices inside than the ones outside." -aujum choudary "That is what yoga has taught me and teaches me time and time again.' ~ Sky

Deanna understands busy lives and strives to help people balance a life that includes work, family, and personal time through the practice of yoga. Deanna is in the midst of her 20+ year career in marketing and communications and understands the stress, posture challenges, and constant connectivity expectations that a successful career can afford someone. While she remains dedicated to helping Reno, her hometown, she intends to do it differently now. In the past, she helped by using her creativity to position the authentic side of Reno increasing tourism. Recently, she inspired the community to more easily connect and better understand issues facing our local government. After meeting her true love, getting married and having two children later in life, a chance to refocus presented itself. Yoga has been the path towards achieving balance, finding her patient breath, and allowing movement to reenergize her tired life. Earning her 200hrRYT from her teacher Melissa Martinez at We Are One Teacher Training in 2015, Deanna quickly took up teaching to her colleagues at the City of Reno. Juxtaposing politics next to the "yama and niyama" practices was challenging, but clearly needed. The offering brought many the opportunity to bring a more peaceful, focused, healthy, and positive approach to a stressful environment. At Temple Yoga, Deanna tunes into her students needs, incorporates her love of music, provides a glimpse into yoga philosophy and leads an asana flow practice for all levels to enjoy.

Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Susan Frankovich has had quite the nomadic past. She began her bellydance journey with ATS in New Mexico and continued onto NYC, LA, San Francisco, and Croatia, and then back to LA again, learning something more in each place while developing her own style along the way. She’s an international Tribal Fusion dance instructor, performer, and yogi who is in the constant pursuit of improving her art and teaching style. Susan has a great eye for correction, and can deliver critique with a positivity that makes her students feel successful. She is a former member of Bellyqueen and PURE (NYC), The Barbary Coast Shakedown (San Francisco), and was the People’s Choice winner with Jillina’s Bellydance Evolution (for Dark Side of the Crown) in the summer of 2012. Susan has taught and performed in the US, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Asia, Russia, and throughout Europe. She is known for bringing tribal style dance to Croatia (in 2002), and in addition to the many years traveling to teach and perform there, she spent 4 years cultivating a lively and loving dance community in Zagreb. In December of 2012, Susan moved to Los Angeles where she had the opportunity to choreograph and dance for Bellydance Evolution’s Alice In Wonderland. She also had the great fortune to lead 3 weekly classes at two of LA’s premier studios. In December of 2015, Susan was also certified in a 200 hour power yoga teacher training through CorePower Yoga in Pasadena, and has been teaching ever since. Her love of movement, both yoga and dance is never-ending, and she loves to guide others and watch them grow. Because of her dance background, her sequences are creative, her transitions smooth, and the Emphasis of the Asanas originate from the core with a strong foundation in alignment. After 22 years of globetrotting, Susan is back in Reno and ready to share her passion with you! For more information, go to www.susanfrankovich.com.

Dawn loves to style hair at her salon by the river and she is a cosmic hair wizard. Her classes are soothing and powerful as she uses her awareness of the elements. She is the owners favorite yoga teacher to receive the calm and peace of mind that the practice offers. She only teaches 7:30am on Fridays due to her long list of clients. We're grateful that Dawn shares her yoga practice with us at Temple.

Hannah B offers a breath-centered yoga asana practice that gently strengthens the body and balances the mind. When not teaching in public studios and gyms, she runs a youth yoga nonprofit, Urban Lotus Project, serving at-risk populations.

An Oregonian with a craving for sun, Hayley came to Reno in 2016 after working in non-profit organizations for more than 10 years, culminating in a CEO position. After burning out from her role as CEO, being diagnosed with Lyme Disease and hashimoto's, it was finally time to make health her priority. This led her to dive back into her yoga practice. When she chose to train as a yoga instructor, she knew the value of mind and body care. She completed Temple Yoga's We Are One 100-hour teacher training and has been doing yoga almost every day since. Hayley is also the founder of Hayley Colling Coaching, a business coaching and consulting firm helping leaders increase their business skills while seeking balance and authenticity. Her yoga, meditation and breathwork practices have been critical components in achieving much better health, a stronger mindset and a happier life. Yoga has given her the gift of herself - it is a practice that you show up for daily, give and receive what you can in that moment and let go of the rest. This is the true practice.

Even though my main line of work has varied, I have been in the fitness industry for over 26 years. I have worked as an activities director for athletic clubs, lead aerobic classes, been a physical therapy assistant, operated my own personal training business, participated in fitness competitions, and trained clients for triathlons. Now, I am a certified yoga instructor and I LOVE teaching yoga. I enjoy teaching Vinyasa Flow style classes because of the linking of breath to movement and the creativity allowed in the style. I also enjoy teaching Restorative Yoga and giving others the experience of relaxation, rejuvenation and self-care. My main line of study and interest is the powers of reconnection to oneself through the practice of yoga and I work a great deal in the field of recovery and rehab from addiction and disorders. I am certified in working with students who have experienced trauma, have addictions, and also suffer from disordered eating and body image struggles. I believe in the powers of yoga to heal and transform one from the inside out, and everybody deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin. By teaching from the heart, I provide a safe format to explore, set healthy goals, establish new tools for dealing with life on life’s terms and work on playing your edge. Yoga can be an amazing study of oneself and fun experience. I encourage you to stay open to the possibilities, and to practice! After each class I hope you feel a little more connected, a little less frayed, a lighter, brighter version of your true self. Connection and ease of the spirit will lead you out of whatever dis-ease you might encounter. I hope you will join me for some self-care and exploration soon.

Gabrielle found yoga in 2011 while living in Truckee, California. Yoga quickly became a ritual and the studio a sanctuary. With a deep hunger to learn more, she enrolled in the 200hr Elements YTT with Janet Stone, which she completed in Tulum and San Francisco. Shortly after she broke her shoulder snowboarding, the injury required surgery and didn’t have the chance pursue teaching. She has been in Reno since 2015 and recently completed Temple Yoga’s 200Hr We are One YTT with a thirst to serve. She loves to chant, breathe, move and laugh. She grew up playing soccer, singing, dancing and loves to bring her love of music to class. The classes she is blessed to serve are Bhakti and vinyasa flow based and suitable for all levels.

A Pilates instructor since 2004, the transistion into Yoga Instructor was a natural 'next step'. In addition to many Pilates trainings, I have now completed 200hr- YTT, and another 200hr YTT on consecutive years with We Are One YTT. Also, having completed an intensive training for Restorative Yoga at Ananda Village a year ago, I'm happy to offer that peaceful and meditative experience as well. As most instructors will agree, the training is never over and continuing to seek out growth through education is part of the offering we all bring to our practice and to our students. All are welcome! Namaste

Justine Anderson hails from the wonderful city of Austin, TX, where she discovered her life-long passions of yoga, the outdoors and fabulous music. She started practicing yoga in 2003 with her mom and fell in love with it after the first down-dog. In 2007 she recieved her yoga teacher training with Dharma Yoga in Austin, TX. Over her teaching career she has taught yoga to all walks of life from children to professional athletes to traumatic brain injury victims all across the country. With a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a doctorate degree in physical therapy, she brings a strong knowledge base of proper alignment and technique along with a passion for movement and meditation to her yoga classes. She believes strongly in the intimate connection between our mental and physical bodies and believes yoga is a beautiful way to cultivate that union. The most important things yoga has taught her is not to take life too seriously and to take each day one breath at a time.

Since I began to cultivate a yoga practice, the effects have bled out into every area of my life. Through yoga, we construct a foundation for the self that can carry us through any adversity, into a lush full expression of our individual person. Stepping onto the mat is an opportunity to practice growth. Through breath and movement we act out a microcosm of the real world, confronting ourselves in a primal, physical, and immediate way with challenges that appear elsewhere in our lives in a subtler form. At the same time we strengthen our bodies and our breath, grow more flexible and stable, and learn to make interesting shapes, to float and to fly. I completed my 200hr training in 2014 in Baptiste style hot power vinyasa. Since then I have taught mostly yin yoga, yoga nidra, and power vinyasa. For me, teaching is an opportunity to share some of the joy and freedom I’ve found through my own practice. It’s always an honor to share an hour with other people on their own yoga journey, so I hope to see you in class!

Kendra is a Reno native who’s love for yoga developed under the influence of many wonderful teachers in the area. She is known for her authentic jubilance and playful yet informative teaching style; weaving in a heavy dose of both mindfulness and anatomy into each class. She was trained in Vinyasa Flow style yoga in Bali and a year later in Hong Kong received her certification for Yin yoga. Kendra strives to create space for her students in order for them to make the practice their own, both on and off the mat.

Kim Arnott teaches an energetic class for all to enjoy who prefer a vigorous vinyasa-style flow class. She's full of good tips on the alignment and pose build-up and loves teaching yoga. She is the owner of the beautiful glass bottles with the Sri-Yantra that you see all over our community. She does great work with assisting in green houses and is a dog-mom to two very cute boxers.

For Lauren, yoga is a reminder to take a deep breath, to forgive ourselves and others, to be intentional, to hold space, to connect, and so much more. Each time Lauren shows up on her mat she has a chance to remember all of the things that she keeps forgetting! As Lauren continues to practice yoga, it becomes less about deeper forward folds or holding a headstand for longer and more about channeling strength, stability and awareness. Lauren's classes are vinyasa flow style with a focus on breath with movement. Lauren encourages students to explore what is best for their individual body and mind in each class. Lauren received her 200-hr RYT with studio owner Melissa Martinez and We Are One Yoga Teacher Trainings in January 2017. She is in the process of completing her additional 300-hr RYT from the same school and expects to complete it in January 2018. Lauren grew up on the east coast in New England, but has been living and practicing yoga in Reno since 2013.

Lisa began her yoga practice during her freshman year of college, when she enrolled in an Honors Psychology of Yoga class by an Iyengar instructor on her campus in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She has been practicing many forms of yoga regularly since then, for 11 years. In 2012, Lisa completed a 200-hour teacher training program in Nasik, India at Yoga Vishwa Darshan, operated by Yoga Vidya Gurukul University. She studied traditional Ashtanga and Hatha yoga, finding it integral to travel to the birthplace of yoga for an authentic experience. Her time at the ashram was life-changing and Lisa truly began to view yoga as a spiritual practice. Though the physical benefits of yoga are spectacular, she practices for mental clarity and spiritual wellbeing. Moving with the prana is an important part of yoga asana practice and she incorporates intentional breathing into classes for mindfulness. To reground, Lisa completed the We Are One Yoga 200-hr Teacher Training with Melissa at Temple Yoga in Jaunary, 2018. Now, her classes focus on mindfulness and movement with breath, incorporating Somatics to reeducate the nervous system for optimal movement and the elimination of pain. Somatics has been instrumental in Lisa's own healing process with her hip and back pain. Lisa is excited and humbled to teach at Temple Yoga.

Loren's class is smooth with vinyasa and beats to relax you and get you in the mood to go inward. She's an experienced instructor with great communication style in her teaching. You can find Loren here with us at Temple when we're lucky enough to have her fill in for us. You won't regret coming to her class and we think you'll like her flow as much as we do.

I grew up as a competitive athlete and was always pushing my body. After a few repetitive stress injuries from the sports I played I turned to Yoga as a way to heal my injuries. My whole world flipped upside down and my views about “fitness” changed. I learned the value of being gentle and kind to oneself, the power of breath, and the beauty of stillness and quieting of the mind, and living in the present moment. I strive to demonstrate to my students that yoga is so much more than just the physical practice. Yoga is truly transformative for mind, body, and spirit.

Reno-based yoga student & teacher, Shanai Belton received her 200-RYT through the We Are One Flow Yoga Teacher Training in 2016-2017. Since Shanai completed her yoga teacher training, she has been in constant practice and studentship. Shanai started practicing yoga off and on from 2009-2014 and then started to get more serious about her yoga practice after discovering Ashtanga Yoga in 2015. Shanai truly embraced how the practice of Ashtanga is more than just asana or poses, it's considered a lifestyle. Shanai's style of teaching stems alot from the Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga. She sequences her classes with an emphasis on synchronizing the breath through each asana and freedom to always modify the sequence as needed for your body. Shanai welcomes all levels of practitioners to her classes from the person that can hold a gorgeous handstand to the person that is still working on touching their toes, because each person on this earth still has something that they can learn from the practice of yoga. When she is not practicing or teaching, you can find Shanai spending time with family and friends, cooking, juicing, crafting, jewelry making, trying new restaurants, or spending a quiet morning or evening at home. She is so grateful to have found the practice of yoga, it brings so much joy, peace and balance in her life and her goal is to share the practice of yoga with the world so that YOU too can receive these same benefits that yoga has to offer.

I am a former Chiropractor whom found my deepest connection to self through my sobriety journey. I have built a modest, comfortable life on the graveyard of my weaknesses, which is now my greatest strength. I had attended quite a few yoga classes throughout my life, and I never quite, “got it.” I just thought it felt nice and I loved myself a bit more after a class, but it wasn’t really the workout I was always looking for. Until, I committed to the same class, every week. That changed everything for me. I studied the Yamas and Niyamas, practiced on a regular basis and, I understood. Still, I had no intention of becoming a teacher. And, after three years of sobriety, I was searching for my next step in life. Through a series of very fortunate events (no accidents there) I found my purpose and passion in a unique blend of Restorative Yoga and Inquiry Coaching. Certified in Restorative Yoga (200Hr) and Inquiry Coaching (200Hr) by Meadow Devor and Yoga Church in April of 2017, I am honored and humbled by the transformation this path to and on the mat brings. I have training in a bunch of other techniques as well. I love to read to people. I find my greatest happiness outdoors with the pups and other wild creatures. I practice earth medicine with grounding and essential oils and other shamanic-like practices. Adding in the restorative yoga and inquiry coach training has been the spice in the soup. It has rounded out and given me my life’s purpose ~ to help others achieve sobriety or expand the sobriety path that they are upon. I am available to teach restorative yoga with coaching for workshops and retreats. I also have a private, one-on-one, body-centered coaching practice. Thank you for letting me be of service.