Ginna's passion for fitness was unveiled when her Aunt gave her the gift of personal training over twenty years ago. After many years of training and mentoring by her Aunt, Ginna wanted to share this gift with others. In 2002 Ginna was recognized by The International Sports Science Association as Certified Fitness Trainer. The passion was further fueled when Ginna was introduced to Bikram Yoga in 2003. As she became more dedicated to her yoga practices and saw the positive attributes Yoga had to offer her life, the more she became interested in teaching and sharing her experience with others. After completing 200 hours of YA recognized Hot Yoga Teacher Training, Bee You Kids Yoga Certification and Barre Works Certification she now shares her passion with her students. In 2011 Ginna gave up a fasted paced career in Fashion and traded it for her peaceful Yoga Studio, Hot & Soul Yoga, Middletown. Ginna lives in Colts Neck with her husband and business partner Alex, their daughter Lucia and their newest addition Hot & Soul Yoga Colts Neck.
Virginia Lennon was an accomplished scholastic basketball player, softball player and runner who has always had a passion for sports. Multiple knee surgeries prohibited her further pursuit of running, but opened up the world of yoga to her several years ago.
She became involved in various yoga methods starting in August, 2008 with her first teacher training based on the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga style. She quickly completed her Level 1 Teacher Trainer, but she didn’t stop there. She expanded her knowledge by completing a 200-Hour YogaWorks Teacher Training in March 2011 and completed her 500-Hour YogaWorks Teacher Training in August 2013. Virginia also received a teacher training for children through Bee You Yoga in April 2017, and leads a fun practice for children of different abilities to help with focusing and an awareness of breath and body.
Virginia continued to explore the various styles of yoga and has expanded her teaching to barre classes. The knowledge of the low-impact isometric workout strengthens and compliments students of all levels. She completed the YogaWorks BarreWorks Teacher Training in 2013, and most recently the Barre Intensity Teacher Training in November 2018.
She is thrilled that she can pursue her physical and mental goals without further discomfort and damage to her knee. Virginia lives in Middletown, NJ with her husband of 28 years and their two daughters who also share a passion for yoga and barre!
From being a little dancer to graduating with a BFA in dance from Mason Gross School of the Arts, movement has always been my whole life. After starting a family, transitioning to yoga was effortless and filled me up after dancing was put to a close.
My yoga training was with Ann Yocum, of Colts Neck. A 200 hour teacher training that I will always hold close to my heart. I am certified through Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 200 teacher. I have continued to teach Bikram style yoga as well as Vinyasa, Beginners yoga and Power Yoga. Since being trained I have felt once again fulfilled with movement.
Barre was something I was thrown into by accident. Well now it has become a huge part of my practice and my teaching life. I have loved crafting it into my own style and it brings me joy to get people moving and grooving. My training was through POE yoga and an additional training with Barre Intensity. I am thrilled to be a certified Barre Intensity Instructor.
Teaching is my passion and I hope to spread that to every one of my students.
Eileen has been teaching locally since 2011. She has completed her 500 Yoga Teaching Certification at Yogaworks locally and in NYC. Eileen teaches Hot 26, Vinyasa (beginner and power) and enjoys teaching Yoga Massage with Therapy Balls. Eileen has lived and worked locally most of her life and is also a technologist focusing on Cybersecurity. Eileen enjoys spending time with her grown children and her pets. You may also find her in Red Bank helping her daughter at Pearl St. Consignment.
After finding yoga myself in 2004 and having my own life changing realization I continued to practice daily gaining more strength obviously, but also confidence to move forward.
I completed my 200 Hr Teacher Training in 2010, I completed the Barkan Method Level ll Hot Yoga Training in 2011, and continued to educate myself by taking various Posture, Trauma Informed Yoga Trainings and Aromatherapy workshops. My practice is constantly evolving as I continue to grow and learn from all my fellow teachers and yogi's that inspire me daily. i look forward to our paths crossing one day as we travel on our own journeys seeking truth, light, patience and wellness. I hope to see you soon on the mat, until then just do you and have fun on that journey!
Namaste
Janice returns to NJ after living in the Nashville, TN area where she became 200 hour Yoga Certified and Yoga Sculpt certified through CorePower Yoga. While in Tennessee, Janice taught for CorePower as well as other local studios in the Nashville area where she shared her love and energy for yoga and sculpting with her students. Before teaching yoga Janice taught dance for over twenty years including eight as a studio owner in Colts Neck, NJ. She has a BFA in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College. Janice is looking forward to bringing her experience, energy, and enthusiasm to all her classes. When Janice is not teaching or taking yoga/sculpt classes she is a wife to Paul and mom to four children, Joseph, Jackson, Gabriella, and Jayden.
Tanya Williams has been teaching yoga and serving her local community for the past twelve years. She is trained in the Bikram Yoga advanced series and achieved both 200 and 500 hour teacher trainings with the highly respected Sri Dharma Mittra in New York City. She is a Certified Dharma Yoga teacher in levels I, II, and III.
Tanya is a student in the comprehensive and meditative path of Yoga (Raja) with Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee, an English mystic and Sufi lineage teacher.
Tanya is committed to the subtle teachings and philosophy of yoga and believes these aspects are of equal importance to the development of a strong asana practice. Contemplative by nature, she is known by her students for continued patience, respect and dedication.
Amy Crowe, hailing from Brooklyn, New York, started her teaching career in Dance Education at age 17 at the prestigious, Horizons In Dance. After moving to New Jersey in 1996 she continued to teach recreational and competitive dance at a local dance studio. Unfortunately spending so much time inside to deal studio did not allow her to take class for herself and her body felt limited. In 2007 Amy took her first hot yoga class and the void was filled. It was exactly what she was missing but did not stay consistent with her practice. In 2009 Amy suffered a back injury that completely sidelined her from teaching dance. Chiropractic and physical therapy did not help in any way. With much hope Amy registered for a 10 day package at the local hot yoga studio with high hopes of feeling better. She went religiously every day. By the fifth day the pain was gone. She was yoga’s biggest advocate. In 2014 Amy received her 200 RYT Certificate through Colts Neck Hot Yoga. Amy’s love for both dance and yoga continues to grow. The greatest gift she can pass down to her students is to learn to slow down, learn to breathe deeply, play. Everything else is just stuff.
Miriam began practicing yoga in 2005 in New York City to regain and maintain strength and flexibility after twice sustaining a hip stress fracture. As soon as she bought her first package she was hooked and consistently incorporated yoga practice into her daily life.
After returning to New Jersey and giving birth to her two daughters, she left her corporate job. She knew that she needed to share the benefits of yoga practice with others. In 2016, with the support of her family, she completed 200 hours of training at Colts Neck Yoga and was certified as a Yoga instructor. She went on to complete an additional 300 hours of training from Colts Neck Yoga. She also completed training and received Children’s Yoga and Mindfulness certification from Little Flower Yoga and trained in the practice of Chair Yoga. Miriam is also a Yoga Teachers College certified Gravity Yoga Instructor with Lucas Rockwood.
She continues to learn through workshops and trainings. She has attended workshops with senior yoga instructors including; Jules Mitchell, Leslie Kaminoff, Jenni Rawlings, and Kathryn Bruni-Young, She also completed a workshop with Bernie Clark and back expert, Dr. Stuart McGill. In addition to yoga, Miriam became a Certified Personal Trainer and Human Movement Specialist through the Brookbush Institute, as well as a Functional Range Conditioning Specialist from the Functional Range Systems.
She believes that by continuing her education in yoga and movement, as well as by maintaining her own practice in various modalities, she will be able to support students in their individual practice..
Lucy started practicing hot yoga in 2014 in an effort to get back in shape post baby. But with family and a new baby there’s not always time to make it to class.
As soon as she relocated to Colts Neck New Jersey, Hot and Soul became her home studio where her practice was taken to a new and exciting level.
With the consistent practice, the mental benefit of yoga quickly outweighed its physical part. With the desire to further her practice, she completed her 200 hour training with Jandee Yoga in Feb 2021.
By sharing her practice and teaching at the studio, she found a new way to connect with this community, helping others to find enjoyment in movement.
You’ll find Lucy taking Barre/yoga classes when she’s not teaching.
My name is Karen Piekarsky I am new to the area but not new to yoga.
I’ve been teaching for 8 years now, and I feel blessed to be able to share my passion with others.
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.
Namaste
My passion for physical fitness is what originally led me to yoga, it didn’t take long to realize the benefits went way beyond the physical body. Everything about the practice helped me find peace in my life . Knowing that this is something we all want and deserve but struggle to find, I decided to take the teacher trainings to become an instructor and help anyone I can make this shift in their life .
I truly believe if you put in the time you will immediately reap the benefits of this practice, all you need to do is show up for yourself .
I love everything about sharing this practice with others and I put my entire heart into each class. I teach a slower paced vinyasa with poses being held to really settle in to the body , with the breath, while challenging your strongest self .
I also enjoy being a student and will forever continue learning new things, and taking more trainings so I have more to share with anyone willing to receive it .
As a stay at home mom to 3 toddlers I find myself leaning on all the tools learned through yoga , that we hold within us to keep calm in the midst of all the chaos .
My goal is to share that with as many people as I can, to help as many souls find this peace on and off the mat, while also getting a good workout for the body.
Stephanie is a grounded, present, and energetic yoga teacher. In power vinyasa classes, she creates an inviting, warm space where the students feel safe to try new things and to listen to their body if they need other variations. Stephanie’s sculpt classes are powerful and empowering when it comes to movement and connection to the body. As an avid yoga student, she loves moving to good music. In her class, you'll find that no two playlists are ever the same!
I played sports my whole life, and continued playing soccer through college while earning a Degree in sports management and fitness. After graduating I went to Penn State University working as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for 2 years. Moved to New Jersey in 2009 to start a career in personal training. After 5 years at a corporate gym, I opened my own studio in 2014 which will celebrate its 10 year anniversary this summer. I love creating a high intensity atmosphere for clients to push themselves to new limits. As a mom I also find it so important to be a role model for my daughter, proving that health and fitness and are an essential part of life.
Marilyn is our resident Pilates instructor.
She is AFFA certified as a group exercise Instructor, ASTA CPR/AED certified as well as Les Mills, Body Pump , Grip and CXWRKS certified.
Marilyn has over 30 years experience training, coaching and managing group exercise.
Hi, I’m Maureen and I’ve recently moved to
Monmouth County. I took my first hot yoga class in 2013 and barely made it through! It was so difficult and I told myself I would never go back….But I felt great afterward so I decided to go back again, then again, and again, and then I was hooked! After years of practicing I just knew I had to teach. I received my 200hr certification in 2016 and attended a six week 500hr hot26 training in 2017 and have been teaching ever since. As an instructor I love to see the students commitment and progress in the postures. I love the Hot26 practice because of the consistency and how alive I feel after class. I look forward to seeing you in the mat!
Growing up in Central NY, Kerry’s childhood was shaped by her love for sports. As an avid swimmer, softball, and basketball player, she discovered the joy of physical activity early on, laying the foundation for her lifelong commitment to fitness.
Post-college, Kerry found her stride in running. What started with one race quickly evolved into a passion for marathons and Ultra Ragnar Relay Races. With five marathons and eight Ultra Ragnar Relay Races under her belt, Kerry knows the exhilarating feeling of pushing her limits and conquering new challenges.
When you join Kerry for a workout, get ready to be energized and challenged. Her supportive demeanor and intense workouts will push you to break through barriers and discover your inner strength.
Kerry is a graduate of Marist College, Spinning® Certified, an ACE Group Fitness Instructor and Barre Intensity Trained.
Based in Middletown, NJ, Kerry finds her greatest support in her family—her husband Dan, daughter Marianne, and son Carlo—who are her biggest fans and cheerleaders in both her fitness journey and life adventures
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