Meet our team
Our Founders
We’re Jen and Michelle, two yogis who came together through our love of the practice and found synergy through our shared experiences and complementary strengths and styles. Not to mention our love for tattoos, dope beats, and four letter expletives. We forged a partnership to share our dedication to the practice that began with co-hosting retreats and grew into the vision that became Yoga Commons: a safe and supportive community to foster self-discovery and growth through yoga that honors the lineages of the practices that transformed our lives.
A space for less drama, more dharma. All are welcome here.
Jen Armistead
Jen is a scientist, humanitarian, yoga practitioner and teacher. Initially drawn to yoga as part of her own healing journey, she eventually discovered Rocket Yoga, which offered the perfect balance she needed to develop a disciplined practice with space to explore. Later, she turned to Dharma Yoga to grow her spiritual practice, and more fully integrate yoga into all aspects of her life.
Jen approaches yoga much like an experiment, and encourages everyone to investigate the potential of their mind-body-spirit connection. She values autonomy over authority and strives to empower individuals to develop a compassionate, intuitive and exploratory yoga practice.
Jen is a student above all else and is grateful for her teachers and mentors, namely Sri Dharma Mittra, David Kyle, and Nathania Stambouli, as well as all those of the Ashtanga and Dharma Yoga lineages, past and present. She has completed over 1200 hours of training and is a certified Dharma Yoga and Rocket Yoga Teacher.
Michelle Nguyen
Michelle (also known as Big Meesh) is a residential architect, an ashtangi & rocket student, and a yoga teacher. Michelle came to yoga as a way to reintroduce exercise back into her life after suffering a concussion in 2013. Along with regaining strength and balance, what Michelle didn’t expect to find was the connection between the mind, body, and breath and how the practice permeates into all facets of her life even off the yoga mat.
Michelle is a RYT-500 through Yoga Alliance and is certified to teach the Rocket through David Kyle, as well as Yin Yoga through Yael Flusberg. She received her RYT-300 at Miami Life Center, which focused on the Ashtanga Yoga system. Michelle is a regular, Ashtanga Mysore practitioner and is grateful for her teachers; Maggie Lively, Jarrick Browner, and Tim Feldmann. In the yoga room, she’s all about creating a safe space, building a supportive community, including all types of bodies, while honoring individuality.
Off mat, Michelle enjoys traveling around the world with her husband of many lifetimes, hanging around with their adorable pups, and designing the house of your dreams.
Meet the Team
Our teachers are students of yoga, first and foremost. They each have years of personal practice and specialized training in Ashtanga, Rocket, and/or Dharma Yoga. They are committed to sharing their experience and expertise with our community so we can all grow together. We are honored to have these committed and dedicated yogis on our team.
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Classes: Rocket Yoga, Forearm Stands, Handstands, & Flexibility
Heather’s yoga journey began 20 years ago in India. While studying Buddhism there a fellow student introduced her to Ashtanga. As a pre-professional ballet dancer and longtime spiritual seeker, yoga combined her two great loves, movement and spirituality. Heather’s goal is to cultivate a spirit of fun and light heartedness in her Rocket classes, encouraging play, risk taking and cheering each other on as we step outside our comfort zones. Expect lots of laughter, interaction and workshopping inversions and arm balances in this class. Heather has over 200 hours of Rocket training with the Progressive Ashtanga Vinyasa School under David Kyle and Kevin Castillo and has completed the Ashtanga Intermediate Series with Jonathan Cronin and Jayme Sekel (Mysore) at Inner Power Yoga in Sterling, VA. She practices handstands with ShellyFLEX.
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Classes: Rocket Yoga
Sara is a creative leader, an animal lover, and a practitioner of various styles of yoga, though Rocket holds a special place in her heart. She’s been on the mat regularly since 2015, and strives to help students build personal awareness and meet themselves where they currently are, while having fun.
Through instruction, Sara hopes to give back to her community all the wisdom and love it has shown her. Sara is a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance and holds an additional 100-hour certification in Rocket Yoga through the Progressive Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga School under Kevin Castillo. Sara is forever a student. She loves to travel and always has a yoga mat in her suitcase.
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Classes: Half Primary & Full Primary
John has been practicing yoga since 2005, following a diverse array of mind-body practices that have included Tai Chi Chuan, Zen meditation, and Japanese tea ceremony. An IT professional by day, he appreciates yoga for the grounding quality it provides in everyday life. He was first introduced to Ashtanga yoga in 2010 and attended his first Mysore practice in 2013, maintaining a daily ashtanga practice since that time. He is grateful to his Mysore teachers who he has studied with over the years, including Tova Steiner, Keith Moore, Wendy McGrath, and Faith Scimecca. He has also maintained a parallel practice of Iyengar yoga over the years and sees it as a compliment to Ashtanga, each informing and deepening the study of the other. He is a registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance, completing 500 hours of training as well as hundreds of hours of additional study. John is also a devoted student and teacher of Sanskrit, believing the knowledge of the language allows for a deeper connection to the yoga tradition.
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Classes: Mobility
Jeselene’s yoga journey began in India while working in villages with women to promote maternal health. The physical practice was introduced to her by her host mother who practiced every morning and invited her to join. During the 4 months in India, her relationship with yoga began to flourish and once she returned to the states the practice took off. While practicing with Jeselene you can expect to have an open and grounded practice that will allow the mind to become more in tune with the physical body leaving it feeling clear and aware. Through the session, the focus will be placed on maintaining a stable energy throughout the flow and keeping a consistent rhythm of breath that will assist with identifying the areas of discomfort in the practice and everyday life. Jeselene has a special interest in making the practice accessible to all levels and bodies, as well as expecting mothers. Jeselene’s sessions pick from various styles of yoga that include Ashtanga, Dharma, and Yin. She is a 500hr RYT from Roots Love Yoga School Lead by Marie Belle Perez Rivera, along with other workshop training in topic such as anatomy, functional medicine, Ashtanga yoga and pre and post- natal. Jeselene practices Mysore Daily. She a mother to 3 beautiful girls and also holds a BA in Community Health & Biology and a Masters in Public Health.
Website: livelikedji.com
Socal Media: @livelikedji_
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Classes: Dharma, & Pranayama + Yoga Nidra
Holly Halvorson has a lifetime of training, teaching and performing as a dancer, choreographer, and movement artist. She has studied and practiced Bikram, Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Anusara, Rocket, Budokon, Iyengar, and Power Yoga. After developing an appreciation for the grace and depth of the classical practice of yoga and teaching techniques as taught by Sri Dharma Mittra, she completed her 200-hour teacher training under his guidance at the Dharma Yoga Center in NYC in 2013. She is working toward completing the 500 hour Dharma Yoga Teacher Training in September 2024 and in the Bishnu Ghosh Method in 2025. She does her best to live in alignment with the classical teachings and ethical and spiritual practices of yoga. She is a graphic designer, web developer, choreographer, and teaches barre and hip hop dance/boxing classes in addition to yoga.
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Classes: Yin & MyoYin
Sarah is an experience maker from the sequence, music, to the hands on assists. She creates a safe place for people to break free and overcome obstacles to be the best versions of themselves on and off the mat. Sarah graduated from her RYT200 from Flow Yoga Center in 2022. In 2024, Sarah completed her RYT500 certification with Yoga Alliance studying under Dr. Marie Belle Pérez Rivera. She has obtained 130 hours of Rocket Vinyasa Training under Kevin C, David Kyle and Andre Harris. Sarah also has 30 hours of Myofascial Release Training through Yoga Medicine and 50 hours of Yin training from Roots Love Yoga. Sarah's journey began with several years of starts and stops until embracing a daily practice in 2018 to help her navigate grief and cope with loss. Sarah practices a variety of yoga from Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Power, Rocket, Dharma, Myofascial Release, Yin and Yoga Nidra. Sarah brings a rich tapestry of knowledge to her teaching, drawing inspiration from the various yoga styles she incorporates into her personal practice. Sarah's love of continuing to learn and evolve fuels her yoga journey. She regularly participates in advanced yoga trainings, and reads extensively about the body, and well-being psychology to deepen her understanding and teaching practice. Join Sarah on the mat and discover the transformative power of yoga, as she guides you on a playful journey of self-discovery, strength, and healing.
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Classes: Rocket and Dharma Yoga
Val is a dedicated yoga teacher whose journey began in 2011, initially as a compliment to her Pole Fitness training—a discipline in which she earned a national title in 2016. Her love for movement, alignment, and body awareness naturally evolved into a deep commitment to the practice and teaching of yoga.
After a transformative class in Bali in 2014, which brought her profound joy during a challenging time, she knew she wanted to help others find that same happiness through yoga.
Since then, she has accumulated over 900 hours of formal training, including 200 hours in Ashtanga-Rocket under Marie Russell of It’s Yoga, 300 hours focused on advanced adjustments and inversions, and 200 hours in Dharma Yoga from Blanco Yoga in Mexico City. Originally from Mexico and now based in the U.S., she brings her international perspective and background in International Relations into her teaching, always striving to build a better, more inclusive world—one breath at a time. She is especially passionate about making yoga accessible to Spanish-speaking communities. Her classes are known for a strong focus on alignment and safety, helping students grow in their practice while honouring and protecting their bodies. Since 2015, she has taught students from all walks of life and has organized and led yoga retreats in Bali, Tulum, and Iceland. When she’s not on the mat, she can be found traveling, working out, dancing, curled up with a good book, or enjoying the company of her family, friends, and beloved feline companions.
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Classes: Full Primary
Victoria Wolfgang is a yoga teacher (ERYT-200, Functional Ashtanga 500-hr, Rocket Vinyasa 100-hr) ipec certified wellness coach (CPC) writer, and artist. She is passionate about helping people find more physical and mental/emotional balance through the practice of yoga and is honored to support others in the Mysore room, led classes, and private sessions. Victoria has bachelor's degrees in both biology and psychology and has always been fascinated by the mind-body connection. Victoria discovered yoga in 2015 when it helped her find relief from chronic social anxiety and muscular tension related to complex PTSD and undiscovered neurodivergence. She has been teaching since 2018 after graduating from Mimi Rieger's 200 hr Power Vinyasa Training. Victoria completed her 500 hr Functional Ashtanga Yoga Training with her mentor, level 2 authorized ashtanga teacher Michael Joel Hall in 2021. FAY applies the scientific principles of functional range conditioning alongside the traditional ashtanga yoga system. In 2022 she completed her Rocket Vinyasa level 1 (100-hr) with David Kyle, and later that year she traveled to Mysuru, India to study with Sharath Jois. As a dedicated practitioner, former medical researcher, and multi-passionate movement enthusiast Victoria appreciates the benefits of both a scientifically-informed, systematic approach to movement, as well as exploratory movement that facilitates a creative flow state. Victoria aims to plant mindful seeds in vigorous yet playful classes designed to help people cultivate strength, functional mobility, self-awareness, and joyful bodily autonomy. She holds the ancient origins of yoga in great respect, and often weaves yogic philosophy concepts into her classes. She strives to combat unjust systems and racial inequity by encouraging collective responsibility and radical compassion-centered action. She believes the "point" of yoga is freedom, and as Toni Morrison said "The function of freedom is to free someone else.”
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Classes: Dharma, Rocket, & Sound Bath & Meditation
Sydney's journey into yoga began in 2014, embarking on a transformative path through self-practice in Kundalini Yoga. This initial foray was driven by a desire for conscious expansion, where pranayama, intention, mudras, and asanas became tools for deepening self-awareness. This profound personal evolution catalyzed a shift away from old modes of being, embracing the dynamic flow of life with newfound clarity and purpose.
Her practice evolved, finding joy and vigor in Rocket Yoga, a discipline she joyfully shared with the Elkridge, Maryland community starting in 2021. Sydney's quest for deeper understanding led her to Dharma Yoga in 2023, a practice that fostered a connection to her innermost truths. Immersed in communities rooted in rich yoga lineages, surrounded by compassionate, high-caliber individuals, Sydney experienced a profound realization: the essence of self is boundless, a reflection of the interconnectedness of all beings. "I am you, you are me" encapsulates this journey of discovery and unity.
With over 950 hours of Yoga Alliance-approved RYS teacher training, Sydney's credentials are impressive. She has completed both 200 and 500-hour programs at the Dharma Yoga Center, and has studied Progressive Ashtanga Yoga (Rocket) under Patrick McCleaf. Yet, her learning continues, fueled by the wisdom and guidance of mentors like Jen Armistead, Michelle Nguyen, and Heather Hax. Sydney stands as a beacon in the yoga community, her life a testament to the transformative power of dedicated practice and the pursuit of self-knowledge.
