Current Teachers
Tsyr Han Chow
Awareness Yoga
Self-care should be your priority. Listen to your body, nourish it, and be. It has been a long journey for me to be aware of what it takes to live in abundance. Fortunately, years of experience in the health food industry have given me guides from health practitioners to teachers from all walks of life. The message to emerge is to awaken oneself and be conscious.
Tai Chi (Taiji) came into my life soon after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The Tao of movements and philosophy infused within me the understanding that there is a balance to our existence. The form I studied and taught for over 28 years had a basis of yoga principles and it fascinated me. So, to understand even more, I took my yoga teacher’s training 8 years ago and was thrilled to know they complemented each other.
The movements, the meditation, the breath, and the philosophies all lead to mindfulness. Teaching and practicing yoga and Tai Chi have taught me the importance of being aware, which in turn have enriched my life.
Reserve your spot in class with Tsyr!
Soren Johnsen
Yin and Restorative Yoga
I teach Yin and Restorative Yoga. I received my 250 hour certification along with my Yin Yoga and Restorative yoga certification through https://courses.onlineyoga.school/. I enjoy the slow steady breathwork that comes from Restorative and Yin Yoga practice and focus heavily on making sure that my students know the difference between the two. As my instructor Steph always says, “Yin yoga is restorative, yet restorative yoga is not the same as Yin yoga.” My intention is to provide a safe, and warm environment where all students feel welcome. I encourage my students to use props, if they are interested and teach variations to allow everyone to find a position that fits their style.
Reserve your spot in class with Soren!
Claire Spear
Vitality Boost: Mobility + Core
Hi! I’m Claire :) (pronouns she/they). I’m a holistic coach, founder and CEO of Integr8. Last December I left a promotion at a gym franchise to start my own business. Now I work to generate a sustainably balanced lifestyle for leaders, entrepreneurs, and caregivers of all types! The modalities I work with in my programs are movement, self-nourishment, and self-study.
I crafted Vitality Boost: Mobility + Core as an in-person offering geared to those wanting more freedom and stability in their daily movement. My area of study for movement is integrative personal training, and my background holds a little bit of everything (from ballet to powerlifting). My intention is to pull from that personal library of knowledge to bring the best of what I have learned and am continuing to study! The class is meant for any activity level, and my intention is to provide modifications/movements for those who may have impaired mobility. I look forward to moving with you in The Studio!
Reserve your spot in class with Claire!
Emily Burrows
Studio Manager
I've been a part of The Studio team from the beginning and I love getting to work with teachers and students at A Step To Health! Although I've moved out of the country recently I'm still here virtually to answer your questions and support teachers, students, and anyone interested in renting The Studio.
Recent Teachers in the Hillsborough Community
Larissa Parson
Core & More
I found yoga in my senior year of high school, and it was a critical part of my life for the next 20 years, through college, grad school, and a career as a high school English teacher. In 2014, shortly after I moved to Durham from Oakland, CA, I found myself injured and out of touch with my body. I found Katy Bowman's Restorative Exercise and dove in headlong. Becoming a Nutritious Movement™ certified Restorative Exercise Specialist and Certified Restore Your Core teacher led me back to my body. As a mother of very active twins, moving more and moving better helps me keep up with my boys and provides me with many opportunities for everyday joy. I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to play with movement, and love sharing what I discover with my students. Any given week in class, we might explore movements of the shoulder, hip strength and mobility, or all the many ways your feet can move. No matter what the focus of the class is, I strive to keep the atmosphere friendly, and the movements exploratory. I teach classes, workshops, and private lessons in Durham and Hillsborough. Stop by www.larissaparson.com for more.
AnnMarie Mello Morris
Yin and Restorative Yoga
I believe yoga found me in 1997. Back then I was a Group Fitness Director developing a class schedule that included the latest in fitness trends. At that time it was Cardio Kickboxing, Stability Ball Training, Functional Fitness…and Yoga. The company sent me and a few other instructors for yoga training and then I started teaching yoga, what we consider power yoga today. Since then my study of yoga has expanded into many different types of yoga practices from gentle, yin, restorative, meditation and more. I have gone on to complete the 200hr E-RYT (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher) yoga study with Ashley Ludman in Wilmington, NC and the 500hr RYT with the Asheville Yoga Center. I am also a certified Yoga Therapist through International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT). In addition, I am a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and hold a B.S. in Health Studies from UNC-G. Recently, I completed Reiki training at Duke Integrative Medicine as a tool for my own self-care as well as adding to my yoga therapy services. My yoga path has connected my diverse interests in physical rehabilitation and health promotion to the use of yoga as a modality for healing. Yoga has impacted my life over the last 20 years in the most positive and life fulfilling way. I hope to share my passion and experience with yoga through classes, workshops and private sessions. For more information, contact me at AnnMarie0917@icloud.com.
Pat Dillon
Gentle Yoga
I teach Gentle Yoga for Inner Peace. I received my 200 hour certification through Loving Kindness Yoga School in Carrboro, NC. My intention is to provide a safe, welcoming environment to encourage curiosity and empowerment, with variations to allow each student to make the best choices for their unique practice. At its core, I believe yoga offers us a 'way in,' in order to experience the truth of who you are. Through gentle movement and focus on the breath, we develop mind/body awareness in order to facilitate the profound feeling of inner relaxation, centeredness...and peace. Step onto your mat, wherever you are in the moment, without expectation or judgment, and with loving kindness.
Kathleen Lezama
Pilates
I am a Pilates Method Alliance® Certified Pilates Teacher and have been teaching mat classes since 2002. I originally started out in the fitness world teaching various forms of aerobics and resistance classes, but after discovering pilates, I fell in love with the method. Several years after earning a beginner and intermediate mat certification, I became pilates equipment certified. I am fortunate enough to be able to do what I love by teaching/training at the Duke Center for Living at Fearrington, and also in my home studio. I have 3 grown children and a soccer playing husband who is slowly warming up to the idea of pilates to help stay injury free…progress!
Sandy Brady
MELT Foam Rolling
I ran across a description of a MELT class in 2014 when I was going through a difficult time; I was preparing to send a child to college while also serving as caretaker for a dying parent. So of course I was totally neglecting my own self-care. Intrigued by the idea of “hands-off bodywork” and captivated by the promise of “reducing chronic pain”, I signed up. The MELT techniques had a profound effect – not only by making me feel better physically, but also by improving my overall sense of well-being. After experiencing the changes in my own body, I felt compelled to learn to teach MELT so I could share it with others. I am a licensed massage therapist, so I am a firm believer in the efficacy of bodywork, but I am even more passionate about teaching people to do their own bodywork. The principles of MELT are grounded in the latest scientific understanding of how the human body works. So while I love to have fun in class, you’ll also find me working in explanations about the science of why and how MELT works. Learn more about MELT.
Danielle Simon
Yoga
My yoga practice started in high school when I took a yoga class for P.E. credit and discovered the mind body awareness that a yoga practice offered and the transformation of how yoga is more than just a sequence of poses on the mat. Through the years yoga has been: my outlet for stress and anxiety, therapeutic recovery from a knee injury, and a life-long journey learning to balance boundaries with courage, compassion, and connection. For the past six years, I have worked as a nurse for both ends of the age spectrum from critically ill newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit to high acuity adult medicine patients. I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training with Balance Through Movement to support my own self care and resilience. Naturally, with my background as a nurse, I incorporate anatomy, physiology, and body awareness to my yoga practice. My hamstrings are tight and my leg does not reach behind my head, instead I rely on props to support accessibility and create space in my practice. My yoga is a lifelong journey that continues to shift and change as I learn to balance movement with stillness, strength with length, to listen to my body, and to commit to showing up for myself. Off the mat, I can be found skiing, traveling, and nourishing my introverted soul anywhere I can be outside in nature.
I am a licensed psychologist and health services provider (HSP-P) providing psychological services, including evaluation, therapy and consultation, to children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.
I began on a path of practicing mindfulness personally and professionally after a pivotal experience using Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) with individuals with developmental disabilities, who suffered from emotional regulation difficulties. Wanting to return to the rewards of clinical work grounded in mindfulness, I founded the Center for Mindful Development in 2013. As a mother of two children, I have found mindfulness especially beneficial during all moments of parenting. Learn more about my work at www.mindfuldevelopment.com.
Dr. Caroline Hexdall
Mindful Parenting