Teaching Staff 

Yoga is all about the journey. It’s helpful to have an experienced guide.

 Our intention at Yoga East is to offer the teachings of yoga as a transformational process to develop a healthy and strong body, an open and caring heart, and a peaceful and focused mind.

300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Director

Sue Nesler is yoga teacher and yoga therapist who inspires others to find breath, structure, extension and freedom through grounding and creating space in the body. Through area classes and yoga therapy private sessions  Sue uses her education and experience to enhance the yoga experience and assist students in meeting their needs. A personal yoga practice is what you make it so “be the change you want to see in the world.” ~M. Gandhi

Sue has 20 years of experience teaching Hatha yoga classes and therapeutic classes/privates to a variety of students, with a focus in women’s health,( general physical, mental, and psychospiritual health), scoliosis, cancer, stroke and back/neck pain. A Certified Posture Alignment Specialist through the Egoscue Method, Sue has thousands of hours of clinical work in exercise therapy. She has worked in rehabilitation, rehabilitation counseling, and social services for 20 years. Her advanced experience and training has been primarily with Judith Hanson Lasater.  Sue offers private yoga sessions and yoga therapy sessions and a variety of yoga therapy workshops. You may contact her at 573-388-7272.

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200 Hour YTT Instructor

Having enjoyed the many benefits of a yoga practice personally and the desire to share those rewards with others is the reason I because a yoga instructor.  I have been teaching yoga in the Cape Girardeau area since 2009.

Robin received her  200 hour RYT from YogaFit.  Her continuing education is in yoga therapy in order to better help those suffering with depression and dealing with trauma. She encourages students to listen to their bodies and to use their breath to bring mindfulness and awareness to their mind and body both on and off the mat.  So much of what we learn in class can be transferred to our everyday hectic lives. Robin likes to share a profound saying, “If we listen to our body when it whispers, we may not have to hear it scream.” Robin teaches hatha yoga classes at Yoga East. She is also a lead trainer in our 200 hour yoga teacher training program.

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Yoga and Meditation Instructor 200 Hour YTT Instructor

 Kelly Downes is a 500 hour RYT accredited yoga instructor who received the bulk of her training through Yoga East Healing Arts. Kelly is also certified though Mindful Schools in meditation and has studied MBSR extensively. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, and is pursuing another degree in Art Education from SEMO while working at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. She continues to pursue her passion for learning every aspect of the practice. Kelly has seen first hand the profound effect that yoga can have on integrated well-being and aims to share the knowledge and technologies of this ancient practice with as many practitioners as possible. She believes that yoga brings profound healing, balance, peace, and lasting joy to the the world and considers it one of the most powerful tools of the 21st century. Kelly teaches Gentle Yoga & Meditation. Kelly also teaches Mudra, Mantra, Meditation, and Ayurvedic practices in the 200 hour yoga teacher training program at Yoga East.

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Master Philosophy Trainer, 200 Hour YTT Instructor

Sara E. McNeil has worked as a writer and editor for twenty years at both alternative and mainstream newspapers, and in corporate and higher education communications. She majored in English and philosophy at Newcomb College, Tulane University, and spent a year at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. She earned a master’s degree in English literature at Vanderbilt University. A native Arkansan, she loves reading, writing, collecting images, travel, and yoga. Her practices of yoga and writing continually inform each other–both practices are about noticing, listening, and discipline, and she believes that yoga can open a door into creativity and into the deepest parts of the self. She is married to Jack Zibluk,  and they have a daughter, Kate Zibluk, as well as a dog, two cats, and three turtles. Sara is a graduate from Yoga East Healing Arts 200 hour certification program as well as the 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training program. She teaches Hatha Yoga classes and philosophy in our 200 hour yoga teacher training program.

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Yoga Instructor

Yoga was introduced to me in the early 2000’s while attending college. I started practicing yoga for the workout and to gain flexibility but now it is so much more. Yoga is an amazing journey that has helped me to grow in so many different aspects. My teaching style focuses on alignment, breath and challenging my participants while reminding them its not a competition but rather their own practice. That’s the beauty of yoga, to make it your very own journey every time you step onto your mat. Namaste.

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Yoga Instructor

Leah is back from her travels to Texas. She completed her RYT at Yoga East and is a beloved member of our community. Enjoy her lovely presence and energy along with her gentle flow, longer pose holds, and Kundalini style yoga incorporation for body, mind, and (energy) spirit!

 

300 Hour Yoga Teacher Trainer

Judy Grier started her journey into yoga as a personal search for a more holistic view of health and wellness. Yoga has been an ongoing practice and integral part of her lifestyle for the past twenty  five years. She completed her 200 hour and 500 hour professional level yoga teacher training at The Kripalu Center for Yoga.  Kripalu Yoga emphasis is on self discovery, personal inquiry, and connecting mind, body and heart in compassionate self awareness. She teaches philosophy and eastern anatomy in the Yoga East Healing Arts Registered Yoga School 300 hour advanced yoga teacher certification program. She is also a licensed massage therapist and a Reiki Master.

Yoga Instructor

 

Jennifer has been practicing yoga for many years and recently graduated from our Yoga Teacher Training. As our newest teacher her warmth and intuitive nature are reassuring and inviting to beginning students and seasoned practitioners. Jenifer’s love for slow and mindful movement and her love for anatomy are a welcome asset as our resident Beginner Yoga class instructor and primary flow class sub.

Yoga Instructor

Jan has a Bachelor of English and Master of Writing from Southeast Missouri State University and is passionate about writing. 
She began teaching Les Mills Classes at HealthPoint in 2015 including Body Pump, RPM, and Body Flow. Jan has completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training certification at Yoga East and is working toward a Personal Training Certificate in Functional Aging. Jan practices drawing meditation and creative journaling. Her gentle voice and encouraging personality is contagious.

Yoga Instrcutor

 

Maggie graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2012 and is a choir and drama teacher for the Charleston R-I School District.  She is passionate about body positivity and bringing the practices of mindfulness and yoga to children. Maggie recently completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Yoga East and will begin her 300 hour training in the fall of 2020. She is looking forward to teaching people of all shapes and sizes with a fun and uplifting vibe!