April
I began practicing yoga in 2003 while attending Kutztown University. In 2006, I earned my 200-hour Hatha Yoga Certification from the Shambhava School of Yoga in Rollinsville, Colorado. I continued to expand my knowledge with a certification in yoga posture adjustments from Devalila Yoga in 2008. In 2010, I completed a 50-hour training in the Align and Flow principles of Anusara Yoga and also studied Thai Yoga Bodywork at the Vedic Conservatory. In 2012, I completed a 300-hour Yoga Therapy training with The Yoga Life Institute, and in 2013, I traveled to Thailand and India to deepen my studies in Thai Massage. My passion for Thai Yoga Bodywork led me to further studies at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck and, most recently, at the Dynamic Thai Massage and Yoga Conference in Asheville, North Carolina in 2022. Outside the studio, I love cooking, playing guitar and singing, rock climbing, biking, hiking, skiing, and exploring all forms of yoga and massage.
CASSIDY
Cassidy Moyer, RYT 200, has been a student of yoga for the past 15 years. She first found yoga while at college in Philadelphia and has continued the practice from PA to The Carolinas and back. With a deep love for a great Vinyasa flow or Power yoga to reconnect her mind and body, she also enjoys the meditative benefits of Yin and Restorative practices. Cassidy is also pursuing a 300-hour teacher training as well as teaching 200-hour students in a training program. Her classes include breathing techniques, all-level flows, and a welcoming approach to different asanas.
CHRISTIAN
After several years of playing competitive tennis, spartan races, triathlons and weight training, my body needed a restorative program that only Hot Yoga (Bikram style) and a wonderful family of yogis could provide – I found that at Hot Yoga West Reading. This is my fifth year as a member of the HYWR family. I practice Hot Yoga weekly to attempt to repair and restore my body but also to gain perspective and calm. I am a Hot Pilates and Core Cardio teacher here, I love the HIIT method of workouts and leading other athletes in their healing journey.
DAN
I’m a self-taught artist and musician, cyclist and dad. I first came to a yoga studio to paint some signage. After much procrastination, I decided to try a class and I was immediately hooked. After practicing the 26/2 sequence for 8 years, I was nudged into a teacher training, with no intention of becoming a teacher. After teaching a few classes to fulfill the requirements of the training, I decided to take ownership of this new skill and become a teacher. I see my teaching truly as a service, intending to help and welcome people to this wonderful practice that changes lives.
DOUG
I decided to commit to yoga for the rest of his life 20 minutes into my first class, back in 1996. In my journey, I have been fortunate to study under Sarita Rocco, Doe Wails, Joel Pier, Mary Ann Blefko, JoAnn Morrell, Rajashree and Bikram Choudhury, Erich Schifmann, Alan Finger, Desicichar, Rama Birch, Bri Maya Tiwari, and Jimmy Barkan among others. I have a daily practice of the Rites of Rejuvenation (except on the days I skip). I was given the opportunity to teach Yoga at Penn State University in State College for 19 years where I opened a small Studio called Yoga in State College. My Motto is “Be Happy Now ~ For No Reason Whatsoever”. I have authored two books ~ A Guide to Practical Yoga which is a Multimedia experience and A Short Course on Yoga and Meditation.
ERICA
Erica found Hot Yoga West Reading in January of 2012 and was very quickly absolutely hooked. She knew early on she wanted to help others with the 26|2 style of yoga. In 2018 she attended her first Yoga Teacher Training, and since completed a 500 RYT and various other trainings including Vinyasa, Pilates, and Reiki. Erica loves to practice all styles of yoga and healing practices, and most of all she loves helping and meeting people of so many different backgrounds and paths thru the practice.
GREG
In 2017, I had back surgery to correct a pinched nerve issue and ended up in worse shape. Constantly being in pain and not able to be as physically active as I was, I tried Hot Yoga. Right away I could tell it was exactly what I was looking for. Not only was it healing my back, but also the yoga was helping me deal with the loss of my wife to cancer and becoming a single father to 3 children. I continued to practice 3-7 times a week and felt steadily healthier and stronger. In 2021, I became a Hot Yoga 26/2 instructor alongside my good friend Russ McClellan. For me, it’s the people in yoga that make it meaningful & gratifying. Teaching in a heartfelt and caring way is what I strive for.
JAMIE
I began my practice in 2002 at Hot Yoga Philadelphia with Joel Pier, Founder and Master Teacher in the Philadelphia region. There is where I received my 200-hour teacher training in 2021, with Katelynn Ingersoll and Colleen Hoplamazian. I have studied 10+ years with other Philadelphia Masters like Leo Eisenstein and Ammie Morales, and served at Ammie’s annual retreat in San Pancho, Mexico. I am an arts and dance teacher, and alongside my yoga practice, I’m an artist-in-residence of The Olney Embrace Project, a longtime collaborator with West Philly based Spiral Q Puppet Theater, The Live-In Project, and Founding Artistic Director of Olive Dance Theatre.
JAYA
My journey with yoga began in 2003 when I started to explore yoga classes at Temple University while pursuing a degree in cello performance. Two years later I learned about Hot Yoga through a friend and took my first class at Hot Yoga Philadelphia. It was a life changing experience for me. The healing effect of the heat helped me cope with the long hours of sitting required in my cello playing. I trained to become a Hot Yoga teacher at the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in California, in 2011. I have since taken other yoga teacher trainings including Jivamukti Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, and Hatha Yoga. I got introduced to bhakti yoga and mantra meditation early on in my yoga journey, and these wonderful practices have become a beacon of light in my life, which revolves around sharing yoga, bhakti, and music. My goal as a yoga teacher is to help students tap into their physical and spiritual potential through the many effective and amazing tools yoga has to offer. I love spending time in nature, creating music, designing, swimming and surfing.
JESS
My yoga journey began as a child practicing yoga with my grandma and witnessing her amazing healing journey through yoga. I began to find great comfort and peacefulness in yoga, and carried it through into my adult life. I found Hot Yoga in 2016, in West Reading. After each class it was always a “come back tomorrow,” and it wasn’t long before I developed a consistent practice. In 2019, I moved to Philly and found Hot Yoga Philadelphia, another yoga community that was connected to Joel Pier, my favorite yoga teacher in West Reading. Joel, and many other teachers’ encouragement and guidance, led me to enroll and complete my yoga teacher training in 2024. Concentration, determination, and patience are skills I hold dear to my heart; that is what keeps me returning. I am beyond grateful for this practice in learning how to continuously “change,” from bones to skin!
KATIE
I started coming to Hot Yoga West Reading with my mom in 2017 and instantly fell in love with the Hot Pilates. What I loved most about Hot Pilates is that it offers incredible mind-body benefits. It was from that point on that I needed to keep coming back for more. In 2019, I became a certified Hot Pilates instructor. I absolutely love teaching Hot Pilates and empowering and motivating students. The quote I live by is “you did the best you could with the best you got and your best is always enough.”
KELLY
My yoga venture began when I read an article about Hot Yoga and all its amazing benefits. I started practicing Hot Yoga when our little studio was born in January of 2011, and I was hooked! I loved being there, creating relationships and working on my practice. In the summer of 2020, I decided to get certified in teaching the 26/2 yoga series. Becoming an instructor has been demanding but also very fulfilling. It feels so good to guide people on their journeys around yoga, open their minds to new ideas and help them see that it really can be for them. I’m so grateful to have been a part of Hot Yoga West Reading for so many years and look forward to many more.
MANDY
I discovered Hot Yoga in 2011. Having dappled in yoga during college and a few local classes, all had failed to truly excite me. At thirty, I was striving to balance my fulltime career with caring for a toddler and baby while fighting postpartum depression. I was feeling lost, exhausted, and desperate when I took my first hot 26/2 class. It was in that first class while dripping sweat and struggling to learn to breathe that it hit me – I HAD to do this hot yoga forever and often. My mind and body required it for healing and peeling away layers I didn’t know were blocking me. Seven years later, I decided to complete my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with the intention of deepening my personal practice and my knowledge of the body and mind. As a student first, I love all forms of yoga and look forward to extending my training in the future. I’m honored to lead fellow students in 26/2 classes, helping them find the deeper parts of themselves while simultaneously stretching and healing their body.
RUSS
In the summer of 2014, a friend invited me to a yoga class at Hot Yoga West Reading and, much to my surprise, I fell in love with the practice that night. The instructor played a huge part in making the series accessible, practical, and fun. It was exhausting, yet exhilarating and I could not wait to get to the next class. Eight years of practice of the 26/2 series and over 950 classes have changed the way I care of myself physically and spiritually. In January of 2021, I completed a Yoga Alliance accredited Teacher Training at Hot Yoga Philadelphia, one of the best experiences of my life. I learned in deeper ways about the philosophy of yoga, the power of mindfulness, the yoga asanas and how to teach this yoga. I strive to bring a sense of peace and presence, and remind my students that in community we breathe, we focus, we move, and we heal. I’m a writer, artist, and an avid hiker and biker with my partner Joe, and I’ve worked in the world of recovery from addictions, pastoral care and social work for over two decades.
STEPHANIE
My yoga practice started more than 20yrs ago, and I’ve been teaching yoga for the last twelve years. Ashtanga yoga helped me heal from addiction and a traumatic car accident. I’m a certified Anasura/Iyengar, Rocket and Ashtanga teacher. Along this journey, I’ve been provided the opportunity to train and teach under the tutelage of yoga masters such as David Garrigues, David Robson, Harmony Slater, and Manju Jois. As a clinical drug and alcohol therapist, I like to incorporate a holistic approach to healing using Ashtanga yoga, breathwork and mindfulness. My classes are accessible to everyone, and I give my students personal attention and guidance, keeping things fun and down to earth.
SUZANNE
I began my yoga journey in 1994 as a nursing student at a college that offered a holistic nursing program, and it was there where I learned and experienced different modalities of holistic health The physical demands of working in a hospital began to take their toll on me. I was experiencing a lot of physical pain, and I was determined to take a holistic path to my healing. This is how I discovered Hot Yoga. I took my first hot yoga class at Hot Yoga West Reading in February 2012. I was hooked, but it was hot! I just wanted to run out of the room, but the instructor encouraged me to stay, and promised me, “I wouldn’t die”, and encourage me just to lay down on my mat and breathe. The physical pain I had lived with for years was healed. I attributed my physical healing to this beautiful practice and wanted to share its healing power with others. In 2014 I went to teacher training and became certified to teach the 26/2. I believe this hot yoga has something to offer everyone, no matter what is going on in your life, or your age, or your size, hot yoga can change your life for the better.
Will
My journey with yoga began in the fall of 2014, when I turned to the practice to ease the tension and pain in my spine caused by years of football and heavy lifting. I found relief and transformation through the Original Hot Yoga sequence (26&2), which became my foundation during my time at Temple University as an Engineering student, as well as throughout my athletic training in lifting, swimming, and running. I fell in love with the 26&2 practice through Philadelphia’s vibrant network of hot yoga studios and the dedicated teachers I encountered, which became my inspiration to become certified as a yoga teacher in 2018. My goal as a teacher is to share Agape love—a deep, selfless love—through clear instruction, energetic presence, and disciplined guidance. I strive to bring energy that’s worth catching, and to create spaces where students feel empowered and supported in their practice.