Teachers
SHPY Teachers:
Stacey Vespaziani (she/her), E-RYT (Founder/Owner, Teacher)
Stacey founded South Hills Power Yoga in 2011 as a way to share the transformative benefits of Power Yoga with her neighbors. She hopes to continue to help build a vibrant and inclusive yoga culture in her own community of Dormont and the surrounding area.
While earning her BFA in Theater at the University of Cincinnati, Stacey took a yoga class and was hooked from that first Downward Facing Dog. After moving back to her hometown of Pittsburgh, she completed her initial yoga teacher certification program with Amazing Yoga - where she taught for four years and assisted with teacher trainings held in Pittsburgh, Mexico & Costa Rica. Stacey is a 500-hour Certified Baptiste Teacher and has completed the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Level 1, Level 2 & Level 3 teacher trainings. She has also studied with Gregor Singleton, Bryan Kest, Seane Corn, Natasha Rizopoulos, Sharon Gannon, and David Life. In 2021, she completed the Skill In Action training with Michelle Cassandra Johnson and the Accessible Yoga training with Jivana Heyman.
In March 2007, she founded and ran Human Race Yoga, a “Pay-What-You-Can” yoga program with classes at the Dormont Library and the Union Project. Stacey believes that keeping yoga accessible is important and continues to offer some “pay-what-you-can” classes at SHPY.
In the summer of 2018, Stacey co-founded Bloomfield Yoga which closed its physical doors in 2020. However, the BFY community remains a vibrant part of the Bloomfield Yoga/SHPY Online Studio that started in the spring of 2020 during the pandemic shutdown and continues today.
Stacey’s teaching approach is anchored in the belief that yoga will contort to fit each student and not the other way around. As a result her classes are joyous and accessible while challenging students on their own unique level.
Stacey feels blessed to have such an outstanding team of teachers working with her and for the many opportunities to share her love of yoga with students from Pittsburgh and beyond.
With a heart full of gratitude, Stacey thanks her husband, Brian - whose own journey exemplifies what it means to live a powerful life.
Check out her website.
Becky Roush (Teacher)
Yoga has been very healing for me both physically and mentally. When I started practicing I had a knee injury that I had been wrestling with for several years. Yoga has allowed me to heal and stay healthy physically. It has also provided me with stress relief and a space where I can make a little room wherever I need it in my life. I am grateful to be able to practice and hope to be able to do so for a long time to come. I am happy to have the opportunity to provide other people with the chance to explore yoga to discover what it can mean for them.
I founded Folding Space Yoga with the hope that I could share what yoga has brought me with other people.
I have been practicing yoga since 2006 and earned my 200-hour teaching certification from Amazing Yoga in March 2009. I take training courses as much as possible so that I can become a better teacher and share my knowledge.
Kristen Hannan, RYT (Teacher)
As a resident of Dormont, Kristen is excited to be a part of South Hills Power Yoga. Kristen has been practicing yoga for over ten years. She has tried many styles of yoga, but fell in love with the Power Vinyasa style. Kristen completed her 200hr teacher training in the summer of 2011 and continues to develop her teaching through attending numerous workshops.
As a full time science teacher, Kristen is very intrigued by the relationship between yoga and one's physical and mental health. Kristen started her school's first yoga program for students and enjoys exposing children, teens, and adults to the practice.
Jennifer Caumo (Teacher)
Jennifer discovered yoga during her teenage years in an effort to regain strength and flexibility after being diagnosed with a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis. Being from a small town, yoga studios were hard to come by, so her practice began by studying at-home yoga videos. In spite of some really bad videos she was captivated by the practice and continued to dabble in various styles of yoga throughout college. In 2011, she walked into a power yoga studio and instantly fell in love with the intense yet graceful style of power vinyasa yoga in the comfort of a heated room. She completed her 200 Hour training with South Hills Power Yoga in 2012 and is delighted to now be a part of the studio where she trained.
Kelly Shanahan (Teacher)
I stepped foot in a heated power vinyasa yoga class for the first time at age 21 with no prior yoga experience. A skeptical college senior and not a natural athlete with little expectations, I welcomed the warmth and humidity of the studio during the cold Pittsburgh winter weather. It was through developing a more consistent practice following graduation that I found an increased strength in my body and breath, and in turn, was able to create more space in my mind for less self-judgment.
Naturally ambitious, I completed my 200-hour teacher training at South Hills Power Yoga in 2013. It is my hope that students find my classes to be light hearted and honest, playful but challenging in both body and mind, and many classes are accompanied by music. Outside of teaching yoga, I work as a registered nurse. In my spare time, I train for half marathons, spend time with my friends, family, and dog, travel the world, and skydive.
Lee Rihtarchik (Teacher)
A lifelong yinzer, Lee first encountered yoga in 2010 while attending the University of Pittsburgh. He instantly connected with the movements of the warrior series and yearned to learn more about yoga’s unique blend of strength and flexibility. Lee had been an athlete throughout his life, and as his yoga practice became more consistent, he appreciated how it allowed him to strengthen muscles without moving weights and enhance cardiovascular strength without running sprints. As a neuroscience major, Lee also came to appreciate the research-based evidence linking mindfulness and yoga to a long, health-filled life.
After graduating, Lee left academia in order to become a residential contractor. He loved the challenge of creating something with his own hands, yet he soon felt the physical wear-and-tear of the job taking a toll on his body. He found that yoga provided balance in his life, and he appreciated its ability to maintain, strengthen, and heal his body from the physical demands of his job.
As his practice deepened, he began to turn his attention to learning more about yoga, its history, and the sequences done in class. He also wanted to find a way in which he could become an ambassador of yoga to those who might not have considered the practice as a form of exercise that was right for them. In 2015, Lee completed his 200 hour RYT with SHPY, and he has been enjoying sharing yoga ever since. He is particularly grateful for the opportunity to teach at his home studio at South Hills Power Yoga, and he is excited to help continue to grow the Pittsburgh yoga scene!
Michael Harrington, RYT (Teacher)
Michael completed his 200 hour teacher training with South Hills Power Yoga in 2016. His Power Yoga classes combine the insights of traditional yoga philosophy with a fast-moving, athletic practice. To balance the warming, strenuous movements of Power Yoga with quieter, longer-held poses, Michael earned a 50-hour Yin Yoga certificate from Bernie Clark in 2018. He has also done additional training with Richard Gartner, Darcy Lyle, and Holly Koenig. Whether his class is energetic or restorative, the goal of his teaching is simply to help the mind move more effectively with the body. When he is not in the yoga studio, he is generally studying or teaching the philosophy of medieval Europe and China.
Elizabeth Small, RYT 200 (Teacher)
Elizabeth is a wellness enthusiast. She earned her Associates degree in Dietetics from the Community College of Allegheny County in 2011 and loves to share her knowledge of healthy living with everyone she meets. Elizabeth grew her fitness knowledge by completing her 200-hour teaching certificate in Baptiste Style Power Yoga in August of 2016 at South Hills Power Yoga. Her love for yoga could not be contained. She feels compelled to share her passion with the local community. For Elizabeth, yoga is more than just an exercise. She believes whole heartedly yoga is physically, emotionally and spiritually healing and 100% life changing. When she is not at the studio or teaching at a local library you can find her working as an office manager, hanging out with her husband and two cats, reading, drinking tea or tequila, hiking, or spending quality time with her friends and family. Elizabeth enjoys creating creative flows to challenge the mind and body while focusing on safe alignment and building strength in her classes. She is here to serve her community and looks forward to seeing you on your mat soon!
Marta Napoleone Mazzoni (Teacher)
Marta Napoleone Mazzoni is a Grief Recovery Specialist, Intuitive Life Coach, Meditation Guide, Yoga Instructor, and Play Facilitator. She is best selling author and host of the award-winning podcast Marta on the Move. Created in 2015, the show shines light on her own journey and other people’s stories on what makes us human.
After the death of her sister Nina to lymphoma at the age of 47, Marta added what truly brings her joy and meaning to her offerings: Helping individuals rediscover joy in life after loss. As an Advanced Certified Grief Specialist, Marta educates and speaks on the myths of grief to normalize a subject shrouded in shadow and misinformation. She helps mentor individuals through grief with her four pillars of healing: Explorative Travel, Meditative Awareness, Structured Support, and Creative Play.
As a meditation and yoga instructor, her work focuses on building core strength as we age for mobility, through muscle activation, isometrics, while cultivating gratitude, internal peace, and soul connection through breath work and mindfulness. Marta brings her background in theater to her play and mindfulness workshops. Hosted for schools, events, and businesses, participants awaken their inner child and rediscover their own creativity and confidence by forging meaningful connections within themselves and others in a disconnected world.
A world traveler at heart Marta believes one of the ultimate ways to heal is found by leaving your daily routine to explore the world as she does on her once-in-a-lifetime adventures offered through Marta On The Move Experiences which feature intimate sailing holidays, retreats, and workshops in her hometown of Pittsburgh and abroad.
@martasonthemove
May McCreery (Teacher)
Hi! I’m May! I was born on the west coast and raised here in Pennsylvania. I found my way to Pittsburgh for college where I received my degree in Psychology. I have always been active and I love moving my body, and when I discovered yoga It quickly became my favorite type of movement. I decided to go through Yoga Teacher Training right here at SHPY and to say it has changed my life is an understatement. I’ve met so many wonderful people and found a freedom and closeness to my body that I’ve never had before. I’m so thrilled to be teaching in this wonderful space that feels like my yoga home. When I’m not on my mat you’ll probably find me walking my dog, hiking with my family, or cooking (probably tacos). Can’t wait to practice with you!
Laura Jackson, RYT 500 (Teacher)
Laura started her asana sadhana (practice) back in 2013 to help with a medical diagnosis. Soon after, Jackson knew she had to become a teacher! Primarily focusing on Vinyasa, Yin and Restorative, Laura then found South Hills Power Yoga in Dormont (where she completed her 200 training in August 2014). Six months later, Miss Jackson began teaching a Beginner’s Power Yoga class at the Mt. Lebanon Library. Her next teacher was Richard Gartner, who Laura earned her Yin Yoga certification from in October 2017. Fast forward to September 2019, Jackson studied with Sadie Grossman and Lisa Papenbrock, D.C., as part of a Yoga for Chronic Pain training at One Point One Yoga. That same year, Laura became an Accessible Yoga Ambassador (thanks to Amber Karnes and Yoga U PGH). January 2021, she finished a Restorative Yoga certification with Graciela Jurkowski and The Yoga Hive.
Miss Jackson also received a Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms) certification (online) from Dewey Nielsen of Functional Anatomy Seminars.
Most recently, Laura earned an additional 300 hours of Advanced Yoga Study/training from Chrissy Carter (E-RYT 500).
It’s Laura’s hope that students can be whomever they want to be in class, tap into their confidence, and leave with the desire to pursue their dreams with passion.
Her teaching style is influenced by L.A. Finfinger, Chrissy Carter, and the Iyengar lineage of yoga.
Jen Dinovitz (Teacher)
I began practicing Hatha yoga on my own more than twenty years ago using books from the library and occasionally taking a class at The Himalayan Institute here in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Aerobics and running were a big part of my life during this time. It wasn’t until I was forced to give up running ten years ago due to hereditary osteoarthritis in both of my knees that I took my first power yoga class at South Hills Power Yoga, and I absolutely loved it.
After my two children grew older, I decided that I wanted to learn as much as I could about the practice that had become such a big part of my life, so I joined the South Hills Power Yoga Teacher Training Program in the fall of 2018 and earned my teaching certificate in the summer of 2019. During the pandemic in 2020-2021, my home practice evolved to be an organic, integral part of my being and allowed me to see the studio experience as not the only path for my yoga practice.
Wanting to still be present in the studio, and wanting to share the communal energy of yoga with others, I decided that I wanted to teach. I hoped to cultivate for others the healing practice that has helped me in so many ways. Along with the physical benefits of strength, stamina and flexibility, yoga has provided for me much needed respite from the anxiety and stress of living. The presence, focus, breath and balance of yoga helps me in countless ways and I am very grateful to be able to share this experience with my students!
If I am not doing yoga, you can find me teaching Art to middle-schoolers (my full-time career since 1997), making art, flower gardening, spending time with my family and three cats, rocking out at heavy metal shows, watching Seinfeld or thrift- shopping!
I look forward to seeing you in class! Namaste!
Ashley Clements (Teacher)
I first started practicing yoga after finishing college and nearly two decades of organized sports. I finally started listening to my body and giving it what it needed and stopped listening to what others told me my body should need. I started my practicing Yoga at SHPY in 2012 through its work-trade program. I finally took the leap and became a certified yoga instructor through SHPY’s teacher training program in 2020.
Having suffered numerous injuries throughout my life, I love showing people that yoga can be accessible to anyone and everyone. I pay special attention to modifications and alternative poses so that everyone can enjoy yoga to their fullest potential
LouAnn Swogger, E-RYT (Teacher)
LouAnn is an intuitive yoga and meditation instructor, registered with the Yoga Alliance. She also is a therapeutic body practitioner and energy worker. She has been teaching for the last decade in the Greater Pittsburgh, PA area, including Ohio and West Virginia (USA). She has studied under the world-renowned yoga teachers: Judith Lasater and Biff Mitheofer. She has also been mentored by L.A. Finfinger and many other compassionate and knowledgeable mentors. She completed the Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training with the Institute for Creative Mindfulness with Dr. Jamie Marich. She is a founding member of The Radiance Sutras School of Meditation.
She seeks to uplift humanity through yoga, meditation, art, and bodywork.
Philicia Barbieri (Teacher)
Philicia first walked into a yoga studio 3 years ago at the encouragement of a friend, and immediately fell in love with the practice. She was initially drawn to the physical side of yoga; noticing how yoga increased overall strength and flexibility. After developing a consistent practice, it was the mental aspects of yoga, the breath and moving meditation, that kept her coming back. When not at a studio Philicia works as a mental health therapist; and is currently exploring ways to utilize yoga and meditation to help those suffering from mental illness and addiction. She also enjoys spending time with her family and going on walks with her 2 dogs.
In 2018 Philicia completed her 200-hour teacher training through South Hills Power Yoga and is grateful to be teaching at the studio where she trained. She loves to share yoga with others; paying attention to breath and allowing each student to have their own unique experience.
Nancy Jean Morrison (Kids Yoga Teacher)
Mrs. Morrison has been teaching elementary school in the Keystone Oaks School District for 35 years. She received her YogaEd teaching certification in August of 2013 and is excited to share her love of yoga with the next generation.
Barbara Garcia-Bernardo (SHPY Sub)
I started practicing yoga a decade ago and finding the Power Yoga style was a life changing event: I was searching for an exercise activity that was vigorous and focused on the entire body, while providing much needed stress relief caused from running the company that I own with my husband. I was also interested in something that was individual but shared in a group. A friend told me about the Dormont Library yoga classes and convinced me to go with her. I was immediately drawn in and interested in learning more. We decided to try Stacey’s Sunday morning class at Amazing Yoga in the South Side and I almost passed out on that first class! But I kept coming back because I immediately noticed how great it made me feel inside and out.
Yoga is a continuous exploration and learning process and I love that every class is a different experience. That is essentially what inspired me to develop a steady practice.
After many years of regular classes, attending different workshops and going to yoga retreats, I finally decided that Yoga teacher training was the obvious next step. I graduated from SHPY 200-hour training in 2016. I had no intention on teaching though; I just wanted to continue my yoga education so I could share it with others… and here I am!
Brandi Phillips (SHPY Sub)
Brandi found her way to yoga when her gym unceremoniously cancelled the morning kickboxing class and filled it with…yep, yoga. While she started out as a skeptic, she quickly fell in love with how it made her feel, both physically and mentally. Brandi received her 200 hour yoga teaching certification from South Hills Power Yoga in 2016 and enjoys sharing her practice with others by connecting movement to breath and through hands-on assisting.
Off the mat, Brandi runs a nonprofit that works to improve the way behavioral health services are delivered in the community and is and is continually finding new ways to merge her two passions.
Maggie Kniola (SHPY Sub)
I took my first yoga class in 2005 at a health club in Boston. It was an Iyengar class, and I fell in love with it. I moved back to Pittsburgh and began practicing at an Iyengar class offered in a salon on Saturday mornings. After the class was cancelled, it took me awhile to find my way back to yoga.
When I did, it was a heated class at South Hills Power Yoga. I loved the way I felt when I left the class. I became a regular but never imagined that I would ever want to take the next step and become a teacher. However, after going through some personal challenges and finding strength to overcome these challenges not just through the practice of yoga but from the amazing instructors I practiced with, I decided I want to share what I've learned with others.
Once I completed my 200 hour training, I found it only made me want to learn more. I am currently taking my 500 YTT. I hope to continue to grow my knowledge of all of the arms of yoga and learn how to incorporate that into my teaching.