Meet Our Instructors
Summer Kiser, Owner - RYT 200
Melissa Sistoza - RYT 200
Melissa Sistoza discovered yoga after the birth of her second child when the pressures of work and motherhood left her feeling much less than her former self. With hormones raging and a body she didn't recognize, she began to feel isolated, frustrated and angry. With yoga she has has learned to cultivate compassion, peace and acceptance for herself. She believes that finding love on the inside is the most freeing and joyful discovery anyone can make. Melissa is passionate about sharing her practice through her teaching. She seeks to help others find gratitude for all life's blessings and comfort on their journey. Initially starting out as a YogaFit instructor, she is now a RYT, and continues to supplement her learning through various workshops and a personal practice. Melissa is a graduate of the Pure Prana Holistic Teacher Training program.
Mina Habibi - RYT 200
Mina has been practicing yoga for 10 years and teaching yoga for 8 years. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200 hour level and completed her teacher training through the Pure Prana Holistic Teacher Training program.
What started as a simple curiosity has turned into a way of life. Mina is constantly in awe at the power of yoga and hopes to spread the word as far and as wide as possible. Mina incorporates chanting, mudra, the Yoga Sutras, the chakras plus more to elevate and inspire students to go deeper within themselves and discover and awaken to their true nature. She strives to make her classes safe and effective as well as fun, light hearted and full of variety.
Mina works as a graphic designer for a family of human services non-profits and in her spare time dabbles in photography, jewelry making and other fun arts and crafts. She stays present with her daily photo blog at shininglotus.blogspot.com and shares her humble home with her wonderful husband and best friend, Shawn and two silly kitties, Lucy and Tiki.
Knowing that the prize is in the process, Mina continues to learn, study and evolve as a yogi and a yoga teacher on this fabulous and wondrous journey.
Paula Giammarco - RYT 200
Kelly Christopher-O'Brien - RYT 200
Kelly grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a close knit community of family and friends who she is still very close to. After high school she lived in New Zealand for a year on exchange, which sharpened her already present sense of independence and gave her a new perspective with which to view her life in Chicago upon her return. Having caught the travel bug she became a flight attendant which allowed her access to any location that peaked her attention and she traveled extensively. Her husband and she met serendipitously through mutual friends and have lived in at least 5 cities in the last 8 years and visited countless others together. Throughout this time Yoga has been something that has evolved for her from a healthy activity to an involving and introspective part of her life. Kelly has reached a point in her practice where she now wants to share what she understands Yoga to be. In teaching she hopes to grow her understanding through interactions with those who choose to practice with her. By sharing the gift of Yoga she hopes to bring awareness in life of the lessons and practices of Yoga. Enabling one to create a life of balance, strength and flexibility both physically and spiritually. Kelly is a graduate of the Pure Prana Holistic Teacher Training program.
Sophia Brock - RYT 200
Sophia took her first yoga class in 2004 to see what this “yoga” thing was all about and was instantly in love with the sense of peace that yoga brought to her and has continuously taken classes since.
Sophia completed her 200 hour Interdisciplinary Holistic Yoga Alliance certified Teacher Training at Pure Prana of Old Towne Alexandria in December of 2008 and YoKid (www.yokid.org) teacher training January 2009. She will forever consider herself a “student” because there is so much to learn regarding this ancient practice that teaches you peace, calmness, stability, harmony and healthy thinking and living.
Sophia has taken workshops with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Seane Corne, Cyndi Lee, Patricia Walden, Dinabandhu Sarley and Alanna Kaivalya. She will continue to enhance her training via attending yoga classes, conferences, workshops, Yoga videos and reading/studying yoga related materials. Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize!
Nancy Talley - RYT 200
Nancy has been practicing yoga for over 10 years. She is a RYT at the 200-hour level & completed her teacher training at the White Lotus Foundation under Ganga White and Tracey Rich. Nancy began her yogic journey in 1999 while working in the fashion industry in Los Angeles. The pressure of looming deadlines left her feeling stressed and unable to sleep well, so she began talking yoga classes. With the encouragement of her friends, family and yoga instructors at Yoga Madre in Arcadia, CA she decided yoga teacher training a natural choice- but when to do it? When her husband applied for a job at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. and suddenly moving across the country became a reality, she could think of no better time. Nancy attributes her quick assimilation from West to East Coast due to a good, solid yoga practice.
“When we see that the cosmos is rippling with change, it is difficult to conceive of anything that does not change.” –Paramahansa Yogananda