Maggie Fiorella Winter
OTR/L, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor and Owner of Purple Door Yoga

Maggie began her dharma to help others early in life. At twenty-one, she was on a journey as an Occupational Therapist working primarily with children on the spectrum. She had already started her own yoga practice and knew the magical shifts that were happening within. After implementing numerous yoga techniques with these specific children, she noticed a significant change in their level of concentration, body awareness, and overall well being. Because of these profound effects, and her individual growth in her own practice, it inspired her to receive her Hatha Yoga 200hr training as well as specific Certifications to become a Children’s Yoga Teacher and a Prenatal Yoga Teacher. Maggie has always had a special interest in children who have sensory processing difficulties and is also certified by Color Me Yoga for working with Special Needs Children and Integrating Yoga and Other Mind/Body Techniques.

Maggie’s own difficulties with Chronic Lyme disease opened the doors to many fantastic energy healers. She knew in order to heal completely, the work that had to be done was not only on the physical plane but also healing our past wounds on an emotional and energetic level. Yoga and energy healing sessions go hand in hand to help support our well-being and to keep us grounded. Maggie loves to give energy healing sessions and is a certified Polarity Therapist, has her Reiki I and Reiki II certifications, and has taken some workshops on the science of foot reflexology. Together, she combines these healing modalities to provide healing sessions for people.

Maggie loves life and expresses herself through dance, music, art, and yoga. In her classes, Maggie encourages adults and children to explore and feel what is right for his/her body without being afraid to fall or make mistakes. She teaches a fun and lively class to all sorts of people and levels and makes a point to focus on personal growth and truth. She is so lucky to be doing what she is passionate about. She gives thanks and gratitude every day for this opportunity.

Sally Millice
Certified Professional level Kripalu Yoga Teacher. RYT 500

Sally is Professional Level Yoga Teacher with a 500 hour certification from The Kripalu Center in Lenox, Massachusetts.   She encourages each student to work at his or her own level, practicing compassionate self- awareness.  Sally’s students enjoy (and are often amazed by) the discoveries they make while practicing breathing exercises, warm ups to build strength and muscle tone, and posture flow.  Students find encouragement and motivation as Sally weaves yoga philosophy and inspirational readings into her classes.  She welcomes beginners and more experienced practitioners alike to her class.

Julie Pottier-Brown. e-RYT 200 + RYT 500

Julie came to yoga 23 years ago while expecting her first child. Luckily she was already fit as she walked right into the Astanga practice - Julie holds a certificate in Embodyoga® Astanga, earned her RYT 200 credentials through Swallowtail Yoga School in 2010. She earrned her RYT 500 in Embodyoga ® at Yoga Center Amherst. Deeply influenced by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Body Mind Centering Julie also brings influences from Astanga, Iyengar, Kali Ray Tri Yoga Flows, and the Sivananda practice. Come to your mat … practice. Come to your mat … come home to yourself.

Ali Janavaris Yoga Instructor, RYT 200

Ali graduated from Kripalu School of Yoga. She earned her 200 hours in Kripalu yoga. Her goal is to share the wisdom and power of yoga, meditation, and pranayama with all people. Through this, she aims to support individuals in their journey to discover their true selves. Ali wants to actively be a part of that sharing process by creating a loving, safe, and nurturing environment for her students. Yoga means union; to unite. She aims to unite all people in harmony and peace.

Mary Beth Clancy Yoga Instructor, RYT 200

* CRYT Yoga Teacher

* Meditation and Spiritual Practices Teacher (various world spiritual practices traditions including Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism)

* Master’s degree in Education and Crisis Counseling

* Reiki practitioner

* Mentors those on addiction recovery path using meditation, yoga, counseling

Mary Beth brings an energetic and playful yet calming, grounding presence to her classes. Her extensive experience in dance, meditation, and spiritual studies eventually led her to yin and yang yoga – what she sees as an amazing union of some of her personal interests and the beginning of a new path to discover inner resilience and peace in the present moment through movement, body, mind and spirit play-work and a never-ending sense of humor! Mary Beth believes yoga can be both a physical work out and a transformative work in if you bring an open mind and your mindful YES to the present moment. Yogi’s choice! Her motto is to stay focused but relax, laugh love and “yoga like no one is watching.”

Molly Madhuri Francis, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

I needed something that could calm my mind, take me into my body, help process all my emotions, and show me how to be my own best friend.  Yoga definitely was the answer at age 19 and still is 16 years later. I first began practicing with DVD’s and then started taking my first classes in college. I noticed that I felt more nourished emotionally and physically. It wasn’t until I went to New Zealand at 23 to work on organic farms that I discovered how vast the practice of yoga truly is. Shortly thereafter, I completed my 200 hour teacher training in North Carolina with David Beadle and Lisa Clark in hatha yoga with an emphasis on the work of Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and BMC (body mind centering). I then went on to complete my 500 hour teacher training in Embodyoga® with Patty Townsend in Amherst, MA who also studied with Bonnie.  Embodyoga® focuses on all the mind-body systems (the organs, glands, muscles, bones, nervous system, cells, etc) as support for getting into asanas and thus it truly encourages people to feel their direct experience of a pose rather than trying to fit their body to what a pose “should” look or feel like.  I started teaching in 2007.  Since then I have completed Marc St. Pierre’s course in yoga called “The Path” which has helped greatly in accessing my strength through alignment and understanding yoga philosophy as it relates to asana and life.  I believe the biggest influence in my yoga practice and teaching is my spiritual teacher Amritanandamayi (commonly known as Amma), a world renowned saint from India. I am grateful to travel around the United States and Europe with Amma during her tours and travel to her ashram in India. Through her spiritual practices, service, and by being in her presence I have become more aware of the common essence inside of me and everyone and everything which I like to call love.  Things that make me happy include: Practicing and teaching yoga, feeling the bliss of meditation, connecting with friends, massages, dancing, swimming in the ocean, the sound of waves, flowers, traveling with and doing service work for Amma, witnessing the basic goodness and light in people, sharing a yummy meal with a loved one, kombucha, my family, walks in nature, and experiencing sweetness in the moments that make up life.

Marilyn Whalen, Yoga Instructor RYT 300
RN, MS Health Care

Marilyn has worked more than 30 years in various healthcare settings as a certified Rehabilitation Nurse. Marilyn has received over 300 hours of continuous ongoing yoga teacher training education at Kripalu Yoga Center in Lenox, MA. In 2001, Marilyn became certified as a Cardiac Yoga Teacher. In 2016 Marilyn became certified in Yin Yoga. 

Marilyn has taught yoga in a variety of settings throughout her life. She has taught a gentle yoga class at Healthworks, Teaches a class called yoga for a better back at Lynn Union Hospital and has been a teacher at Prana Yoga, now called Purple Door Yoga, since 1999. She has conducted numerous community classes and lectures on Yoga for "your health" and has been a guest speaker on cable TV on yoga specifically for senior citizens. Marilyn has over 4000 hours of teaching experience and is an amazing leader and top educator in the field of injury free yoga for everyone.

Angela Maione, Yoga Instructor RYT 200 hr

I am an artist and a free spirit who began my journey on the path of yoga in 2005 looking for something to calm my anxiety, deepen my spiritual connection and help heal my broken heart. I began solely practicing hatha yoga for 5 years. I soon found it helped ease my mind yet it left me feeling like I needed something more. In 2012 I was called to practice Restorative yoga and alignment-based Iyengar. 200-hour Dharma Coach Yoga Teacher who studied with Kathyrn Whitney, RYT certified.

Through my study of self, I realized that yoga is for everyBODY. My desire is to empower and assist others to transform their lives for the better with the gift of yoga. Through the practice of yoga, the journey inward is a beautiful transformation that will allow your spirit to soar. When we lead with our hearts, we empower our soul.

Emily Generazzo, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

For this yogini, yoga started as a journey to new beginnings and turned into a path of self-discovery. Yoga awakened something in her that she wanted to share with the world. She began her first teacher training back in 2016 at Mantra Yoga Studio lead by Marlena Bruno, Willa Devoti Worsfold, and Deana Bacon receiving her RYT 200. Falling even more in love with her practice and the knowledge she was gaining, she signed up for a second training less than a year later. After completing her second training at Soul Culture Yoga School lead by Jaishree and Kalanidhi Dow-Spielman, she received a second RYT 200 and her level 1 Jivatma Energy Healing certification. She was given the opportunity to travel to India to immerse herself in the beautiful culture and study her practice in the birthplace of yoga.

While she was in India, she realized another passion was to teach children. When she came home she decided it was time to bring her love for teaching to her mini yogis and yoginis. She signed up for Flow & Grow Kids Yoga lead by Lara Hocheiser and received her certificate as a children’s yoga teacher. This past summer she took her yoga to the water as she teamed up with SUP East Coast Style and taught both adult and children’s yoga programs on the paddleboards. As her passion for teaching expanded, Emily grew her own yoga brand as, Not Your Average Mermaid, as she teaches both on land and the sea. She set her sights on another passion fall 2018 and became certified in chair yoga lead by Stacey Lubets, at Yoga Center of Cape Cod. Her goal was to help her 88-year-old grandfather feel more energetic and excited to bring movement into his limbs once again. Emily truly believes that the practice of yoga is beneficial for all ages. Yoga is the missing puzzle piece that connects our minds back to our soul.

All of Emily’s classes are targeted to flow with safe alignment, while feeling empowered and confident. Each class will help build on the appreciation of each individual’s own abilities and qualities. Emily’s intention is to help you become the fearless God/Goddess that you are, both on and off the mat.

“The first plunge into the unknown can be a challenge, and uncertainty may fill your mind, but it also chases us out into the open where life’s true magic is waiting.”

Mantra: Be happy. Be confident. Be you.

Christine Iarrobino, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

Christine Iarrobino began her yoga journey after leaving her career as an art teacher and giving birth to her son. She found a deep appreciation for yoga and connection to herself after completing the YogaSpirit 200-hour program while pregnant with her daughter. She then received her Prenatal Certification through North Shore Yoga, enriching her experiences and bringing light to areas where she can support other moms. She holds close to her heart her family life and a love of helping and nurturing other families. Just as art and yoga are a process, she also views giving birth and raising a family as an ever-changing and beautiful one as well. She has found breath to be the catalyst that cultivates kindness within herself. She enjoys guiding others to find their breath and voice so that they may discover their inner strength, kindness, and acceptance. She also holds her Usui Reiki Master and Teacher certification and integrates energy work into her teaching. She continues to grow and breathe in hopes that others will follow. Her classes focus on nurturing and restoring the body with breath, laughter and love.

Michel Callahan, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

Michel is a 200 hour YTT graduate and certified Reiki 1 practicioner. Yoga, music, and comedy are her holy trinity. When she's not breathing deeply on her mat, you can find her traveling around to see the Dave Matthews Band or trying to get her cats to love her. 

Michel enjoys teaching a strong, mindful, slow flow vinyasa, linking breathe to intuitive movements. A treat she enjoys bringing to class is her tarot cards. At the end of class she offers students to feel free to pull a card and read what it holds for them. 

Sarah Frederiksen, Yoga Instuctor RYT 200

Sarah’s passion is to integrate her expertise in children and families with mindfulness-based practices for the growth and healing of her students and clients. Sarah completed 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Soul Culture Yoga School on the North Shore, 100-hour certification in yoga therapy for emotional health from Soulful Yoga Therapy in Boston, and in December 2019 will complete 200-hours in Foundations of Ayurveda from Kripalu School of Ayurveda in Stockbridge. She also holds a Master’s degree in child development and has worked extensively in early childhood and family support.

Michelle Pliskin, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

Yoga is so much more than physical postures - it’s a new yet ancient way of existing, of understanding patterning, and of waking up to the realization that we are all one. My classes have a logically sequenced flow, are rooted in alignment, and show students how to bring yoga off the mat and into the world. My offering helps develop the yogic skills needed to live in alignment with who we truly are, not with who we’ve been patterned to be. You’ll be empowered to explore your own practice with unwavering guidance and support.

George Halvorson, Yoga Instructor RYT 200

Musician, Visual Artist, Filmaker

He first discovered the mat in 2008 and quickly realized that yoga was the long sought after medicine he needed to manage an enduring battle with panic attacks. He was mesmerized by the authenticity, creativity, diversity, and loving spirit that his favorite teachers brought to their classes. Over the years, the intrinsic healing properties of yoga guided him into service to others and he completed his 200-hour training with the Soul Culture Yoga School in 2018.

George has found that through physical practice you can deepen your connection with your higher self and maintain that connection off of the mat. He believes that the real practice takes place in our day-to-day lives.

Diana-Norma Shafer, Ed.M., M.A., CYT 200

Diana-Norma Shafer first learned yoga and meditation at the age of fourteen from family members Prof. Donna Pompa Pillai and A.K.B. Pillai, founders of the New York Institute of Integral Human Development. She continued to practice and learn a variety of styles of yoga over the next 24 years, until deciding to pursue her yoga teacher certification to deepen her practice. A graduate of the Mantra Yoga 200-hr teacher training, she loves teaching classes that both strengthen and calm the mind, body, and spirit. She specializes in Hatha flow, Yin and meditation. Her teaching style focuses on supporting students to set intentions, find proper alignment, and engage not only with the physical, but also the philosophical and spiritual aspects of yoga.

Jill Manos, RYT 900

Jill found her mat, while studying Art Therapy at Lesley University in 2009, after dealing with years of anxiety, depression and self esteem issues.  Yoga became a place that allowed her to begin to find both physical and mental strength along with a sense of community and safe space. 

As she continues to grow, being a student first and teacher second, she hopes to provide her students with the opportunity to find what they need most while on their mat.  Through empowering, yet playful classes she hopes to guide her students to connect to themselves, find balance, and explore. 

Jill completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Mantra Yoga (RYS) in June of 2016, received her Nia White Belt Certification in November of 2015, completed her Reiki 2 Certification in January of 2019, and is currently involved in a 900hr Yoga Therapy program with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.

Her goal is to offer opportunities for strength, creativity and self expression.