ABOUT US
We’re rooted in tradition, personal practice, and real community.
Yoga Commons was created to feel like the kind of space you exhale into — quiet but alive, traditional but accessible, disciplined but warm, and always human.
We’re here for people who want more than a workout.
More than the aesthetic.
More than surface-level yoga.
We teach a complete practice meant to support your whole life — your body, your breath, your mind, and your heart — in a community that feels steady, welcoming, and real.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We honor the Ashtanga and Dharma Yoga lineages — traditions grounded in personal practice, breath, concentration, and compassionate discipline. These lineages guide everything we do.
We emphasize the Mysore-style method in both Ashtanga and Dharma Yoga — a rare offering in this region — because we believe personal practice is the heart of transformation.
To support the whole of you, we complement these traditions with practices like Yin, Myoyin, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama & Meditation, Sound Bath, skill-based classes, book club, and workshops that enrich and balance your practice.
Above all, Yoga Commons is a place where you can feel at home in your practice — whether you are brand new or many years into your journey.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
Personal practice at the center
We emphasize Mysore-style offerings in both Ashtanga and Dharma Yoga — a unique and rare combination — so you can develop a practice that evolves with you, at your pace.
A complete practice for modern life
We offer asana, pranayama, meditation, skill-based training, philosophy study, and community — because yoga is meant to support every dimension of life.
A true yoga school
We are more than a studio — we are a place of study. We offer 200-hour teacher training, continuing education, and specialty trainings taught by guest teachers from around the world.
Retreats offered 1–2 times per year
Practice with us in deeper and more immersive ways, in both domestic and international locations.
A teaching team you can trust
Every teacher here is a student first — dedicated to lifelong study, refinement, and honoring the tradition with integrity.
A warm, inclusive community
No cliques. No competition. No pressure.
Just curious, grounded humans supporting one another.
A space that feels like home
Bright, warm, calm, and intentionally simple — so the practice can take center stage
Meet our Team
Yoga Commons is guided by lineage-rooted teachers who are dedicated practitioners first and teachers second. Each member of our team has a deep personal practice in Ashtanga and/or Dharma Yoga, ongoing study under respected teachers, and a commitment to sharing these traditions with clarity, warmth, and integrity.
Our Founders
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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.
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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.
Our Teachers
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Classes: Rocket & Dharma Yoga
Sara is a creative leader, an animal lover, and a practitioner of various styles of yoga. She’s been on the mat regularly since 2015, and as an instructor, strives to help students build personal awareness, create connection, and find more joy in all of life's moments.
Through teaching, 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 C. Sara is forever a student. She loves to travel and always has a yoga mat in her suitcase.
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Classes: Full Primary & Alignment + Awareness
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: Ashtanga Mysore Sub
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: Rocket Sub
Julia is an E-RYT 200 and has been teaching since 2011. She practiced Baptiste Power Yoga for several years before working towards her certification. Since then, she has come to embrace all different styles and traditions and is continuously enchanted by the vastness of yoga's offerings. Her main practice nowadays is Ashtanga and Rocket yoga. She has completed 100 hrs of teacher training with David C. Kyle of Ashtanga Yoga Puerto Rico and is certified to teach The Rocket Yoga. She has also apprenticed under David Ingalls in the Ashtanga Mysore tradition. Julia considers herself to be a lifelong student of yoga first and foremost before she is a teacher but is always excited to share all that she knows in the present with the world.
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Classes: Dharma Yoga
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: Dharma, MyoYin, Yin + Yoga Nidra, and Mindful Mobility
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: Yoga Essentials
Shenaid truly believes that “yoga is the journey to the self, through the self”. She believes that by approaching yoga as a vehicle for self-exploration and self-acceptance, one can create a space for authentic expression. Yoga is freedom and release. Shenaid strives to help others access this release so that they too can experience freedom from the binds of everyday life. Shenaid’s passion for personal development and self-acceptance shines through during her yoga classes where she cultivates a safe space for all to come, let go, explore, and have fun. While yoga is one method Shenaid uses to stimulate her creative mind, you can also find her with her head buried in a book or in the kitchen with the music blasting while she’s cooking up something healthy but delicious.
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Classes: Yin
Whit has been playing around on her mat since she was sixteen, but it wasn’t until her first Ashtanga class that she discovered the concept of tapas, one of yoga’s Niyamas, and her once hobby became a passion of intrepid tenacity. As a registered E-RYT 200 with Yoga Alliance, Whit teaches Vinyasa, Yin, Ashtanga, and is certified to teach Rocket. She also completed the Ashtanga Practitioner’s Intensive (E-RYT 200) month-long training with Tim Feldman and Kino McGregor at Miami Life Center in 2023.
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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: Yoga Essentials & Rocket Yoga
Since childhood, Sarita has been immersed in the traditional world of yoga. Summers spent in India were dedicated to Bhakti, yoga philosophy, and mantra meditation—practices that continue to guide her personal journey today. She completed her YTTs in both the USA and India and remains a lifelong student, learning from her teachers and students alike. Sarita especially loves the asanas of Rocket yoga for their playful nature, as well as the humility and strength they cultivate. She believes the union of asana and yogic philosophy is a powerful catalyst for self-discovery. Through this blend, she found a deeper connection to her true nature, and she hopes to ignite that same inner spark in those she guides. Beyond the studio, Sarita works full-time in tech and builds communities rooted in wellness and service. She pioneers plant-based initiatives, leads vegan non-profits, organizes cookbook clubs, and creates handcrafted Tulsi jewelry. In her personal time, she enjoys traveling, studying Ayurveda, kirtan, curling up with a book on a rainy day, or hiking forest trails with her gentle giant, Ares.
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Classes: Handstands
Rachel Hipszer has been upside down and on her hands since the early 2000's and actively teaching inversions since 2010. She grew up competing in USA Gymnastics which led her to the circus. While studying Chemical Oceanography and Statistics in college, she joined and later co-founded a local circus troupe. After college, she was accepted into the New England Center for Circus Arts professional training program where she studied hand-balancing and aerial silks. She is currently a certified personal trainer through NASM, and has gone through the Nimble Arts aerial teacher training course. When she isn't teaching others to feel comfortable upside down and in their bodies, she can be found performing around the DMV. Along with her love of movement, she is also an avid fan of plants, animals, and sweets.
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Classes: Yoga Essentials and Yin Sub
Connolly Colbert (she/her) brings a deeply authentic and compassionate approach to yoga instruction, grounded in dedication to accessible wellness practices. Her yoga journey is deeply informed by her autoimmune disease, which has shaped her offerings in trauma-informed, accessible instruction and adaptive practices that honor all bodies and abilities. Caring and intuitive, Connolly creates space where students can authentically show up and be met exactly where they are in their practice. She shares gentle vinyasa, yin yoga, and breath-centered practices that emphasize nervous system support and bolster pain management. Through her own evolution from high-intensity practice to mindful, healing-focused yoga, she demonstrates that yoga's true power lies in its ability to offer tools for resilience and self-compassion that transcend physical limitations. Connolly believes yoga's greatest gift is teaching us to show up wholly and completely, believing that yoga's transformative power lies not in perfection, but in presence and radical acceptance.
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Classes: Dharma and Rocket sub
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.
