Our Teachers

Yoga has been a blessing to me since discovering my first class and cultivating my passion nearly 20 years ago. It has been the cornerstone in helping me manage through times of stress and anxiety, as well as from physical ailments and injuries including reoccurring knee, shoulder and neck pain. My practice, not only physical but mental, continues to strengthen me both in body and mind each new day.

It has been my dream to open a yoga studio since retiring from my career as an Engineer after the birth of my daughter in 2011. I completed my 200 hr YTT certification in 2013 during my pregnancy with my son and am currently working toward completing my 500 hr YTT by the end of this year.

My family of four relocated to the Bellingham area in 2020 where we love and embrace the abundance of adventures the beautiful Pacific Northwest provides. When I’m not at the studio, you may find me out boating and fishing, camping and exploring with family and friends, or just out in the garden.

I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to share in your yoga journey and to evolve Barkley Yoga with Our Community, and I look forward to the many classes, workshops, retreats and explorations along the way.

My yoga journey started 15 years ago and through all this time, I’ve continued to come back to my practice. Yoga has been my tool to manage stress and anxiety in addition to being a practice to keep my body strong. I’ve used yoga as a lens to modify the way I identify with the natural world and the way I connect with each being within it. My love and devotion for yoga drove me to complete my 200YTT in 2022 so I could share this practice with others within our community.

My personal practice is deeply rooted in Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of love and devotion. Through this personal practice, I’ve devoted myself to offering this practice to anyone I can reach. It is my honor to serve anyone who is looking for someone to lead them though their asana practice. It is very important to me to hold an inclusive space in which people feel welcome and safe – my offerings will support your practice, wherever that is today. I like to curate a unique experience for each class which will offer you a challenge to encourage body strengthening and flexibility. You can expect my classes to be lighthearted, fun, and energetic while still holding space for mindful breathing and movement meditation.

As a white woman teaching asana classes, I feel it important to honor the roots of this practice by acknowledging the long lineages of yoga. I will regularly offer Sanskrit in addition to English posture names and occasionally sprinkle in some Vedic philosophy/literature to offer a theme to my classes. On rare occasions, you might also catch me offering some lite mantra at the end of practice.

I hope that with each class you take a piece of this ancient tradition with you.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti – Peace Peace Peace

Jen realized her passion for yoga in 2009, after taking her first vinyasa class at Hot Yoga Inc., in Bellevue, WA. Since receiving her teaching certificate in 2011, Jen has taught various forms of yoga throughout Washington State. From Seattle to Walla Walla, and now home in Bellingham, Jen continues to bring her signature style to the mat, encouraging students to take their practice beyond the physical layer. With an emphasis on pranayama, groundedness, and intention holding, Jen offers students an opportunity to come home to themselves each time they find their way to the mat.

With a deep reverence for yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, Jen became a certified Ayurvedic Nutritionist after many years of self study. She finds that the practice of honoring our (often forgotten) intuition, paired with moving through life with a focus on reconnecting the body, mind, and energy centers, allows for a truly holistic approach toward wellness. Weaving the teachings into her yoga sequences, Jen works to combine the two halves of the yogic lifestyle into each class and beyond.

A former school teacher, Jen has also brought the joy of yoga into children’s classes with Paper Crane Yoga. She brings weekly movement, breathwork, and mindful crafts throughout Bellingham School District’s after school enrichment program.

Jen prioritizes compassion and awareness with all students and clients, encouraging the practice of intention-setting and breathwork. Threading attention to the koshas and chakras, she emphasizes the power of leaning into nature’s rhythms as a theme in her classes and consultations. Those who work with Jen can expect to leave feeling rooted in their most authentic selves.

(500-RYT, PTA)

Lisa’s yoga journey began after a traumatic car accident in 2011 and the following discovery of profound healing at a hot yoga studio in her small Northern Kentucky town. She landed in Brazil the following year as a student of Modo Yoga’s 500-hour teacher training, learning to guide the practice that wholly supported her physical and emotional recovery. In 2014, she moved across the country to open a studio with a team in Seattle, and the PNW immediately felt like home.

For over a decade since then, Lisa has traveled and taught hatha, vinyasa, and yin classes at studios from Portland to LA, Vegas to Miami, Toronto to Squamish, and New York City to Australia. In 2021, she took a break from teaching in Bellingham to focus on earning her Associate’s degree as a physical therapist assistant. Her current PTA work in hospital and subacute rehab settings inform her style of teaching aimed at physical longevity and emotional vitality.

Lisa’s classes are a blend of fundamental strength and creative technicality with notes of balance and biomechanics rooted in knowledge from her physical therapy studies. Her hope is to be a catalyst for a sustainable practice that will support your mobility health for ages to come. This fall, Lisa will begin her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Tufts University and she is thrilled to share everything she learns with you along the way!

Sierra is authentic and fully present, open to all that may be. As a yoga teacher, she is passionate about honing these values on the mat with grace and a freedom from judgment. In her classes, expect invitations to be fully embodied and to tap into intuitive flow, welcoming what may or may not be available on any given day. Her sequences are challenging yet joyful, and will empower you to lean into opportunities for growth with compassion and curiosity. Sierra believes in the power of positivity and maintaining an openness to experience all that a yoga practice can bring. This positivity is palpable in her classes and inspires students to feel a lightness, even when things get hard. She hopes that you will leave her classes feeling strong, grounded, and more connected to your capacity to move and be with the present moment.

Hi, I’m Emily (she/her) — a movement enthusiast and empathetic guide passionate about helping others reconnect with themselves through yoga and mindful practices. With a deep commitment to community building, inclusivity, and compassionate connection, I aim to create spaces where everyone feels seen, supported, and empowered.

I’m a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified teacher, trained through Bellingham Yoga Collective, with experience leading asana, breathwork, and guided meditation. My teaching style is grounded in the classical Aṣṭāṅga tradition and informed by a strong understanding of the 8 limbs of yoga. Whether teaching Vinyasa Flow or Hatha Alignment, I offer classes that are accessible to all, with thoughtful modifications and hands-on or verbal assists tailored to each student’s needs.

Outside the studio, you’ll find me reading, tuning into podcasts, or hunting down the perfect croissant — always curious, always learning. I take pride in maintaining a welcoming, clean, and nurturing studio environment where everyone can feel at home.

Olga has been practicing yoga since 2005 when interest in the spiritual aspects of yoga brought her to exploration of the asanas through Baptist style vinyasa. Yoga was a big part of her daily life until 2018 when a metastatic cancer diagnosis suddenly unwrapped as progressive bone damage causing significant loss of mobility. A new way of being – living in pain and through an intensive, long-term treatment – presented a chance to deepen the non-physical pillars of yoga: meditation, discipline, breathing techniques.

Three years later, cancer was gone, but Olga’s body was left significantly misaligned and with severe muscle tightness. Practicing yoga asanas was still not accessible. In search of the ways to restore her healthy mobility, Olga found Pilates through an incredible teacher who saw no limitations in her body, only potential. Consistent practice of Pilates and the knowledge and inspiration from the teacher returned Olga’s body to the pre-illness levels of strength.

Her almost unlikely recovery led way to Olga’s deep desire to learn Pilates inspired exercise, therapeutic movement, and the role of breath in overall health. Consequently, she obtained a certification in Mat Pilates.
Olga’s teaching philosophy is rooted in seeing the physical body as an interconnected intelligent system. Her teaching style accents low impact, high awareness, connection to breath, and invitation to be curious and have fun.

Olga has been practicing yoga since 2005 when interest in the spiritual aspects of yoga brought her to exploration of the asanas through Baptist style vinyasa. Yoga was a big part of her daily life until 2018 when a metastatic cancer diagnosis suddenly unwrapped as progressive bone damage causing significant loss of mobility. A new way of being – living in pain and through an intensive, long-term treatment – presented a chance to deepen the non-physical pillars of yoga: meditation, discipline, breathing techniques.

Three years later, cancer was gone, but Olga’s body was left significantly misaligned and with severe muscle tightness. Practicing yoga asanas was still not accessible. In search of the ways to restore her healthy mobility, Olga found Pilates through an incredible teacher who saw no limitations in her body, only potential. Consistent practice of Pilates and the knowledge and inspiration from the teacher returned Olga’s body to the pre-illness levels of strength.

Her almost unlikely recovery led way to Olga’s deep desire to learn Pilates inspired exercise, therapeutic movement, and the role of breath in overall health. Consequently, she obtained a certification in Mat Pilates.
Olga’s teaching philosophy is rooted in seeing the physical body as an interconnected intelligent system. Her teaching style accents low impact, high awareness, connection to breath, and invitation to be curious and have fun.

Abi’s yoga journey began in 2019, when she took her first class and was immediately struck by the sense of peace and ease it brought to both her mind and body. Since then, she has maintained a dedicated practice and now brings a grounded, compassionate presence to every class she leads. She is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor with a teaching style that emphasizes alignment-based asana, pranayama and mindfulness. Whether you’re new to yoga or looking to deepen your practice, Abi’s classes offer a supportive and peaceful environment where all are welcome!