Meet Our Instructors
We offer a wide range of high quality yoga classes, workshops, series & events.
Taylor Farinas
I vaguely remember taking a yoga class here and there in my teenage years, however, nothing really stuck with me until the Fall of 2013. At the time, I was simply searching for a way to start moving my body again. I don’t specifically remember a single class that I connected to and suddenly everything changing; rather, a slow and steady transformation grew with each class. As I started to use muscles I didn’t know I had and gained a sense of body awareness I didn’t know I was missing, something deeper began to shift. I began to learn the power of my breath and how to tap into a sense of inner peace and stillness that had been within me all along. It wasn’t the physical strength and flexibility I gained that surprised me and kept bringing me back to my mat, but rather a deeper sense of self and a new-found ability to work through psychological pain through movement and breath. By the Summer of 2016, yoga had had such a profound positive impact on my life that I couldn’t wait to share its powerful gifts with others, prompting me to enroll in Core Power’s Power Yoga teacher training.
I began teaching yoga for the first time at Yoga House in October of 2018. I currently focus on teaching power yoga style classes that are heated to about 90 degrees. My classes start nice and slow to warm up the body and then build to faster paced vinyasa style flows where we match our movements to our breath. I love adding pulsing movements, slow, repetitive transitions and focused core work to get those muscles burning. The last half of my classes typically focus on a blend of balance and deeper stretches with the occasional arm balance or inversion worked in. We always end in a sweet savasana with essential oil infused, cool towels. I love creating music playlists for my classes that are easy to get lost in while you flow and provide hands-on adjustments (with consent) to aid students in softening into poses we are holding for more than a breath or two. Modifications are always offered and I encourage every student to listen to and honor their body’s needs. Come as you are and let’s flow together.
Nikki Schillaci
Yoga has been a pillar in Nikki’s life since 2014 and it’s her passion to share the teachings of yoga with her community, so everyone has the opportunity to experience the profound benefits that lie within this beautiful practice. As most, she started practicing yoga to reap the physical benefits of the practice, but didn’t expect that it would subtly improve every aspect fo her life. She completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2018 and is pursing additional training in yin yoga.
Nikki strives to inspire, challenge and empower you on your mat so that you can make your greatest impact outside of the studio walls. Wherever you are at on your journey, know that Nikki is committed to supporting and growing with you every step of the way.
She teaches dynamic, high-energy vinyasa classes as well as restorative candle-light hatha classes to balance your practice. Nikki is known for weaving in creativity and anatomical alignment into each of her classes and hopes you will step off of your mat feeling refreshed, restored and nourished! Let’s breathe, move and grow together!
Kylie Davis
My aim is to create an inviting, fun space for my students to explore their practice safely and gain confidence on and off the mat. I teach a variety of styles, including vinyasa, power flow, gentle yoga and SUP Yoga.
I began practicing yoga in 2009 while working as a rock climbing instructor and completing my graduate degree in Speech Language Pathology. I’m passionate about living an active lifestyle and yoga helps me to find balance while building strength for running and climbing. Sharing the challenges and successes of my personal yoga practice within a supportive community has always been important to me and my favorite place to spend time on my mat is at the studio. When I’m not at Yoga House, I’m usually outside running or exploring the San Juan mountains! I teach a variety of styles, including vinyasa, power flow, gentle yoga and SUP Yoga. As a lifelong learner, I am always pursuing additional training and recently completed training in Trauma Sensitive Yoga and am currently pursuing training in yin yoga and yoga for kids. My hope is that you will find freedom in my classes to create space for what you need in the moment, and that you leave your mat feeling refreshed with a renewed sense of confidence and overall well-being.
Jan Graves
500 E-RYT Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and has studied under the auspices of Beryl Bender Birch, Rod Stryker, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman and Anusara Yoga.
Board Certified Tai Chi Instructor for Health and Exercise including Arthritis, Fall Prevention, Low Back Pain and Energy 1 & 2 under the auspices of Dr. Paul Lam, Dr. Bob McBrien and Master Trainer Bill Picket
Master Reiki Practitioner in both Usui and Karuna Reiki under the auspices of Annapolis Reiki led by Pat Clarke and Linda Roebuck, (William Rand lineage)
Urban Zen Integrative Yoga Therapist (UZIT) under the auspices of Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman and Founder Donna Karan
Zazen Meditation under the auspices of Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison and Sensei Robert Chodo Campbell of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care
Certified in Silver Sneakers Yoga & Silver Sneakers Splash
My philosophy is and has always been to get up and get going! Whether it is taking a leisurely stroll or attending a Yoga class, it’s always best to move! And that movement includes moving physical energy through healing arts modalities. Yoga attracted me many years ago when I took my first class and discovered that I could actually connect my mind with my body. It opened me up to a link that had been missing. After years of teaching cardio fitness in aerobics, cycling and weight work, this personal journey had me hooked! I had this incredible desire to get everyone else to experience it as well. This led to Meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Reiki, and Integrative Therapy which uses all of the modalities I love including the use of Essential Oils, Restorative Yoga and Mindful Movements – all of which bring similar energy work to the equation.
I find I sleep better, feel physically fit, have a much calmer outlook and can deal with disruptions with an even keel. It is wonderful to see that so many people have connected to Yoga and meditation all over the world.
I’ve been in the fitness/mind-body industry for almost 40 years and find I am always seeking new things to learn and new ways to teach. I am constantly inspired to inspire others. Balance is key as well as living in the moment.
Ichi-go ichi-e
One moment, one chance…..
Erin Porteous
My passion for yoga was ignited years ago at an Ashtanga style class I took at a spa club in Denver. I was mesmerized by the strength that was displayed as these obviously more advanced individuals floated into handstands and back into planks, held their bodies in beautiful poses that required flexibility and strength I couldn’t even imagine having. But the fire was lit, and I wanted to be strong, flexible, and fluent, understanding more of what being present in my yoga practice meant.
Years after that class in 2018, I went to Chicago and received my RYT 200hr certification with YogaFaith. I have since become Pre/Post Natal certified and Yin certified. My passion on the mat is bringing creativity to the sequencing of the poses, bringing others a sense of wonder in their practice or even the feeling of fun or accomplishment after a challenging practice. We are all unique and beautifully created, and it’s amazing to see how yoga in all its many forms can benefit and teach us in so many ways. I absolutely love that about yoga.
Elie Malloy
Elizabeth has had much experience with several different styles of yoga and teaches Vinyasa Flow.
“Yoga has been a part of my life for over 15 years. I was first introduced to the practice in a college course and over the years it has brought ease and strength to my life on and off the mat. Yoga inspires me to live each moment more mindfully.
I have explored several different types of yoga and worked in several studios over the years. I completed my 200 hour Vinyasa Flow training with Shanti Yoga in Boise, ID in the lineage of Sri T. Krishnamacharya. I will always be a student of the practice and am deeply grateful for the loving wisdom my teachers have shared with me.
I enjoy teaching vinyasa flow classes that allow my students to move at their own pace and progress mindfully in their own yoga practice. I seek to help others thrive by nurturing body, mind and soul with yoga, and my hope is that you step off the mat feeling refreshed, nourished and balanced.
When I am not on the mat you will find me playing with my young daughter and exploring Western Colorado by foot, boat, bike or skis.”
Chanel Brooks
Service should be done with gratitude, gratitude of the divine that has chosen me to be an instrument of good. 🙏🏽 Becoming a yoga teacher was the greatest blessing ever given to me and to my surprise, I found that teaching Yoga is my gift. It is something I always wanted as a kid and by the grace of God, I was given the opportunity to help be of service, benefit, and guide the collective consciousness of humanity by giving back and sharing my gift with you.
Yin is a passive slow paced style of yoga that requires poses or asanas to be held for 5min or more. A slow moving meditation, this method applies moderate stress and compression on the ligaments and joints to break down sediment, scar tissue, ultimately to reestablish the structural integrity, and mobility of the harder interior complex tissues of the body. A relaxing release, this class is a perfect balance to an active lifestyle.
Chanel teaches the Yin Yang Flow and Sculpt Yoga classes.
Dee Miller
Dee Miller shares her knowledge and enjoyment of Iyengar based yoga. Her playful teaching style infuses anatomical alignment, balancing strength and flexibility through organic movement and breath exploration, to encourage self awareness in supporting weekend warriors through their daily life journey, and those amazing adventures!
Dee currently teaches classes at Yoga House, Solutions Wellness, and the Recreation Center in Montrose, Colorado. Previously, with Academy of Yoga, Yoga to Go, and Rocky Mountain Health Plans, in Grand Junction.
Dee Miller received her 200 hour Iyengar Teacher Training certification through the Academy of Yoga, Grand Junction, CO, 2008. Silver Sneakers Yoga Instructor, 2018.
Her yoga teacher training includes: study with Monica Cullinane, Academy of Yoga; and Nancy Crum Stechert, Iyengar certified of the Hotchkiss Yoga Tree; Yoga Anatomy with Laura Allard-Antelmi, author and Iyengar Yoga Center of Boulder; Iyengar Yoga Intensive with Kevin Durkin, Iyengar Certified and CMT; and Yoga Cueing and Assists with Gina Caputo of Colorado School of Yoga. Silver Sneakers certification through Tivity Health.
Dee teaches Sport Power Yoga and Iyengar classes.