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Brooke Hinkle, RYT. Studio Owner/Director.

Lori Atkins, MD. OBGYN, Yoga Instructor, Teaching Assistant.

Dr. Lori Atkins, MD, is a precious gift Indigo Yoga shares with the world. Not only does Lori work as a progressive, compassionate and authentic obstetrician and gynecologist, she is a model of health and wellness. 

"I started yoga 1993 after running injury and quickly discovered the physical advantages. I continued to practice on my own occasionally. In 2002 I discovered Brooke and vinyasa yoga. It was then that I started to understand the deeper emotional benefits. As a physician, my life is both busy and stressful. Looking forward to coming to my mat and practicing yoga has positively affected all of my life. Over the last year I have discovered that I not only enjoy practicing but I really love sharing yoga with others. I stumbled into teaching as a substitute when my yoga mentor was away at training, and now I am working on becoming a Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga certified instructor. Aside from yoga, I love to run, bike, do Pilates and many other activities. But most importantly, I share my life with my son Sammy, age 10, and the love of my life, Alex."

Lori is one of those amazing yoga teachers who simply and seamlessly integrates life with yoga, communicates and connects deeply with students on and off of the mat and who is truly passionate about not only her own practice but about the entire yoga process.  Indigo is honored to have on its teaching staff a teacher who has such a vast working (and literally daily) knowledge of the human anatomy. Lori lends  phenomenal anatomical expertise in the physical areas of the pelvic floor, hips and core, and has a wealth of knowledge in core stabilization. And she delivers babies!

Lori has completed Level 1 Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in August and plans to attend Level 2 next summer on her way to becoming a certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher.

Kam Belton. Studio Manager, Yoga Instructor, Teaching Assistant.

Kam has been with Indigo Yoga for two years now. Her commitment has deepened and grown over that period of time. She started as a faithful student, became the studio manager and now she has found that the journey has taken her into teaching. Kam is quite dedicated to her practice and has found a real sense of belonging as a teacher. She feels the passion for guiding others through their yoga practice while on the mat.

“My yoga practice is a daily journey for me whether I’m on the mat as a student or if I’m teaching the class. I have found that coming to the mat every day has become essential for me in order to be a better wife, mom and friend. As incredible as the physical workout is, I find that the spiritual part of the journey is just as important, if not more so. Yoga has made my life better by allowing me to be as authentic and true to myself as I can be. Yoga is not a sport, but a way of life. I have learned that as students, we must relax and learn to let go to really enjoy the entire process of yoga.”

Kam has been married for ten years to Brad and they have two beautiful children. Katelyn is six and Bradbury is three. “My family will always come first in my life, but yoga is a close second. Yoga has made me become more compassionate and understanding to the people around me, as well as to myself.” Kam is in the process of studying Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga and working toward her certification, which when complete will also accredit her as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200). She enjoys being a member of the Indigo Yoga family.

Kam has completed Level 1 Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste this August.

Laura-Lisa Rodriguez. Teaching Assistant, Licensed Massage Therapist.

Laura-Lisa Rodriguez, a classically-trained dancer and licensed massage therapist, was introduced to yoga by Brooke in 2002. What followed was a transitional period in Laura-Lisa's life. Space was made in her busy calendar of performances and travel, for her growing massage practice and restorative interludes on the yoga mat. At that time, her approach to yoga was pragmatic and opportunistic; it kept her strong, supple, and balanced, physically and emotionally. It wasn't until Laura-Lisa attended, at Indigo Yoga, the 40 Days to Personal Revolution in January of 2008, that she recognized in a committed yoga practice, the homecoming for which she'd been longing after her whirlwind journey as a professional dancer.

With Brooke's encouragement and support, Laura-Lisa's 40 Day immersion in Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga also marked the advent of her apprenticeship as a yoga teaching assistant. Laura-Lisa promptly completed the Teaching Assistant Program at Yoga Sport in Dallas with Angela Barrese.

In 1997, Laura-Lisa became a licensed massage therapist. Since that time, she's honed her skills in a number of massage modalities including deep tissue and myoflexxion. She is also trained in the Reiki Method of Natural Healing.
 

Kim Boyd. Teaching Assistant.

Mattie Stevens. Yoga Instructor, Teaching Assistant, Physical Therapist.

Mattie Stevens has greatly benefited from the practice of yoga for the past 3 years. She has been physically active all her life, including dance, running, and biking. Professionally, Mattie is a licensed physical therapist specializing in the treatment of adults who have suffered brain injury or stroke. In recent years, Mattie has worked alongside her husband in their prosthetic practice, Baker Orthotics & Prosthetics. She is blessed to be happily married to her soul mate of 13 years, Gordon Stevens.

Mattie has found immense satisfaction from serving as a teacher-in-training under the tutelage of her mentor, Brooke Hinkle at Indigo Yoga. She has completed Level I Teacher Training with Baron Baptiste in August and plans to attend Level 2 next year with the goal of becoming a certified Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga Teacher.

“I love the practice of Baptiste Power yoga because it meets people where they are, regardless of age, body type, or athletic ability. It is challenging while at the same time nurturing, and promotes both healing and growth. I have successfully overcome several chronic musculoskeletal injuries through this practice where other treatment methods have failed. More importantly, I have overcome personal challenges that up until this past year seemed destined to be a ball and chain I would live with forever. I say with confidence that through the grace of God and the practice of yoga I have cut loose the ball and chain and enjoy freedom like never before. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to share the blessings and benefits of this practice with others. It is my goal with every class I teach to assist others in accessing the growth, healing and vitality that is available from this practice.”

Rebecca Butler. Yoga Instructor, Teaching Assistant.

Rebecca discovered yoga in 1999. Her first yoga love was the Bikram practice. During her pregnancy in 2001, she discovered the benefits of Kundalini and Restorative yoga practices. And the benefits of yoga beyond just keeping fit began to reveal themselves as she was able to maintain a healthy body and a steady mind frame during the excessive emotional stress of that time of life for her. After the birth of her child, she took up a consistent Ashtanga yoga practice under the careful tutelage of Sharon Moon. When Sharon moved to Tai Pei, Rebecca began to experiment with alternate forms of Vinyasa flow such as Baptiste Power yoga. She has been fortunate enough to study with David Swenson, Johnny Kest, Manu Jois, Dharma Mittra, Sharon Gannon, and David Life as well as many fabulous local Texas based teachers such as Sean McNallie, Bruce Schurrman, Hannah Emlen, Margaret Webb, and Brooke Hinkle.

Yoga brings her peace, happiness, relief, and that aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh feeling. She has completed Baron Baptiste’s Level 1 and Level 2 Teacher Trainings and is an Associate Teacher in the process of completing her Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga certification.

Beyond yoga, Rebecca loves to cook, travel and spend time with her 5 year old boy.
 

Kathryn Cashion. Teaching Assistant.

Jessica Hall-Upchurch, MS, RYT. Substitute Teacher.

Jessica has been teaching yoga since 1999. She is certified in Priya Yoga and have extensive training in Anusara and Hatha and also holds a Blue Belt in Nia. She have a Master’s Degree in Women’s Health and was an instructor at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas for 10 years. She is a devoted practitioner and holds the highest honor for holistic health, traditional teachings and embodies the freshest, most authentic energetic love. Indigo Yoga is deeply honored to have Jessica among its teachers.

Christa Bell, RYT-500. Substitute Teacher.

 In 1995 Christa, a native of Germany, took her first yoga class.  She knew immediately that she not only had found a new way of exercise but a whole new lifestyle.  Since then she has attended three extensive yoga teacher trainings and has studied with many teachers in the US and Europe.  By exploring practically every yoga style taught today, Christa eventually was led to her own style of yoga teaching.

Her deep studies in Iyengar yoga are incorporated in her vinyasa style classes.  Christa’s classes are compassionate and fun, rooted in her understanding of the ancient yoga texts, especially the yoga sutras.  Her classes are physically challenging but accessible for all levels.

As a yoga therapist working with students one-on-one, Christa is exploring with students the science of body/mind where emotional issues and physical issues can be released and left behind.

Yoga philosophy is an incredible foundation for family life.  Christa, her husband William, and their two daughters are all students of yoga.

Megan Roark-Reese. Substitute Teacher.

Megan has always been a person who is uniquely aware of Spirit not only in herself, but all around her. It was in 1998, when Megan’s yoga and Nia practice began, she became even more keenly aware of the well of healing, God Energy within herself, and all living things. Megan became eager to share this truth with others, and became a local studio owner in 2002, where she has consistently guided and participated in yoga and Nia classes and workshops. Megan made the choice to in 2007 to focus more on her personal practice, her teaching and her family, thus letting go of the large responsibility of owning and managing a yoga studio.

Teaching yoga since 2002, Megan’s yoga classes have evolved into a very spirited and invigorating vinyasa style yoga class. Megan’s classes are very nurturing, and at the same time challenging. Megan always inspires her students to cultivate an even more intimate connection with one’s self, and supports this beautifully by offering levels, freedom and adaptability within all of her classes. Megan has been privileged to study yoga under many life-changing teachers. In 2004, Megan studied Priya Yoga with Michelle Andrie, a yoga therapist. During that year, Megan’s understanding of the energy body, and the bodymind would expand immensely. Megan is excited to participate in a master training with Rod Stryker for five days in September 2008. Megan has been fortunate to spend time with so many amazing teachers in classes and weekend workshops. Some of her favorite include Manju Jois, Seane Corn, Jeni Fox and Paul Gould, Rodney Yee and Doug Swenson. Locally, Christa Bell’s classes consistently inspire Megan’s personal practice, as well as her teaching practice.

John Freese. Meditation Instructor, Yoga Instructor, Guest Speaker.

John has been practicing meditation for 15 years. He became a Buddhist monk with Thich Nhat Hanh in 1998 and trained at Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery for 6 years. For the past 3 years he has been practicing meditation in India. He is now based in South India where he is under the guidance of a Guru in the Advaita Vedanta tradition.

John continues to draw inspiration from Buddhist teachings as well as Advaita Vedanta. The meditation practice that he does and teaches includes awareness of breathing, resting in natural awareness, and investigating the source of awareness. He gives classes in meditation, multi-day retreats, talks on Buddhism, and individual consultations. He also teaches hatha yoga and chi gung.

For more information on Meditation Classes and Instruction click HERE.
 

Brian Lam. Guest Teacher & Trainer.

Brian first stepped onto his yoga mat in 2001 and took his first class at BPYI in the Fall of 2005. He had been practicing Baptiste Yoga at the gym with a BPYI teacher, but something was still missing, so his teacher convinced him to go to the BPYI studio. He went to the Boston studio, and as soon as he stepped foot in the classroom, the heat melted his body. He could actually start to feel his body again after years of unconscious suffering. He was hooked from that moment and has never looked back!

“I had always been a competitive athlete growing up, playing many sports up through college. When I first started practicing yoga, I tried to translate my competitiveness onto my mat. I did the poses like I was performing, and I tried to "win" at the game of yoga to the detriment of my own body. It wasn't until I realized that this practice was an avenue to tap into a powerful energy within myself without having to be competitive and feel the need to "win" that my practice shifted into a love and compassion for myself.”

Brian never had any intention of becoming a yoga teacher, it just happened naturally. He became an assistant in the Fall of 2006 and committed to going to Level 1 Teacher Training in Hawaii because that was one of the requirements for assisting. After he attended Level 1 with no teaching experience, he returned home and started teaching yoga for a non-profit organization. This had a huge effect on him because it allowed him to make an impact in people's lives and connect in a way that was very different than assisting. This motivated him to want to go to Level 2 in the fall of 2007, and he began teaching for BPYI shortly after returning home from Level 2.

“This practice is accessible by anyone, regardless of size, strength, flexibility or injuries. I have had two major surgeries on my shoulder, yet I can still practice, take care of my body, and feel the power of my body through this practice. This practice is a very physical practice, but we use the physical to access our mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. This practice helps us to achieve things we never thought were possible. By being present to our body and breath, anything and everything can open up for us if we give ourselves permission to grow.”

Brian currently teaches and assists classes at the two Baptiste Studios in the Boston area. He currently resides in Wayland, Massachusetts, the town in which he grew up. Aside from yoga, Brian works full-time as a manager for an insurance company in downtown Boston. He is also a graduate student at Babson College, where he is pursuing his MBA. When he is not practicing yoga or teaching, he enjoys playing golf, reading, cooking and traveling the world.

Taylor Luedke. Desk Assistant.

I came to Indigo by way of Lux Machine, the salon across the breezeway from the studio. To make a long story short, Brooke needed desk help and I needed yoga. So, I help out a couple of times a week. In turn, my love of the practice has been reignited and I now pursue it with some of the most wonderful, positive, and supportive individuals. I feel very lucky to be a part of something so unique.