Meet Our Instructors
Kristy Dohnel
Kristy began her yoga journey in 2017 following a series of knee surgeries from a sports injury. Initially, she was drawn to the practice because of the self-paced, patient environment the yoga ethos cultivates. After creating a consistent routine, Kristy quickly felt the benefits of yoga positively affecting nearly every aspect of her life mentally, physically, and spiritually. Now as a certified RYT 200, her intention is to give back and help others become the best versions of themselves through teaching the sacred practice of yoga.
Kristy has exceptional verbal, creative, and leadership skills that she has honed through her academic and professional Communications and Community Relations career. In addition, she has 10-plus years of experience teaching people from all backgrounds how to ride horses and hosting backcountry excursions working for her family's small business in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Kristy’s approach is compassionate yet encouraging providing students with thoughtful advice and a safe sanctuary.
She believes yoga should be non-competitive, rooted in mindfulness, and inclusive of all bodies, ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Her goal is to help students find and maintain a peaceful mind and healthy body. After leaving her class, she hopes her students feel inspired, empowered, and excited to take the gift of life!.
Lizzie House
Lizzy was raised just outside Boston, MA by an engineer father and a hospice nurse mother, Lizzy carries her parents’ compassion, creativity, and desire to learn into her work as a yoga teacher, body worker, FP&A consultant, and transformational life coach. Encouraging, enthusiastic, fierce, playful, and always smiling, Lizzy merges light-heartedness with mindful, internal focus to help her students retrain their deep breathing and mindset. And she will sneak core work into every class, sometimes in the form of belly laughs.
Lizzy has called Phoenix home since moving here in 2009 for the breathtaking skies. Cheryl Oliver’s Authentic Yoga Teacher training opened many internal and worldly doors for Lizzy, who graduated in 2016 with deep respect for the Yoga Sutras and the power of mindful movement practice. Since then, she’s been honored to bring yoga to sober retreats, corporate retreats and wellness programs, and local non-profits and yoga studios.
Inspired and transformed by Ana Forrest’s book, Fierce Medicine, in 2018 Lizzy studied 200 hours of Forrest Yoga in Bali, Indonesia. Since her studies of Forrest’s exhilarating, grounding, expansive, and meditative methods, she’s devoured continuing education, mainly in trauma-sensitivity, creativity therapy, and anatomy. Lizzy is happiest singing, sailing, teaching, drawing, meditating, One Wheeling, backpacking, dreaming, collaborating, rock climbing, writing, dancing, officiating weddings, geeking out on human anatomy, and playing the guitar. And the piano. And trying new things. Emphasizing embodiment through experience, Lizzy inclusive, intention-centered classes are powerful and empowering for all bodies.
Cindy Morrison
Cindy loves serving others, and one way she loves to serve is through yoga. Her goal through teaching yoga is to make you smile, feel good about yourself and your body. As a retired RN, fitness and wellness are a priority to her as the aging process continues.
Cindy is passionate about yoga because it stimulates our bodies, soul and mind. It challenges us and we can achieve it in a personal practice or in a group. No matter how you need to practice yoga to stimulate your body, Cindy will meet you where you are at. She is a wife, mom, and “Mimi” to 6 beautiful grandchildren. Cindy has her 500 hour yoga teacher training from Holy Yoga, and has been teaching yoga for a few years.
Catherine Pettitt
Catherine (Catie) Pettitt joins Yoga’s Arc as our new sales intern. Catie comes to Yoga’s Arc as a career educator and nonprofit charity director. Building partnerships for nonprofits is a passion of hers, and she shares that passion as an active member of the Arizona School-Based Health Alliance and National School-Based Health Alliance. Catie looks forward to building access to wellness and yoga programs with schools, healthcare, and community services. She’s enjoyed incorporating yoga into her fitness routine for the past 3 years, and despite having a magical arm, seeks to find creative ways to share yoga with others who can benefit from innovative techniques.
Sample Class Links: Yoga With a Chair , Yoga With God , Yin Yoga (resting with God)
Heather Reed
Before moving to Tucson, Heather served in the Army as a Human Resources Officer and was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. She’s currently in her first year of law school at the University of Arizona.
Heather started practicing yoga when shea was in high school as a way to manage stress but fell in love with the practice and the physical and mental benefits it offered. She continued her yoga practice through college and while she was on active duty.
Yoga was instrumental in Heather’s recovery from two hip surgeries that she had as a result of an injury she sustained while in college. Not only did yoga get her back to living an active lifestyle, but it also gave her peace and comfort during the difficult recovery process.
Heather received her 200-hour yoga teacher training from Hot Asana Yoga University in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She is passionate about creating challenging, dynamic sequences and alignment based cueing.
Edana Roberts
Edana was introduced to yoga in 2020 when attending a drug and alcohol treatment facility. She left treatment excited about the idea of teaching yoga in such a setting, but the thought was fleeting as she wrestled with staying sober. After 5 months of relapse, Edana was finally on track in her recovery and accredited a lot of her growth to the spiritual, meditation, and breath work practices she participated in.
When Edana was asked if she would like to attend Yoga’s Arc YTT program, she was still uncertain of herself and continually declined until a string of unique occurrences showed her that the program was undoubtedly where she was meant to be. Edana was thrilled as she learned more of the yoga practices and principles as they were so aligned with her existing journey.
Edana loves hot yoga and Vinyassa styles of yoga, but it’s really the breathwork in yoga that lights up her soul which we can expect to experience in her classes! Edana looks forward to teaching yoga Nidra and meditation as well.
Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose’s yoga practice began in 2009 when she picked up a Rodney Yee Yoga DVD- fortuitously set atop a beautiful southwest canyon. Fast forward to 2021 when Sarah spontaneously lead informal daily yoga while on a river rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. This inspired Sarah to obtain her 200 hr Yoga Teacher certification, which she completed in 2022 with Yoga’s Arc. Sarah loves sharing yoga with those new and old to the practice, young and wise. Her favorite place to practice is in the great outdoors! She hopes to lead her students to find a little more stillness, peace, and light through their practice.
Mel Rzeznick
Mel began her yoga journey after the birth of her daughter. As a full-time new mom, yoga helped her work through severe postpartum depression and anxiety. She found a sense of peace and self-worth through the healing nature of the practice. She credits yoga for being the catalyst for major transformations in her mind, body, and consciousness. Mel strives to create a safe space where students can dive into their exploration of self-study. Blending playfulness and conscious movement, she encourages students to cultivate a powerful sense of presence, steadiness, and ease to take with them on and off the mat.
She is honored and humbled to share the wisdom of yoga with others. She has a steadfast belief in the healing power of yoga and considers it a gift to share her passion for the practice. She has the deepest respect and reverence to her incredible teachers, students, family, and friends who continue to inspire her and light her path. Mel completed her 200-hour yoga teaching certification under John Salisbury through Modern Yoga in Scottsdale, AZ. She continuously attends workshops and studies yoga scripture to expand her knowledge as a student and teacher.
Sarah Rohe
Sarah (200 RYT) has been passionate about yoga since the first yin class she attended in 2016. There she found inner peace, clarity, and comfort within herself. She’s been practicing ever since and truly believes there’s no place like your mat.
Last October, Sarah decided to quit her 9-5 job. She always knew that was not a space she saw herself in long term and decided to make the change. Since then she has gotten certified in yoga, meditation, and reiki. She is passionate about creating a safe and comfortable space for others to explore in their practice and healing journey. She enjoys teaching gentle, hatha, yin, and slow power. Those styles have helped her slow down and shift her outlook on life.
Her goal is to get people to practice for at least 5 minutes every day however that may look- on a lunch break, in front of a tv, before bed, going to a studio, etc. She believes just a few minutes of yoga every day can bring clarity, healing, peace, and love to one’s life.
Outside of yoga Sarah loves meditating, crystals, tarot, being with her dog Ralphy, traveling, and spending time with her nieces.
Sample Class Links: Yoga Flow , Yoga With a Chair
Josh Rothman
Josh Rothman is a master-level (500-hour) certified yoga instructor. Sports-related injuries from playing many years of competitive soccer led him to the physical practice of yoga. He has been teaching professionally since 2005 in yoga studios, gyms, universities, community centers, and corporate settings. His love of asana is the experience of how balancing and restorative it is for mind and body.
Josh gears his classes to a holistic approach in exploring and coping with past injuries (and, as best as possible, the prevention of future ones), along with an exploration of the connections between the physical, the psychological, and the spiritual.
Josh has participated in various teacher training programs (Inner Vision Yoga, SWIHA) and hosts workshops on yoga for athletes, arm-balances, and inversions, as well as all-levels yoga flow classes set to popular music themes, and has hosted yoga retreats. He has studied with Paulie Zink, Paul Grilley, Tias Little, Makunda Stiles, among others.
Having a diverse background in the liberal arts, Josh has completed post-graduate work in justice studies, political philosophy, and religious studies. As a jnana yogi, he is drawn to any intellectual pursuit that sheds light upon the true self. In January 2022, he earned his certification as a mind/body health nutrition coach. It is his passion and pleasure to share holistic modalities for peace, health, and happiness with you.
Larissa Rzemienski
Larissa Rzemienski began her yoga journey to heal following the loss of her spouse at a young age. As she dove deeper into her yoga practice, she decided to embark on the journey to become a certified yoga teacher. In 2015 she completed her 200-hour teacher training through LifePower in Tempe, Arizona. In 2019, she completed her 300-hour teacher training through Urban Yoga in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Larissa has certifications in Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga, and as a Sound Practitioner. Larissa has also led several yoga teacher training programs.
Larissa creates yoga offerings, yoga sequences, and classes that are unique and specialized for all her clients. She weaves in creativity through all her classes and loves learning more about yoga philosophy and yoga sutras. Larissa has also served as the local lululemon store ambassador for the past several years and has offered large community events for the lululemon community.
Outside of teaching yoga, Larissa is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified School Guidance Counselor. She is a telehealth counselor and teaches college courses in counseling and mental health.
Kay Sinkule
Kary has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to health, wellness, and education, and has been teaching and practicing yoga for over 25 years. Kary spent 20 years in Public Education, which she has since retired from to follow her passion for sharing yoga through her Yoga's Arc's Mobile Yoga Company, Yoga's Arc's Foundation for Non-Profit, and 5 Yoga Teacher Training Schools. We have over 100 teachers in our communities serving to fulfill our purpose of bringing more Yoga to more people.
Kary will always have the passion to teach yoga even though she has taken a back seat, giving all of our Yoga's Arc Instructors a chance to shine through our ongoing Schools and Mentoring Programs. She truly cares and it shows in her ability to help her students and teachers feel comfortable in their yoga journeys.
Vanessa Siren
Vanessa was born and raised in Brazil, and started modeling at age 16. Modeling brought an opportunity to travel the world and with that a love for yoga was born. Vanessa has been practicing for over 20 years and enjoyed practicing in lots of exciting, exotic places including Spain, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. She enjoys all different styles including hot yoga, Ashtanga, and Power Yoga.
Vanessa completed a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certification and training in Senior, Prenatal, Yoga Nidra, Body Pump, Roll and Release and Barre. She is currently going through a 300 hour program with Authentic Yoga in Scottsdale. Vanessa is a mother to five beautiful children, including twins! Yoga keeps her sane! She believes practicing can be fun and exciting, and laughter only adds to the beautiful energy of yoga!"
Sample Class Links: Kids/Family Yoga
Kumari Sky
Kumari Sky (E-RYT 200, YACEP) is passionate about sharing the teachings of yoga! She is part of our Tucson Yoga Team!
Kumari has taught all ages and abilities since 2004 and has completed numerous yoga trainings. Her specialty is slow yoga -slow flow, yin, restorative, meditation, sound baths and yoga nidra.
Kumari creates her classes as an invitation to go inward, to breathe and to quiet the mind. All levels are welcome in her classes and she will always have alternative options available if a position is not accessible for you. She believes yoga is for everybody, and it’s her mission for you to feel welcome, feel the benefits in daily life and to help you feel stronger and more at peace.
Emily Somers
Emily became passionate about yoga when Ironwood Studios opened across the street from her house in 2015. She fell in love with the practice and its effects and decided she wanted to teach. She received her 200-hour certification at Spirit of Yoga with Kate Shipp and is currently working toward her 300-hour with Cheryl Oliver at Authentic Yoga.
Emily is passionate about offering yoga for all bodies, and as a larger-bodied practitioner, she is a proud graduate of the Yoga For All Training with Diane Bondy and Amber Karnes. She is also devoted to Yin Yoga and is being mentored by Brady Garrison, who has trained with Bernie Clark and Paul Grilley.
Becoming a part of Yoga’s Arc is a dream for Emily and she loves their mission to bring yoga to all that need it. She also creates handmade, yoga-inspired jewelry that helps finance her teacher training.
Maggie Steill
Maggie discovered yoga while living and working as a hairstylist in San Diego. She felt yoga was a great way to destress after a long day on her feet. After a few months of practicing at home, she picked up a part-time job at a local gym and was asked to go through a Body Flow training consisting of yoga, Pilates, and tai chi and still teaches this style of movement 16 years later.
After moving back home to Indiana she realized that the yoga aspect of this class was calling her. Maggie enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training at Cityoga, in Indianapolis, IN, with the intention to deepen her practice and become a more knowledgeable teacher. After graduating with 200 hrs, Maggie began teaching yoga immediately She started working at Community Yoga, in West Lafayette, Indiana. She was able to learn from her experiences and her fellow teachers while continuing to grow. Since then, Maggie has been working in studios, teaching a variety of styles; Yin, Vinyasa, Vin/Yin, Hatha, Slow Flow, etc. Maggie is now currently in her 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. She is so excited to keep learning and growing while teaching to a variety of students at different levels
Maggie gave birth to her first son, in 2011. Her family of three moved to Phoenix in 2012. She began teaching classes such as; prenatal and yin, beginning to slow down her practice and learn new styles of teaching. Maggie had her second son in 2013 and felt that yoga really helped her as a mother. She developed patience and found herself able to be more present with her children. Maggie is truly passionate about yoga. She loves helping people reach their goals, whatever they may be.
Sample Class Links: Vinyassa-Yin , Yoga for Athletes (runner focused)
Connie Stultz
About 20 years ago, Connie opened a Vanity Fair magazine on an overseas flight. In it she saw full-page head shots of yogis, many of them much older than her, who exuded peace and well-being. Having experienced a messy divorce and lifelong mental health issues, she thought, “I want what they have, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it!” Thus began her journey of self-discovery through yoga.
Over the years, yoga has changed Connie’s life in innumerable ways. This includes more balanced emotions, mental clarity and self-insight. Not to mention a stronger, more flexible body. In 2013, she became a certified yoga instructor so she could share the practice with others. Since then, she has taught weekly yoga classes and workshops, with an emphasis on “yoga for beginners”, “relaxation yoga” and “yoga to relieve anxiety and depression.”
Connie is an E-RYT 200 with Yoga Alliance and currently attends Yoga’s Arc advanced 300-hour yoga teacher training. She is also a Level 1 Practitioner of LifeForce Yoga for Mood Management and a certified Yoga Nidra Facilitator in the tradition of Amrit and Kamini Desai.
Shari Susich
Shari fell in love with group fitness while attending college in Huntington Beach, CA in the 80s. Since then, fitness has always been part of her life.
In 2012, after a lifelong love affair with exercise, Shari found her passion in teaching Group Fitness in Boston. In 2015 she headed to Arizona to escape the snow for warmer weather. She started teaching classes and quickly found her tribe at the gym.
In 2016, Shari discovered she had melanoma. Less than a year later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, followed by a double mastectomy. She underwent nine surgeries and fought through several other health conditions. She rebounded after every surgery and couldn't wait to get back to teaching. Shari realized how strong she was after being knocked down repeatedly. She believes she was chosen to fight these battles so she could help others.
A good friend mentioned to Shari that Yoga's Arc had started teacher training to bring yoga to people. Shari had done yoga on and off but never considered teaching it. After all her health challenges, she decided it was time to start a new chapter in her life. She realized that yoga was much more than challenging poses. She discovered the beauty in intertwining your breath with movement.
Yoga's Arc Yoga Teacher Training changed Shari's life! She teaches differently and looks at life with new eyes. She accepts herself for who she is, not who she thinks she should be. She wants to share this and show others that yoga can help them at any stage of their life.
Beth Tyrrell-Prevost
Beth was introduced to yoga when she was pregnant with her second child in 2000. What started out as a fun, accessible form of exercise became so much more over time. In addition to the physical benefits of the practice, she soon discovered that her overall mindset and well-being were also positively impacted by her time on the mat. When her children were a little older, Beth completed a 200-hour Yoga teacher training program, and she set out to share her love of yoga with others.
As a public school teacher, she began to teach yoga classes to her colleagues through the Community Education Department at her school district. As Beth’s interest in yoga grew, she enrolled in a 300-hour Healing Emphasis Yoga training program which she completed in February 2022. Armed with new knowledge, she began to offer yoga and mindfulness workshops for her school district entitled, Self-Care for Educators. These workshops delve into the stress response in the brain and cover methods for managing the pressures of teaching today. Her participants even learn techniques that they can share with their students.
Michelle White
Michelle began her yoga journey twelve years ago after the birth of her son. With a combination of Power Yoga, Ashtanga, mountain biking, and clean healthy eating she was able to lose the 60 pounds she gained during her pregnancy.
Michelle soon realized how much this beautiful flowing meditation wasn't just for helping develop a strong body. She was loving the benefits of her practice in her body, mind, and spirit.
Michelle is a world traveler and has been able to practice yoga in Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, and several other countries. She loves to spend time with her husband and four children in the pool, at the lake, or in the ocean!
In her spare time, she volunteers and works for non-profits. Her biggest desire is to teach, serve, and share her love of yoga and meditation with others.
Naomi Webster
While Naomi has called Phoenix her home for over a decade now, she is a native of the beautiful state of Michigan. Naomi’s unique career background includes years of leadership and management experience, both in the restaurant and automotive industries, as well as Academic Counseling at the College level. She graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Psychology.
She continued her education and earned her MBA in 2010. Naomi’s background is geared around serving and helping people. As a yoga practitioner for over 15 years, it was not a surprise when she decided to follow her passion of yoga in 2015, earning her 200 yoga certification Dave's Ashtanga Yoga in Scottsdale, AZ.
Naomi has a passion to spread the practice of yoga to anyone who will listen. When Naomi is not practicing yoga, teaching yoga, or painting; she is spending time with her seven year old daughter and long-time partner. She loves to spend time traveling to visit family and friends back east (preferably during the HOT Arizona summers).
Jennifer Wright
Jennifer (Jen) Wright hails from Peoria, Arizona, and thrives as a freelance marketing and event production specialist. Armed with a B.S. degree in Recreation and Tourism Management with a focus on Sports Marketing and Management, her professional journey has seen collaborations with industry giants like Red Bull, ESPN, Vail Resorts, and several municipal recreation departments, as well as numerous nonprofit
organizations in both the Phoenix Metro Area and Colorado's Western Slope, including Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Telluride. Beyond her career, Jen finds joy in activities such as sand volleyball, hiking, biking, water and snow sports, live music, and culinary adventures.
Her transformative journey with yoga began after attending a sound meditation session several years ago. This experience sparked a deep connection, leading her to seek further guidance from a holistic psychologist who studied under B. K. S. Iyengar and become a member of Archipelago, a wellness social club. Her commitment to her practice is evident in her 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Yoga’s Arc and 30-hour sacred sound training.
Jen is passionate about the power of yoga, which she believes can lead to inner serenity and harmony while enhancing one's overall quality of life. She is dedicated to leading students through various practices such as sound meditation, yin, nidra, restorative, chair, and gentle all-levels classes. With an unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth, she eagerly anticipates expanding her expertise in the field for years ahead!
Cassandra Yazzie
Cassie was first introduced to yoga in her small town in Florida, where she practiced on and off, but never fully committed to the practice. When she moved to Arizona she and her friends found yoga in the park hosted by Yoga's Arc where she started to attend regularly.
In early 2023 she felt like she was stuck in her daily routine of life and out of the blue received an email about Yoga's arc yoga teacher training. She decided to take a leap of faith and start the 200 hour program, which was the best thing that could have happened to her.
She has now graduated from the 200 hour program and is pursuing full time yoga teaching and her 300 hour yoga teacher training! She is so grateful for yoga and how it has changed her life for the better. She hopes to continue teaching and helping people on their health and wellness journeys.
Jennie Yinling
Jennie has been practicing yoga for the last 30 years and teaching it for 17 of them. Her strong love of yoga helped motivate her to complete her 200-hour yoga teacher certification in 2004 in San Diego, and then finish with her 300-hour certification in 2008 in Arizona.
She is also certified in prenatal, postnatal yoga & Pilates as she continues to take yoga workshops and learn from other instructors to keep her yoga knowledge fresh and lively.
Jennie loves the way that all her training & certifications blend together so well to create a mind/body awareness. She can teach just about any style of yoga from beginners to advanced, from a gentle Yin class to an active power class, working on breathing techniques, postures, strength, alignment & flexibility.
Using all her teaching experiences & workshops with various master yoga teachers from all over the world, Jennie does her best to incorporate everything she has learned to give the best class she can to her students but to also have fun at the same time.
Lori Yearwood
Lori has landed in Phoenix through the route of Canadian origins, and a lengthy Los Angeles base. She has flowed her way through an eclectic teacher life of dance instruction/choreography, academic teaching (including working with several school age actors on film productions), Lagree Fitness coaching, and yoga.
Lori completed her 200 hour RYT through LifePower and is registered with Yoga Alliance. She believes your yoga practice should be an experience and that it is so much bigger than the poses. Having moved several times, raising her own children, teaching babies through seniors and riding through her own storms in life; Lori is ready to meet you where you are at. You will feel all of her passions come through in her Yoga’s Arc classes.
Sample Class Links: Wall Yin , All Levels Flow , Yoga for Core Stability
Selina Zimmerman
Selina was introduced to Yoga 12 years ago as a supplement to her standard fitness regimen. She appreciated how it helped her physically recover from the muscle work, slow down, and improved fitness performance in the gym.
A few years later due to joint inflammation, Selina was told to only do Yoga or swimming for exercise. This was the turning point where the deeper appreciation for the Yoga practice took place. Yoga helped heal her body, and mind, and helped get the inflammation disease under control while clean eating and keeping ‘life balanced’. Having a desk job for over 20 years adds a whole other challenge in keeping the body flexible and healthy. Being in corporate Selina has served on wellness committees and has been a fitness advocate in some capacity to promote wellness within her immediate teams or companywide.
Selina’s goal as a Yoga teacher is to hold a deeper understanding and share the benefits of Yoga with others. It is a great supplement to workout regimens, primary fitness activities, countering the repetitive movements, or facing any barrier mentally/spiritually/physically.
Selina’s favorite asana is tree pose: it reminds her to stay grounded, strong yet flexible, and balanced. In addition to Yoga, Selina enjoys free weights, aerobic activities, hiking (all things outdoors), music, dancing, cooking, and sharing the power of nutrition She currently works full time as a Cyber Security Professional. She loves and treasures her time with family, friends, and her Westie fur baby.