Krista Petersen was born and raised in Western Canada. Krista is a registered yoga teacher and a registered dental hygienist since 2008. Krista first started traveling to Nicaragua in 2011 and has continued to spend half the year here ever since with her husband and 2 boys. Yoga has been a part of Krista’s life for over 15 years, her practise has helped her grow stronger, more flexible and fearless, both on and off the mat. Yoga inspires her to live each moment more mindfully. Krista completed a 200 hr Hatha Hot Yoga teacher training in 2012 and 100 hr teacher training in Bikram inspired Hot Yoga in 2016. Today Krista has a close relationship with Kundalini yoga and enjoys all types of yoga. In Krista’s class, she encourages students to be their true selves and have an open heart. Krista likes to help students build strength, but also bring softness into their practise.

Yoga is the relationship that is built between the body, the mind and the breath. Yoga is creating space free from obstacles in your own body. Yoga is freedom and away to release. Krista is here to Help others find this release, so they can comfortably and competently move their bodies through life. Krista is known for here authentic, non-judgmental teaching style and compassion centered philosophy.

Krista will always be a student of the practise and is deeply grateful for the loving wisdom her teachers have shared with her. Krista loves being on the path of self discovery!

Michelle Parmita Voeller relocated to San Juan del Sur September, 2017 after living in Denver, Colorado for eighteen years. She created Harmony Yoga studio in 2006 and built a thriving community there for a decade. Selling the studio was the first step in expanding her world beyond the studio walls, which has now led her to living in Nicaragua with her boyfriend, Joe, and her dog, Daisy. Yoga has been a lifestyle since she began her practice in 1998 and teaching yoga in 2004. Her training is based in Classical Hatha Yoga (200-HR Hatha Yoga Institute, Colorado, 2004) and Yoga Therapy through the lens of Ayurveda (300 HR, Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga & Ayurveda, Colorado, 2008). She is also a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner, a Japanese energy technique that supports health & inner balance.

She is grateful for the opportunity to attend numerous trainings and workshops over the years with many inspiring teachers. Her main teacher is Sri Baba Hari Dass of the Mount Madonna Center in Santa Cruz, California, whose wisdom is based in Ashtanga Yoga of Pantanjali, The 8-Limbed Path of Yoga, including breath (pranayama) and meditation. He gave her the name “Parmita”, Limitless. Other incredible teachers include over a decade of meditation practice with Lauren Skye of Inner Connection Institute and Jon & Susan Bernhardt of Essence Reiki Trainings, Denver, Colorado.

Michelle has developed and taught Yoga Teacher Trainings, international retreats, workshops, classes ranging from therapeutic/restorative to physically challenging, corporate classes, and individuals. Whether in a studio or on a tropical yoga retreat, her passion is guiding grounded and inspiring practices that align us to our whole, amazing, bright Selves.

Delaney is a Colorado native, registered yoga teacher, Holistic Health & Wellness Coach, and Founder of Happy Meets Healthy. She moved to San Juan Del Sur with her husband and dog in October 2017 to explore a life lived with less, embracing the discomforts of a new culture, and finding happiness and gratitude in the simplest things life offers. Delaney stepped on her first yoga mat in Austin, TX, in January 2014, to help her combat the emotional, mental, and physical roadblocks in her life at that time. After her first class, she was hooked, and became a 200 RYT one year later. Delaney teaches and specializes in a Vinyasa Flow (energizing – powerful – fulfilling – strength-building) and a Slow Burn (grounded – expansive – explorative – juicy). She encourages her students to arrive to their mats without judgement, ego, or needs-to-change. In Delaney’s classes, yoga is an inward exploration with an open heart, guided by breath first, then movement. Outside of her yoga mat, Delaney enjoys spending time on her coaching business, traveling with her husband, surfing, crafting, hiking, and playing fetch with her one-eyed dog, Mylo.

Corinne is a New Jersey native, born and raised in the farmlands outside of New York City. She is a certified yoga teacher, a health- food café owner and a health and wellness enthusiast. Her passion for yoga began as a lifestyle balance while dealing with the stresses of university life in 2011. In the midst of studying and after graduating university, Corinne traveled the world for 3 years. On that journey, she decided to get her certification in Yoga Sculpt with Core Power Yoga on Oahu, Hawai’i. She moved to San Juan Del Sur shortly after for the lifestyle and opportunities that it holds as a growing community. Corinne teaches and specializes in Yoga Sculpt; an endurance yoga where stretching meets muscle engagement, cardio, and challenge. She enjoys teaching a fun – endorphin awakening class that pushes her students past their limits, engaging their minds and muscles as they break barriers mentally and physically. Outside of yoga, Corinne has a heart for adventure, surfing, cooking, and being surrounded by the beautiful people in this community.

Julie Speier is a mother of three young children, the director of San Juan del Sur Day School and a yoga teacher at Zen. Julie has been practicing yoga since 1998 and became a certified yoga teacher in 2007 through Radiantly Alive in Bali, Indonesia. She has been a teacher with Zen since we opened our studio in 2011. She loves teaching a good powerful flow class or a calming restorative class. She applies the teachings of yoga to her daily life, especially Karma Yoga (service to others). She loves assisting her students in attaining the “aha moments” on their mats or in the classroom. Julie is full of gratitude for her life and the fact that she gets to teach Yoga at Zen!

Vanessa Pattison is the founder of Zen Yoga Studio which she opened in 2011 after the vision popped into her head one evening while talking to a friend. They sketched the studio on a napkin, broke ground a week later and never looked back. Beyond running Zen Yoga Studio and sister retreat business Nicaragua Yoga Institute, she still loves to get in the studio and lead a class or two a week. Vanessa is also a doula to many expats and local women who live in the San Juan del Sur area.

Originally from California, Vanessa moved to San Juan del Sur with her husband in 2005. Disenchanted with the rat race pace of life and her occupation as a Real Estate Appraiser she pursued her passion of yoga. In the past decade Vanessa has become highly trained with over 500 hours of Hatha and Vinyasa yoga as well as anatomy and Aryuveda. Her teachers are many but she attributes Peter Sterios and James Bailey as two of the most influential. Her most important role is that of mother to her three young boys; Max, Dante and Leo, all born in Nicaragua.

People ask her all the time how she made the transition? They comment on how ideal this easy pace of life must be. Her answer is always the same. She says, “wherever you go there you are!” It means to her that happiness is not determined by physical location but is deeply rooted within. Happiness ebbs and flows. Vacationing to and living in SJDS are two different realities. It is still a third world country complete with power outages and many other frustrations. Living your “dharma” what you are meant to do on this planet is key and she feels fortunate to have found that and to be able to share it with others.

Cher Aslor is a Yoga/Pilates teacher & practitioner, business owner, traveler, creative spirit and inspiring connector in her community. She is a PMA Certified Pilates Instructor and also holds certifications in Power Yoga (200 hr Core Power Yoga), Yoga Sculpt (40 hr Core Power Yoga), and Forrest Yoga (240 hrTraining). After attending CU Boulder for a BA in Dance and Spanish, Cher danced professionally in the Los Angeles area for 10 years before moving back to her native Colorado. In 2013 she graduated from the Kathy Grant Heritage Training led by second generation master teacher Cara Reeser and continues to study with and assist Ana Forrest at her workshops and Yoga Journal Conferences around the United States. Cher has a heart for leading retreats for over 8 years including Surf Yoga retreats in Costa Rica, meditation retreats at Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs, NM, Gratitude Retreats in Todos Santo MX, and beyond. Her passions is sharing adventure and travel with others through retreats.

Cher’s yoga classes are seeped in the Forrest Yoga, Pilates, and Vinyasa traditions, focused on movement that feels good, challenging and safe. Her Forrest Yoga foundations bring intelligent core work and holding poses for many breaths. This is a very physical practice but not just for the sake being physical – it’s a tool to awaken the senses and access the emotional body.