Alumni

Hits the Spot Yoga Teachers

Graduates of the 200 & 300 hour teaching training programs

Hits the Spot Yoga workshop seriesBelow, meet some of the graduates of Hits the Spot Yoga 200 hour training programs (2011-2014), and graduates of the new 300 hour advanced training program (2015-2017.)
Check back soon to meet more Hits the Spot alumni. (There are 50+ of us!!)

Note: Current yoga teacher training participants and past Alum can connect with other HTSY teachers in our private Facebook group.

Elizabeth Bjerke
Putney, VT
apuddlejumper@gmail.com
HTSY Class of 2012 & 2017

elizabeth bjerke, hits the spot yoga teacher

Elizabeth Bjerke, Putney, VT

The joys and benefits of HTSY Teacher Training are abundant and thriving in my life since graduating in 2012. I incorporate lovingkindess & compassion, humor & themes, and the simple act of curiosity into my teaching of weekly classes in the community. I also welcome these nuggets of goodness in my personal life on an (almost) daily basis. Knowing that there is always more to learn while in this body, this mind, I find it easier to embrace the opportunities even more with the fundamentals of Scott’s training in my back pocket.

Elizabeth is enrolled in the 2016-17 Advance Teacher Training program.

Find out more about Elizabeth on her Yoga Alliance page.

Casey Deane
Marlboro, VT
casey65@myfairpoint.net
HTSY class 2015, 500 Hours

Hits the Spot Yoga Instructor Casey Deane

Casey Deane, Marlboro, VT

As a yoga teacher, I love learning and exploring the simple and complex functions of anatomy within beginner and intermediate poses. This holds a deep connection to supporting healthy aging and reducing injury during athletic ventures for all ages. While my focus is on asana (posture practice) and breath work, I also infuse my classes with my personal exploration of the many facets of yoga–including yoga history and mythology, the chakra system, yoga nidra and more. Meeting students where they are is my passion whether I’m instructing yoga or teaching history in my high school classroom.  Coaching students of all ages to their growing edge, non-judgmentally, is my aspiration as an instructor.

Find out more about Casey on his Yoga Trail page.

Genevieve Lodal
Montgomery Center, VT
genevieve.lodal@gmail.com
HTSY Class of 2012 & 17

Genevieve Lodal, Hits the Spot Yoga Instructor

Genevieve Lodal, Montgomery Center, VT

Although I took yoga classes on and off for many years and in many places, it took moving to Vermont and attending classes in my community to experience the deeper aspects of yoga. These gentle classes sparked my curiosity in this ancient philosophy, and I decided to enroll in the 200-hr HTSY teacher training program in 2011. Alongside and under Scott’s direction, I began to see yoga’s power to reunite the body and mind to engage as a more whole being in the world. Since graduating, I have taught in my community in northern Vermont and enjoyed connecting with others through movement and breath. This training has been a significant component of my spiritual life and was the beginning of a deep relationship with yoga – one that is continuing in 2016 with the 300-hr course!

Find out more about Genevieve on her Yoga Alliance page.

Kelly Salasin
Marlboro, VT
kel@sover.net
HTSY Class of 2012

Kelly Salasin, Hits the Spot Yoga teacher

Kelly Salasin, Marlboro VT

My first exposure to the concept of this thing called “yoga” was in 1990–from the lips of Super Model Elle MacPherson–on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Workout series–on video. (I’ve come a long way on the mat in the past 25+ years!) My first class with Scott was in 2006. Stevie Ray Vaughn was playing when I arrived. That’s when I knew I found my new yoga home. The following year, I earned my certification as a Let Your Yoga Dance Instructor at Kripalu Yoga & Health Center in Lenox, Massachusetts; and not too long afterward, began to feel the pull to study yoga more deeply. I remember wishing that Scott had his own training. The rest, as they say, is history. The mat, my breath, my body, my practice–it’s all a homecoming. I like to offer that same gift to others.

Find out more about Kelly on her website.


Kelly Therieau

Brattleboro, VT
ktherieau@comcast.net
HTSY Class of 2011 & 2017

Kelly Therieu, Hits the Spot Yoga Teacher

Kelly Therieu, Brattleboro, VT

I’ve been practicing yoga for over 12 years and I’m enrolled in HTSYTT 300 hour course for 2016-2017. The gift of yoga for me is the quieting of the mind, strengthening of the body and honoring the breath. I practice a Gentle Flow Yoga that is a welcoming practice for all bodies.  I mix humor and loving kindness with deep breathing and gentle stretching. Using verbal suggestions and variations for each pose. I have continued to explore my love of yoga offering Office Chair Yoga. I follow the three aspects of Hits The Spot Yoga; go to your steady edge, breathe deeply and focus on a point of concentration or sensation.

Find out more about Kelly and her classes on Yoga Trail.

 

Mike Vecchi
Westminster, MA
mike.vecchi@gmail.com
HTSY Class 2015, 500 Hours

Mike Vecchi, Hits the Spot Yoga teacher

Mike Vecchi, Westminster, MA

I started the yoga practice for stress reduction and physical therapy which developed into a great passion for yoga and learning about the practice. My passion has evolved over the years and continues to grow as I integrate the “Yoga” practice into my life and daily activities. Looking to expand and broaden my skills and understanding of Yoga a fellow teacher “Sue Medeiros” introduced me to “Scott Willis “ and after our first conversation I was hooked. I then went and studied with Scott for the next year and I was excited and inspired each class. I completed Scott’s 300 hour training and incorporate various aspects of Hits the Spot Yoga into my teachings and daily activities, you just cannot have enough tools. I was challenged and I grew both as an individual and as a teacher going to my steady edge ever since.

Find out more about Mike and his classes.

Robin White
Marlboro, VT

refillingyourwell@gmail.com
802-275-2682
HTSY Class of 2013 & 2015, 500 Hours

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Robin White, Marlboro, VT

I started Yoga as a way to connect to my body and deepen my spiritual practice about 8 years ago. I love to teach Mindfulness Yoga. I incorporate Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness mantras and some gentle Hits the Spot Yoga poses and guided meditations for my classes or I include Yoga in my Refilling Your Well Retreats and Workshops, including Compassionate Communication work.  I am a board certified (BCC) Health/Wellness and Life Coach and Psychosynthesis Counselor; and an adjunct Psychosynthesis teacher for The Synthesis Center in Amherst, MA, as well as the owner of Curves of Brattleboro, VT.  My new software app Time For You was released in September of 2016 which is based on the compassionate communication card system that I often use in her therapeutic situations.

Find out more about Robin and her offerings.