Instructors, FYTT I
Karen Johnson
In 1980 Karen used crutches to walk into to her first yoga class. It was a great type of physical therapy that led her to a career in barefoot movement and modern dance. She studied at Cal State University Long Beach, winning a Dance Magazine award and an A.D.F. national title. After leaving Los Angeles to live in the Bay Area, she received her degree in the LEAP program at St. Mary’s College then studied with Leah Gillman in her first flow yoga teacher training.
Karen loves the way yoga allows the mind to find itself inside the body, awakening the physical to allow the practice of mindfulness and the letting go of judgment. Her classes honor the moments between asanas as opportunities to deepen the breath and be fully in each moment. She connects the poses in a playful manner with the goal to guide others through their journeys in a non-intimidating and fun environment. When Karen isn’t practicing inversions and half moons she is happy making messes as an art teacher at Lakeview Preschool and Redwood Day School.
Leah Gillman
Leah is the founder and director of Barefoot Movement. She began using the name, ‘Barefoot Movement’ in 2004 to encompass her yoga teaching as well as her Barefoot Bodywork practice (a form of massage where the practitioner uses her feet to work on the client’s body). In 2010, Leah opened the current Barefoot Movement studio at Broadway and 17th Street in Downtown Oakland and in 2013 remodeled and expanded the space.
Leah has focused practices in: Ashiatsu (a.k.a. Barefoot Shiatsu), from which Barefoot Bodywork was developed, with Edward Spencer, since 2000; in White Crane Silat, a form of Indonesian kung fu, since 2008; and in yoga with Mark Horner, since 2010.
In her earlier years, Leah pursued a career in modern dance and choreography. She began practicing yoga in 1994 and in 1999 she began teaching yoga classes and studying massage. In 2006 she began teaching Barefoot Bodywork and in 2008 she began training new yoga teachers. Leah’s Flow Yoga classes have evolved to include elements from kung fu and dance to better prepare the body for traditional yoga asana.
The focus for Leah’s yoga and Barefoot Bodywork classes is on taking students, efficiently, into a clearer state of physical and mental being while expanding their abilities and awareness. For beginners, the focus is on the gross-level placement and movements of the practitioner. Over time, as the blueprint of the modality becomes increasingly inherent, the focus of the practice shifts toward more subtlety and receptivity.
Leah lives in Berkeley with her two teenage daughters, Naomi and Olivia.
Leonora Willis
Leonora Willis established her connection to Yoga during a major transition in her life. During this time, Yoga provided an anchor to secure her, as well as the sails to help her move through life with grace. This experience fueled her desire to become a Yoga instructor, not only to enhance her own continued Yoga practice, but also to help others move through the every day and unexpected transitions of life with awareness, strength and flexibility. Leonora recognizes individual students’ needs and knowledgeably meets those needs in a myriad of ways: with helpful guiding directions, hands-on adjustments, keen Vinyasa sequences. Leonora teaches Yoga classes in the Vinyasa Flow Style, which links the breath to the body’s movement, not only within a pose, but also in the transitions between poses, thus moving students through sequences that challenge the body, aiming to balance mind and spirit. In a Yoga class with Leonora, students are physically challenged while also feeling a sense of being nurtured, safe and supported, which encourages the connection between body and mind, self and universe. By incorporating pranayama, meditation and chanting, Leonora provides her yoga students with a balanced practice that fuels and reenergizes the mind, body and spirit. www.leonorawillis.com
Mary Beth Ray
Mary Beth (MB) has been exploring yoga as a philosophy and physical practice for many years. She has studied with wonderful teachers and participated in classes and workshops in various traditions including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin, and Anusara. She is especially drawn toward the moving meditation of a vinyasa style of practice and since 2006 she has been a dedicated student of Ashtanga Vinyasa in the classical self-paced Mysore tradition of Sri. K. Pattabhi Jois.
As a teacher MB wishes to share yoga as a day-by-day, moment-by-moment practice of well-being. In her classes she guides you through dynamic sequences of movement while you play with the subtle alignment cues of the postures, and most importantly tune your awareness to the quality and presence of your breath during both exertion and stillness. Through the practice she encourages you to discover balance between effort and ease, to develop your own inner and outer strength and flexibility, and hone a more graceful engagement with your everyday life. In this way “yoga” can become a daily practice both on and off the mat. www.mbryoga.com
Theresa Kelly
Theresa (e200/ 500 RYT) is a Montana native and loves what the Bay Area has to offer. She graduated from Barefoot Movement’s Level I Teacher Training Program in the Spring of 2011 and has been teaching steadily ever since. She received her Kid’s Yoga certification through mini yogis® in Spring 2012, completed Barefoot Movement’s Level II teaching training in May 2013, and also has training in pre- and post-natal yoga. The path of yoga instruction has opened many new opportunities and now, Theresa is an instructor for Barefoot Movement’s Workshop offerings and Teacher Training Programs. Theresa finds incredible joy in teaching and draws from all her experiences to bring a well-rounded class to her students. Yoga has brought a positive transformation to Theresa’s life and she hopes her classes bring some transformation to her students as well.