TEACHERS
Rita Duggan
The concept of Teal So Good is one of home and belonging that has been forming intuitively through my experience of life and humanity. My personal journey, my love for my family, and my appreciation for All life in its endless variety of beautiful form and function brought me to yoga and completed some missing pieces in the puzzle of my life.
Born into a legacy of caregivers and trailblazers, I started out following the brave footsteps of the strong and determined women before me. I earned my business degree and entered the workforce. Commuting to Boston, gray cubicles and skyline views. Fund accounting left me creatively lacking and unfulfilled.The call to work with my hands, to see a product of my making from start to finish led me to life behind the chair doing hair in a salon.
The jump from the business of hair salons to yoga studios is not far functionally speaking, but first I had to become a mom, and nearly lose everything to give me the courage to make sacrifices for the greater good. My body and mind paid the price of denying my power and worth. Self – healing and discovery takes its time, the process of going deeply inward, stepping out of your comfort zone to face your own demons, and resolving reality with expectations is daunting, but it need not be lonely. We don’t have to be sad or blue. TEAL So Good.
Chelsea Berry
Yoga, Reiki, and Massage
My soul purpose in this lifetime is to help heal people. It brings me peace, joy, light and love to be able to share my own healing journey through teaching yoga. Yoga became a part of my journey when I entered college in 2005. There were free yoga classes offered on campus and I decided to give it a try. A try lead me to a love of yoga. The practice of yoga has opened me up to who I am today. And there is still so much to learn! Once I graduated from my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training through Open Doors Yoga Studios. I continued my education in the healing arts field to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner.
My goal is to bring fun, balance and depth into the practice. I love to laugh and do not take life to serious. I want my students to feel confident, comfortable and safe on their mats. I want students to leave the studio feeling better than they did when they first arrived. If I can get you to smile, laugh, have fun and relax in class then I know I am doing something right. All I ask of students is to try to let go and “just be” in my class. Let’s grow and enjoy this journey together. Namaste!
Karen Donahue
CYT
I was first introduced to the practice of yoga in 2007 after a long struggle with daily seizures and brain surgeries. I felt very vulnerable—like I was taking a “leap of faith.” I showed up for my first time on my mat with no idea what I was in for, but I knew I needed to do something. Since that Sunday, there was no looking back. My seizures went from every day to one every couple months. A miracle! At the time I was still unable to drive, so each time I found my way to my mat once a week a sense of total freedom washed over me. As a runner, I was not there for the physical, so instead the internal work began, the healing began, getting to know who I am began. Six months later I found myself seizure-free and with my driver’s license. The power of the mind, body and spirit yoked together was happening … and the bonus? It was a great workout, too! The yoga practice has been transformative for me. I now have a strong desire—a passion—to share the gift of the practice with others.
I graduated from the 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Program in 2009 and have been teaching ever since. I’ve explored many teaching modalities and enjoy mixing things up. I’m certified in Power Yoga, Yoga for Anxiety and Depression, Brain Therapy, Kids’ Yoga, Reiki 1, and the School of Energy Healing. I’ve incorporated meditation, slow flow, and other techniques to my group classes as well as the therapeutic teaching I’ve done in day programs for adults with severe disabilities. My experience includes teaching both kids and adults, power yoga from beginners to experienced yogis, as well as teaching students to become instructors. My belief system: Yoga is Therapy. Nothing in life stays the same, so this is a constant reminder to allow the yoga experience to be accessible to the students in front of me with unique bodies and unique needs that can shift daily. I strive to keep my class flowing for the student who wants to be pushed to the edge, the student recovering from health issues needing variations, and the student looking to just breathe and be still. I believe the more curve balls life throws us, the easier it becomes to transition to what is needed. Although I have taught under many instructors—some who have really helped mold my teaching style, Richard Lanza, Shawn Cornelison and Joanne Flaherty—my greatest teachers have been the students in front of me. Each day I am learning. It is a give-and-take relationship, and one I cherish. As an instructor, my job is to create space and a solid foundation so the students can let go and find freedom within themselves … a transformation. The yoga taught on the mat can be taken off the mat, allowing us all to re-enter the world with a sense of well-being. I believe we as students have the opportunity to create a toolbox during our yoga practice to be tapped into during our daily lives—any time things get stormy or we need to refuel and replenish. Yes, yoga is constant work. We can have setbacks, too, when we are out of balance—but such beautiful outcomes awaits us as we each evolve along our own personal yoga journey. I’m available for both private sessions and group classes. I look forward to guiding you and witnessing the power of our thoughts connected to our physical bodies, the yoga practice can be transformative for you, too.
Chelsea Berry
Yoga, Reiki, and Massage
My soul purpose in this lifetime is to help heal people. It brings me peace, joy, light and love to be able to share my own healing journey through teaching yoga. Yoga became a part of my journey when I entered college in 2005. There were free yoga classes offered on campus and I decided to give it a try. A try lead me to a love of yoga. The practice of yoga has opened me up to who I am today. And there is still so much to learn! Once I graduated from my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training through Open Doors Yoga Studios. I continued my education in the healing arts field to become a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Practitioner.
My goal is to bring fun, balance and depth into the practice. I love to laugh and do not take life to serious. I want my students to feel confident, comfortable and safe on their mats. I want students to leave the studio feeling better than they did when they first arrived. If I can get you to smile, laugh, have fun and relax in class then I know I am doing something right. All I ask of students is to try to let go and “just be” in my class. Let’s grow and enjoy this journey together. Namaste!
Karen Donahue
CYT
I was first introduced to the practice of yoga in 2007 after a long struggle with daily seizures and brain surgeries. I felt very vulnerable—like I was taking a “leap of faith.” I showed up for my first time on my mat with no idea what I was in for, but I knew I needed to do something. Since that Sunday, there was no looking back. My seizures went from every day to one every couple months. A miracle! At the time I was still unable to drive, so each time I found my way to my mat once a week a sense of total freedom washed over me. As a runner, I was not there for the physical, so instead the internal work began, the healing began, getting to know who I am began. Six months later I found myself seizure-free and with my driver’s license. The power of the mind, body and spirit yoked together was happening … and the bonus? It was a great workout, too! The yoga practice has been transformative for me. I now have a strong desire—a passion—to share the gift of the practice with others.
I graduated from the 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Program in 2009 and have been teaching ever since. I’ve explored many teaching modalities and enjoy mixing things up. I’m certified in Power Yoga, Yoga for Anxiety and Depression, Brain Therapy, Kids’ Yoga, Reiki 1, and the School of Energy Healing. I’ve incorporated meditation, slow flow, and other techniques to my group classes as well as the therapeutic teaching I’ve done in day programs for adults with severe disabilities. My experience includes teaching both kids and adults, power yoga from beginners to experienced yogis, as well as teaching students to become instructors. My belief system: Yoga is Therapy. Nothing in life stays the same, so this is a constant reminder to allow the yoga experience to be accessible to the students in front of me with unique bodies and unique needs that can shift daily. I strive to keep my class flowing for the student who wants to be pushed to the edge, the student recovering from health issues needing variations, and the student looking to just breathe and be still. I believe the more curve balls life throws us, the easier it becomes to transition to what is needed. Although I have taught under many instructors—some who have really helped mold my teaching style, Richard Lanza, Shawn Cornelison and Joanne Flaherty—my greatest teachers have been the students in front of me. Each day I am learning. It is a give-and-take relationship, and one I cherish. As an instructor, my job is to create space and a solid foundation so the students can let go and find freedom within themselves … a transformation. The yoga taught on the mat can be taken off the mat, allowing us all to re-enter the world with a sense of well-being. I believe we as students have the opportunity to create a toolbox during our yoga practice to be tapped into during our daily lives—any time things get stormy or we need to refuel and replenish. Yes, yoga is constant work. We can have setbacks, too, when we are out of balance—but such beautiful outcomes awaits us as we each evolve along our own personal yoga journey. I’m available for both private sessions and group classes. I look forward to guiding you and witnessing the power of our thoughts connected to our physical bodies, the yoga practice can be transformative for you, too.
Kim Howard
CYT
Almost two years ago, feeling mentally and physical exhausted, I left a career in corporate HR and Law to focus my family and on bringing more balance into my own life. I first turned to yoga as a way to both recover as well as stay in shape when an injury derailed my running, and in addition to the changes in my body, I loved the changes in my mind and my overall sense of calm.
After practicing yoga regularly for over 5 years, I took a leap to the other side of the mat to better align my livelihood with my passion for teaching, fitness and mindfulness; I graduated from my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training.
In addition to running and yoga, I am an avid hiker and have a deep love of the great outdoors. I live in Hanover with my teenage son Dylan and our rescue pup Susana. I am beyond excited to be teaching in my own community!
Barbara Cornell
CYT, Reiki II, Thai Massage, Pre/Post Natal
I started practicing yoga when my grown son was a baby. I was anxious, overweight and stressed out.
Over twenty years later, I’m still a little overweight and there’s always stress. But yoga and all that has
come with it has made me a far happier, calmer and less anxious person. In 2013 I studied Transformational Yoga with Michelle Fleming. I chose to become a 200 hour certified yoga teacher with Michelle because her philosophy was closely tied with anatomy and physiology. This made sense to the science junkie in me! Michelle taught me how to teach
a class focused on alignment, accessibility and safety. Yoga IS for every body and making students comfortable in the class is always my goal. A frequent saying in my classes is that this is a practice, not a perfect. Over the years, I have become a Reiki II practitioner and certified in Thai massage. Both are often incorporated into my classes. I became certified in pre/post-natal yoga when a woman great with child came to one of my regular classes and I didn’t know how to keep her safe!
In 2019 I earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Massachusetts. As a board certified Medical Laboratory Technologist, MPH, regular meditator and yogini, I firmly believe in the mind-body connection, holistic wellness as an adjunct to Western medicine and preventing preventable diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes through education. After teaching at many different studios and locations, I can honestly say that the greatest thing I’ve gotten from teaching yoga is the friendship and laughter that I’ve been blessed with by those who come to my classes. The local yoga community is truly amazing! I look forward to seeing you in class!
Maria Ramirez
STEAM Teacher
Maria Ramirez is a Massachusetts licensed Elementary Teacher who has been teaching children for over a decade in public, private and charter schools including after school and summer programs. She is passionate in providing STEAM (Science, Technology/Tools, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activities to her students in order to foster opportunities to learn in a creative hands on way preparing them for their future. She guides children's natural curiosities to explore, investigate, create, problem solve, collaborate, and take risks in a safe and encouraging environment. When she is not teaching she spends her time discovering with her husband and two children; ages 4 and 6. They love to spend time on the beach, planting (and eating from) their vegetable and fruit garden, and taking care of their free range hens.