Teachers:        

Patricia Gray, is owner and founder since 1999 of the Yoga Gallery,  Mission, KS.  Since 1974 she has practiced meditation and pranayama.  She studied yoga at MIU, Fairfield, IA in the 1970's. She discovered the Bikram yoga with Lynn Moffitt in 1991.  Patricia credits this style with virtually curing a childhood endocrine disorder.  Patricia has been teaching yoga in KC since 1992.  In 1999, she traveled to India with Rotary International, where she was exposed to yoga’s roots.  She is a founding member of Kansas City’s first yoga studio, The Yoga Center. She is a 500 hour registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance.  Patricia also holds certification to teach Bikram Yoga, and has a 100 hour certificate to teach Vinyasa.  Max Strom is her principal teacher.  She has also studied Ashtanga since 1994.  (Beryl Bender Birch, Doug Swenson, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and Richard Freeman.)    “Yoga is all about renewal. When depressed, yoga enlivens.  When stuck, yoga helps untangle.  When in pain, it softens the blow.  When tired, yoga refreshes.  When tight, it loosens thing ups. It’s like returning to the void, where all things become possible again.”

Xi Nguyen is an exceptionally creative  yoga instructor and has inspired yoga students by her graceful yoga practice.  Her practice demonstrates her deep understanding of yoga techniques, the principles of discipline and inner guidance. She trained in Tulum, Mexico in 2003 and in the summer of 2005 spent  two weeks training with Shiva Rhea in India.  Xi has taken numerous workshops from prominent teachers including Max Strom, Doug Swenson, Mark Blanchard, Kim Schwartz and David Williams.  Xi has been teaching yoga since 2003.   The art form I practice embodies the series of ashtanga and vinyasa flows.  The art form I live by is breath.  Living and absorbing these art forms one breath at a time allows me to define my existence and purpose on a daily basis.  The idea is to gain stillness in this complex world.  Thru art, thru philosophy, thru the movement of breath, stillness is around us a gift waiting to be accepted”  

Lisa Uhl began her practice of yoga over a decade ago. Her experience began with Iyengar yoga, then (Bikram/Hot) and Ashtanga. Upon receiving the Bikram teachers training certification, she became an instant favorite at Kansas City yoga studios. Her calm, supportive personality welcomes new students and encourages continuing students. Lisa has tapped into the rich tradition of Ashtanga; workshop with Pattabhi Jois in 2000, and completed a teacher training course with internationally known yogi, David Swenson. She also credits Doug Swenson and Max Strom as important teachers for her.  "Yoga has changed me in so many ways. My life is more fulfilling, and I have a clear understanding of my purpose. Most of all, I've learned to trust the process of life."

Molly Root Began her physical discipline as a dancer.  She studied at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and received a B.F.A. in dance from UMKC.  Her first introduction to yoga was with a style of yoga that combines the posture of Hatha Yoga with the continuous movement of dance, created by Juliu Horvath in New York.  Molly went on to become certified and licensed in Massage Therapy and has found massage and yoga to complement one another beautifully.  Molly is a yoga teacher certified by Max Strom of Venice, CA, and has been studying yoga since 1999.  "My children are my greatest teachers.  Yoga has helped me to understand that, taught me to embrace life to the fullest and has allowed my spirit to soar."                                                                            

Diana Skill has been practicing yoga since 1996, and teaching in the Kansas City area since 1999.  Her predominant emphasis has been with the Bikram/Hot and Ashtanga styles. The Vinyasa style, as taught by Max Strom and Doug Swenson, has influenced her current eclectic approach. In addition to teaching yoga, she is a research and editorial assistant at the University of Kansas.  "Yoga is more than an exercise regimen. It continually offers me the opportunity to be honest with myself, honor where I am, and live more fully in the moment. Practicing yoga has helped me to create positive and significant changes in my life from the inside out."
  

Patti Fuhrman has been practicing yoga since 1999.  She completed the level I Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy training in 2004, and completed a one year Teacher Training (RYT) intensive with Mick and Stephanie Goodman.  In 2005, Patti also completed a 36 hour vinyasa training course with Max Strom.  Also, she has studied under Beryl Bender Birch, Rolf Gates and Ana Forrest, among others.  Patti wishes to credit Patricia Gray and Emily Darling as her most influential teachers.  She embarked on her journey to share yoga, and began teaching in 2005.  "I began practicing yoga as an alternative to more punishing forms of exercise and quickly discovered there was more more to yoga than mere physical exercise.  While the asanas are a wonderful way to stay fit, yoga embraces much more.  Practicing offers the ability to nurture and heal physically, mentally and spiritually."

Kory Jacobs has been practicing yoga for six years and teaching for three. A serious injury led her to study fitness and movement of the human body in college, and to delve into yoga as a way to rehabilitate her body.  Her classes are taught with the intention to influence personal growth while bringing the body back into balance through understanding ones body awareness.   "I love teaching yoga because it has been very healing in my life and I have a passion about sharing it with others."                                                                          

Lisa Murphy spent the past three years teaching yoga in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  While living in Dubai, Lisa had the opportunity to develop a unique blend of all the yoga styles she has studied:  Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, Sivananda, Iyengar, and Anusara.  After Dubai, she spent three months of 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey as a guest teacher in residence at Yogasala, the city’s premier yoga studio.  Before her travels, Lisa lived in Kansas City for 14 years, starting her yoga practice with Anusara yoga. After learning much about alignment and discipline from this style of yoga, she enhanced her practice by studying more athletic styles:  Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa, with one of her primary teachers, Patricia Gray.  These unique teaching and learning experiences enabled her to share her yoga knowledge with others and recognize the true meaning of yoga on a personal level.   "After several years of travel, it feels great to be back in Kansas City, and teaching at the Yoga Gallery.  I look forward to reconnecting with the wonderful yoga community here.”

Drew Corrigan As a licensed massage therapist and connective tissue bodyworker since 1997, Drew is fond of saying, "the issues are in the tissues". That means our unresolved emotional issues from the past, our habitual behavior patterns, and our ways of seeing ourselves, are mirrored in structure and function of our bodies. For Drew, yoga is a compassionate path of healing, bringing inner peace, serenity, balance, a sense of freedom, and a reconnection to our Divine Purpose and Calling. His vinyasa-style classes combine his background in anatomy and physiology as a bodyworker, with a sprinkling of personal development insights and spiritual wisdom gleaned from many sources over many years of study. Besides practicing yoga and bodywork, his other passions include energy healing, teaching massage, preparing live-food cuisine, reading, spiritual cinema, and listening to music. 

Elizabeth Budd I am passionate about lifelong learning.  It is hard to imagine an activity that stimulates the whole Self- body, mind, and spirit like a complete yoga practice does.  My journey to yoga came through my own health challenges.  I have great appreciation and respect in the therapeutic value of yoga.   It has helped me immensely and I know it does the same for others.   I enjoy working with people new to yoga and watching them discover the many benefits of their yoga practice.  I have been blessed with many wonderful teachers in my study of yoga. My primary teacher is Max Strom, founder of Sacred Movement in Venice, CA.  Max inspires teachers and students with his gentleness, compassion, and wisdom.  I am fascinated by the power and mystery of the breath and focus highly upon pranayama in my teaching, as well-guided by my teachers Max Strom and Patricia Gray.  "It is important to me that students leave class with feelings of renewal and relaxation.  In today's stressful world, we all need ways to release.  Yoga can stimulate a deep sense of wellbeing.  I believe as we create peace within, we contribute to peace in the world.  It begins with us."