OUR INSTRUCTORS
HEATHER
Owner, E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500, YACEP, YTT Director
Hello, My name is Heather and I am the very proud owner of Hot Yoga Lounge (HYL), located in Palm Coast, FL. I am a certified ERYT-200 and RYT-500. I have been practicing yoga since 2007 and created Hot Yoga Lounge, in 2012. My passion for teaching is what inspired me to want to practice, teach and share yoga. My yoga practice began purely as a physical journey; however, the mental focus and stress reduction completely changed and deepened my understanding of what yoga could/would do for me. Even my husband noticed the shifts within me and I remember the day he said, “Babe you NEED to go to yoga.” That sealed the deal for us both that yoga was and would always be a pivotal part of us!
From the moment I unrolled my mat, I completely let yoga into my heart. I completed my RYT-200 hour in Ormond Beach, FL. Teaching, sharing and learning are my passions inside the yoga studio and as an elementary school teacher/dean. Teaching is an integral part of my world, so what better place to continue my passion but to combine two things I love to do, yoga and teaching. I believe that yoga is a continual experience of growth and development that positively impacts the lives of people who accept yoga into their world. I completed my RYT-500 hour training with Alexis Martin and am so proud of what she taught and shared during her training. Wow, what an amazing journey!!
My classes will challenge you to your deepest edges (maybe even some you didn’t know you had), allow you to be playful in your journey and keep you wanting to do and know more.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Certified
E-RYT 500 Alliance Certified
YACEP Yoga Alliance
Masters Degree in Administration
Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education
AMANDA
E-RYT 200, RYT 500
I was introduced to hot yoga in 2012 when a friend invited me along. I walked into my first class not knowing what to expect. I had been a competitive gymnast my whole childhood and into my mid-teens. My body was physically strong; and I was used to twisting and stretching. My thoughts going into class were,” it’s just a little yoga in some heat.” About 20 minutes into class I was completely soaked and feeling as if I were about to pass out. Reluctantly I came down onto my mat. I had been humbled, and laid there for the remainder of class. Yoga just kicked my butt; and yet I immediately knew I would be back. This is where my yoga journey began. As with many things in life we all strive to be the best. For me my practice was no different. After doing yoga for a few months I noticed a deeper connection when stepping onto my mat. I had become rooted in my practice. I felt not only physically stronger, but mentally as well. I found truth in myself through my practice. As I matured in yoga I no longer strived to be the best; instead I strived to honor my body. Appreciation for what I can do is now balanced with patience for what I cannot yet accomplish. Yoga has flowed into, and benefited, many areas of my daily life. Yoga has helped me through many differing seasons of my life. My decision to become a certified instructor has a lot to do with my passion for, and personal experience with, yoga. In teaching I have an amazing opportunity to help others while sharing my passion. I love being part of time which someone has allotted just for themselves. As an instructor I thrive on assisting others in their quest by helping them find their connection and stability. I strive to expand my knowledge of new postures and methods in a way that is both fun and challenging. My eagerness and wiliness to invest in myself and my students drives me to continue to grow. I enjoy walking with fellow yogis at all levels regardless of their background or experience.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Certified
RYT 500 Yoga Alliance Certified
CHRISTINE
E-RYT 200
Not until a few years after starting yoga did I truly fall in love with the practice. One day, it just hit me – situations that typically would have caused a stressful or impulsive reaction didn’t bother me like they used to. I had begun to center myself and flow with life, rather than allow life to push me around. I attribute my change of heart, not only to pretzel poses and cool party tricks, but more so to the breath control, focus and ‘letting go’ essential to any yoga practice. After finishing college, I decided to study at the Sivananda Ashram in the Catskill Mountains. I learned about asanas or postures, but also other traditions associated with living wholesome, yogic life (proper exercise, breathing, relaxation, diet, and thinking/meditation). Yoga teaches us that we are not our emotions and that we don’t always need to act on them. I’ve found strength, discipline and balance through the practice. I love the ever-changing aspects of yoga; each person has their own definition of what yoga is and the body is completely different each day than it was the day before. I believe yoga can teach us to accept ourselves and embrace change. As a teacher, I make every effort to allow everyone to feel at ease and to be inspired to become their own teacher.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Sivananda Yoga
KAREN
E-RYT 200
I never realized how many ways yoga would positively impact my life. My daughter took me to my first hot yoga class, and as I entered the room and felt the heat I thought, “Oh no this is not going to work for me.” As my thoughts continued my daughter, who was teaching the class, shoved me in the room and whispered, “You can do this, breath through your nose and just enjoy the class.” So from that point on, I fell in love with yoga. When I moved to Palm Coast, Fl. I started practicing hot vinyasa style yoga just about everyday and decided to come out of my comfort zone and take the 200 RYT teacher training, at Hot Yoga Lounge. I teach a class that is for all levels and I bring a humorous and true approach to my classes. I am a 64-year-old woman, and if I could give one piece of advice it would be to try and keep trying. Even if you can’t do all the postures, modify and stay on your mat. Yoga has given me a new outlook on life and I try to share that with all my yogi friends.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Certified
STEPHANEY
E-RYT 200, E-RYT 500, YACEP, YTT Director
I began my yoga journey with p90x yoga and a home practice in 2010. My previous background was in martial arts as part of a demonstration team, and for me, the best parts of that experience were the forms and how the body flowed with the breath. Vinyasa yoga brings me back to these early roots. I expanded my home practice to a studio setting, Hot Yoga Lounge, and there I found guidance that took my practice to another level: an inner journey that coincided with the physical challenge of the asanas.
I started noticing small positive changes in my daily attitude and a yearning for the peace and inspiration I would find on my mat. Yoga has since become a daily work-in for me to be a better person, to breathe and let go, to non-attach and be set free. I felt compelled to share this process of growth and exploration, to inspire others and reach out to them through my own experience. I have completed both my RYT-200 & RYT-500. I have studied and learned from many great yogis throughout my journey.
I love teaching Hot Vinyasa yoga in which energy, arm balances, and inversions are incorporated. My classes encourage a playful spirit, an open heart, and a beginner's mind; meeting yourself on your mat where you are at each moment, accepting, yet always challenging you to find your own path to your highest self.
"Yoga is the martial art of the soul, and the opponent is the strongest you've ever faced: your ego."
- Unknown
Education -
E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Certified
E-RYT 500 Yoga Alliance Certified
Restorative Yoga Certification
YACEP Yoga Alliance
MELISSA
E-RYT 200, RYT 500
My yoga practice began as a home practice when I was pregnant with my children. I found the poses physically beneficial, but I gained more from the spiritual aspect of yoga. The words of encouragement, the perspective, the balance that comes into one’s life when practicing. I attended the first class at Hot Yoga Lounge on a Sunday in 2012, which transitioned my practice from home/television guided practices into a studio. I love the studio atmosphere. I find that I challenge myself more in a class than I do in my home practice. Much of this is derived from the energy, inspiration, and encouragement of the teachers. During my travels, I try to attend classes at other studios and have participated in a retreat in Costa Rica. I subscribe to the eight limbs of yoga, finding the greatest connection with the concept of non-attachment. I truly enjoy sharing my practice with others, and my desire to teach comes from a deep desire to share my practice and to inspire others to expand their practice. Namaste
Education-
E-RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Certified
RYT 500 Yoga Alliance Certified
Restorative Yoga Certification
APRIL
E-RYT 200
I started my yoga journey in 2011 with a Jillian Michaels yoga DVD. I was immediately drawn to the many physical variations and challenges that each posture presented. I have worked out my entire adult life, primarily as a runner, but also with at home workouts. Many of the moves were already familiar to me, I just didn’t realize the depth of them. I had never been a member of a gym or studio, so when HYL opened just a few months into my at home yoga practice, I was extremely hesitant to give it a try.
Once I went, I became hooked. I can recall the changes I experienced in my practice, very early on and was surprised with my own strength. When I consistently showed up on my mat, my practice and my physical strength continued to grow to levels I never thought possible. What I never expected was the peace of mind and mental break from life that my practice gave me. What started for me as a purely physical experience became much more, the time on my mat became a time of solitude and peace, a break from the everyday chaos and mental clutter, a chance to breathe and let it all go. Somedays I found myself showing up on my mat for more than one class. I realized I wanted to share this transformation I had experienced with others.
My daughter started practicing with me early on, it has been so rewarding to watch and experience her yoga journey alongside of her, as she became an instructor as well.
I truly feel we are all capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe or envision. My practice has enabled me to see many of those visions come to fruition, I would love to help you attain yours.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Hot Vinyasa
AMBER
E-RYT 200, RYT 500
I have been teaching Vinyasa, Yin, Yoga Nidra and meditation since 2017. I began my practice in 2016. I have been inspired by yogi masters such as Rodney Yee, Rod Stryker, and Briohny Smyth. I have studied with various yoga teachers within and outside the community such as Philip and Ivy Askew, Missy White, and Raghunath, but have drawn the most inspiration from Heather Doutrick and Alexis Martin. I graduated from 200-hour teacher training in 2017 and 300-hour teacher training in November 2019. I thoroughly enjoy teaching Vinyasa-style classes where I can sprinkle in a little Kundalini, meditation, and other spiritual aspects of the practice.
When taking one of my classes, you may experience grounded-ness, strength, humor, spirit and love all within a singular class.
I teach yoga to serve my students in all three holy trinities: body, mind, and spirit.
Education-
E-RYT 200 Hot Vinyasa
RYT 500 Hot Vinyasa
Degree in Elementary Education
KARI
RYT 200, RYT 500
I have lived and loved in Flagler County since 1988. I found yoga in my late thirties to deal with the stress of being a top producing real estate agent. I was able to cope with life through yoga rather than drowning and quieting the mind through toxic patterns and vices. Once I dove into my practice on a deeper level, it seemed the world opened up and I found purpose and meaning that hadn't been there before.
I specialize in energy work and vibrational alignment. I passionately believe that everyone has the ability to heal themselves from anything that ails them by working with and through their energy centers. Yoga, Moon Work, Crystal Healing, Essential Oils, and Herbs are some of the modalities I use to accomplish alignment with the Divine, my best self and my highest life path. We can all have happiness and the life of our dreams. It is already inside of us! It is simply our job to connect to it. We are all magical beings!
You can expect to find mind, body, spirit connection when you take any class I teach.
Education-
RYT 200 Hot Vinyasa
RYT 500 Hot Vinyasa