Our Instructors
Brooke Padilla
Brooke is an E-RYT 200 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher), YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider), Reiki Master, and Sound Healer.
She completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Suryalila, Spain, with Vidya Jacqueline Heisel of Frog Lotus Yoga International in 2013; her Reiki Master training with Lisa Powers in 2018; and she’s currently working on her 500-hour YTT in Kundalini Yoga with Yoga Farm Ithaca and a Master Sound Healer Training with Simone Vitale.
“I love transformation. I love digging deeper and deeper. I love the truth. My whole life has been about seeking for the truth.
This is why I love yoga.
I love that it gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. I love that there is no magic fix or perfect diagram, we learn by making mistakes, by falling on our face-literally and figuratively- and that’s the Path to the truth. To find one’s own truth, one’s own connection to divinity; we must be honest with ourselves and feel uncomfortable about it.
I can tell you openly and honestly that the truth is the Spirit. The desire of the Spirit is to give and once She touches you, you must share Her. She will not let this longing go.
I am here because the longing demands it. Because all I can desire is to be here for you who seek. I open myself to hold your hand and walk with you while you guide us all to your true Self. That’s all that I do. I feel what’s coming towards me and I let it move and breathe and speak. And I will give you as much as you wish to receive.
There is nothing else that I can be and nothing else that I can do.
This world can be mad, painful, and harsh; but it can also be joyful, magical, and beautiful. I am here for all of it.
Because I know that we are never alone, and I want you to know, as well.”
Kim Looney
Kim Looney is a 200 hour trained yoga instructor. She continues to seek out and learn more about her understanding of yoga. She recently attended a yoga retreat in Greece with Blue Lotus Yoga to learn new ways to extend her practice. She specializes in working with older yogis, people with special needs, and children. You can expect her classes to give you a feeling of empowerment and calmness.
She found yoga after years of competing in triathlons and marathons. When her physical therapist told her that if she wanted to be walking at 60, she'd have to find a new way to be active without injury, she found yoga. Yoga has allowed her to continue to build strength and flexibility. Yoga has added deep meaning and growth to her life.
Her goals as an instructor are to provide a safe place for her students to practice. She wants everyone to find their inner yogi. In her classes, you will be successful, no matter where you start. She wants her students to be strong and flexible. She is a spiritual seeker and shares insight. At the end of class, you will feel better about yourself and the tools you have to use once you are off the mat in everyday life.
Jessica Friedman
Jessica Friedman is the owner of 3 Down Dogs Yoga, a i am a 200 Hour E-RYT, YACEP yoga instructor, WPA Tier 1 Paddle Board instructor, certified Pre- and Postnatal yoga instructor and currently working on her 500 hour E-RYT. Jessica is also a married mother of two beautiful children, Adeleigh and Zander. Jessica has also combined her love of water and yoga to become a paddle board instructor—taking her practice to the mat and to the water.
Jessica took her first yoga class at 19 when she was attending college. That first experience taught her that yoga calms her mind and makes her body feel powerful and competent. It is these feelings that Jess strives to pass on to her own students. She firmly believes that you can feel comfortable in your body at any age through yoga. After the birth of her second child, yoga helped her get back into shape and to deal with the stress of raising two small children.
Jessica is passionate about helping others stay flexible and strong through the practice of yoga—and her classes are designed to encourage others to feel confident about their bodies and their level of fitness, no matter where they are on their journey. Because there is a lack of support for pregnant women and new mothers in her area, Jess pursued pre- and postnatal certification at The Asheville Yoga Center in order to provide specialized yoga services for pregnant women and new mothers. Jessica's desire to constantly learn more has her now working on her 500 hour E-RYT in Yoga Medicine.
When the Covid Pandemic hit it devastated the yoga community. In 2021 Jessica decided to open up 3 Down Dogs Yoga to try and help rebuild the community that she loves so much. It is very obvious to all who know her that Jessica is passionate about what she does—and she looks forward to sharing her passion for yoga, good health, strong bodies, relaxed minds, and well-earned confidence with all who walk into her class.
Whitney Tarver
Whitney knew she was in love with yoga since first stepping on a mat. Soon after starting to attend regular classes, she realized she wanted to go beyond her own personal practice to one day teach others. In January of 2017 she began that journey, which deepened her knowledge and love for yoga in all its forms. She earned her 200 hour teaching certification in September of 2017, coinciding with the beginning of a Masters program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
The counselor in her believes in a safe space for all, something she tries to create for all her students. She brings what she's learned on her own mat, to all who take a class with her. She wants students to be able learn to appreciate their breath and what their bodies can do, while honoring what their bodies are telling them by connecting fully and mindfully with their present experience. In her class you can expect a mix of strengthening and stretching while flowing from breath to breath, in combination with a variety of playlists of her own creation! She looks forward to sharing her light with you! Namaste.
Amanda Ford
Amanda found doTERRA in 2015 when she was going through several significant health issues. The medical community had exhausted their options with no success, but doTERRA was able to offer solutions that worked! Within 1 month of consistent use, she was able to come off all medications and begin her healing journey.
Since then she has made it her mission to share her story and give hope to others like her. She is a certified doTERRA Sales Professional and an Essential Oil Industry Leader. Amanda has partnered with the community and medical professionals to educate on preventative care and natural support for optimal physical and emotional well-being.
She is local to Georgia, married with 2 young boys, and is thrilled for the opportunity to teach each of you all about doTERRA Essential Oils!
Lauriel Malone
Lauriel Malone is a highly skilled Licensed Massage Therapist based in Atlanta, Georgia. With a background in the retail and beauty industry, Lauriel has a wealth of experience assisting clients in developing natural and beneficial skincare and makeup routines, leaving them feeling refreshed and beautiful in their daily lives.
During her time working with clients and forging personal connections, Lauriel recognized a deeper need for holistic well-being beyond skincare concerns. She observed that individuals were grappling with bodily aches and pains that could lead to detrimental daily patterns affecting their overall health. Fueled by empathy and a newfound passion, Lauriel felt compelled to help others seeking healing on a holistic level.
This calling led her to explore the fascinating world of massage therapy, and she obtained certifications in Reiki 1 & 2, enhancing her ability to provide comprehensive healing experiences. Her journey continued with enrollment at the prestigious Atlanta School of Massage, where she graduated at the top of her class, solidifying her expertise in various massage modalities.
Lauriel's extensive range of offerings includes: Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Neuromuscular Therapy, Seated Massage, Myofascial Release, Prenatal Massage, Sports Massage and Stretch Therapy
Lauriel finds immense fulfillment in witnessing her clients leave her table with radiant smiles, improved mobility, strength, and boosted confidence. Her work reaffirms her passion for empowering the body through attentive care and patience.
Join Lauriel's self-care team and embark on a journey of healing and relaxation. She eagerly awaits the opportunity to be part of your transformative experience, guiding you towards complete well-being and renewed vitality.
Tierney Langdon
Tierney Langdon is a 200 HR RYT yoga teacher and the founder of her
positive affirmation IG page:
Gypsy Dharma. The mission of Gypsy Dharma is to help those who are lost to find
themselves. Life
changes, challenges and traumas all contribute to the gradual loss of self. Diagnosed with
breast cancer
in 2018, Tierney found herself completely lost. No longer the person she used to be, she
transformed
into someone new during her healing journey. This journey was central to the origin of
Gypsy Dharma.
Through her own personal healing, she is able to share her experience, strength and hope
with others.
A born dancer (and life long horse lover) Tierney found yoga and described it as “like finding a
long lost
family member,” and began daily practice of yoga in 2016. After her cancer diagnosis, she
began to use
not just the physical aspect of yoga, but the mental and spiritual practice of yoga as well.
Yoga became
her guiding star for her journey, and she credits it with “Truly saving my life.”
Tierney’s passion for yoga is her driving force, with her favorite personal practice being
Vinyasa Flow. As
an equestrian, she found yoga practice to be beneficial in not only her position in saddle,
but it also
improved her relationship with her horse. As she focuses on her breath, and her horses
breath, she can
feel both coming in sync; almost immediately two become one.
As a professional she prefers to teach a Gentle Yoga Flow format. Inspired by yogis all over
the world,
she had incorporated her yoga practice into her daily routine for physical strength, health
and emotional
healing. Her goal is to help others see that yoga can be for everybody, and the most
important of all,
yoga is her passion “to be the light in people’s life journey.”
Kate Wright
Teaching style:
Kate offers Vinyasa Flow classes designed to nourish the body and mind by emphasizing
presence and awareness. She prides herself on a great playlist and enjoys infusing classes
with tidbits of yogic philosophy and alignment tips.
Yoga Perspective:
Kate sees yoga as a practice of eternal discovery of self. It’s the perfect complement to
every other physical activity or sport, honing sensitivity and proprioception, exercising
both discipline and release. But more meaningfully, it’s a way of living. The philosophy of
yoga guides one to their truest form—uncovering one’s intrinsic nature, becoming one’s
own healer, which is both empowering and humbling.
Yoga Background:
Kate has been a yoga practitioner on and off since high school, but became more
committed in college as she began to connect spiritually with the process and experienced
more profound personal growth through consistency. She began her teaching journey at
REI in Atlanta for the outdoor schools program and completed her RYT-200 training at
Asheville Yoga Center in January of 2020.
Some Favorite Yog-ish Quotes:
“The practice of yoga induces a primary sense of measure and proportion. Reduced to our
own body, our first instrument, we learn to play it, drawing from it maximum resonance
and harmony.”
- Yehudi Menuhin
“We have never arrived, we are in a constant state of becoming.”
– Bob Dylan
“Be at least as interested in what goes on inside of you as what happens outside. If you get
the inside right, the outside will fall into place.”
- Eckhart Tolle
Debbie McNamara
Debbie McNamara has been dancing in the Atlanta area for over 30 years. She joined Southern Ballet of Atlanta at the age of nine, where she received extensive training from noted dance masters Karen Conrad and Pittman Corry. She soon became an associate dancer and accomplished soloist. Debbie has taught at various dance institutions and is currently Ballet Mistress at Triple 7 Dance. Debbie has received scholarships to the Dance Educators of America Training School and Workshop and to the prestigious Joffrey Ballet in New York City.
In her dancing career, she has also studied at Birmingham Southern, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Duke University.
She began her yoga journey in 2016 when her kids gave her lessons for a Mother’s Day Gift and fell completely in love with it. She has been practicing and doing workshops since then. She most recently completed her YTT 200 hour training in Yoga. She was trained by Brooke Padilla. She loves teaching and is excited to combine her love of ballet with yoga in a yoga/ballet barre fusion class.
Sheila Morris
In July 2014 I was feeling burned out, unhealthy, and disconnected from my real self - searching for wholeness in my mind, body, and soul. I fell in love with yoga at the very first class and began regular practice. In 2017 I began working towards teacher certification to privately celebrate a milestone birthday, but along the way discovered an unexpected love for teaching and sharing the practice. I became a Yoga Alliance certified 200-hour teacher in September 2017.
So many people give so much to career, family, and responsibilities that very little is left over. Helping students find peace and progress during precious self-care hours is a joy. I love all types of yoga styles and find that each one can help us in different ways.
“It ain’t a crime to be good to yourself”
— Paul Stanley, KISS