Leah Chiofaro, Owner & Founder

Leah Chiofaro founded SoulShine Power Yoga in 2014 as a way to bring more healing, peace, and strength directly to her community. After some of the hardest years of her life, consistent yoga practice brought her strength in body and mind, and she understood for herself the power of yoga to help people change their lives. With some help from her mentors, SoulShine Power Yoga went from a dream to reality. 

Leah has a long history in business, retail, and entrepreneurship, and owned her first business in Burlington called Hydrangea from 2005 to 2020. She opened SoulShine in Essex in 2014, the first standalone yoga studio in Essex Junction. Her vision expanded, and in 2021 Leah opened the second SoulShine studio on Church Street in Burlington in the middle of a global pandemic. When she’s not in the studio, Leah loves spending time with her three doggies, snowboarding, and enjoying live music.

Brielle Cataldo, Studio Manager

Brielle began practicing yoga in 2005. At first, it was just another way to move and keep her body flexible and strong for her other activities like hiking and mountain biking. But as she delved more deeply into her practice, she realized that yoga was so much more than a way to accommodate her other fitness passions. She found that the physical strength she gained from yoga, while wonderful, was surpassed by the peace of mind and serenity that she carried with her after each practice. Brielle felt called to seek more knowledge about the practice and became a 200 hour certified yoga instructor through Asheville Yoga Center in 2017. She loves sharing the practice with others and welcomes play and joyful movement into her sequences.

Maya Littlefield, Studio Manager

Maya found herself in a her first ever yoga class in 2012, when a friend and her brother brought her to a Bikram class. Ever since, Maya has practiced yoga to maintain a strong and mobile body, and to help with her mental health. Maya completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2019 in Nicaragua through Yoga Academy International, and Laughing River’s Teacher Enhancement Program in 2022. Though Maya’s yoga journey started with Bikram and power yoga, she prefers to take and teach yin and gentle yoga classes. When Maya is not practicing yoga, she is working as a wedding florist and flower farmer though her business, Honey Flora, or hiking around Vermont with her mini mutt, Josie.

Anastassya Dyer (She/Her)

For Anastassya, embracing body movement has played a big role in her life ever since she was a child. Whether it came in the form of dancing or yoga she found that expressing herself through movement allowed her to move a bit more freely through life. Her mother taught yoga classes so naturally she was curious about the practice from a young age. Anastassya became a co-teacher alongside her mother in high school when her mother began running yoga camps for the youth. It wasn’t until Anastassya went into college that she began to connect spirituality and mindfulness with the practice. Her practice changed from doing yoga to work out and turned into something much more wholehearted. A more sincere practice developed; one that enhanced the connection between mind and body. With this new spark for deeper learning she pursued her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training at Sangha Studio in 2023. Soon after she received a Reiki 1 certification led by Dr. Ellen Alberston at SoulShine Studio. During her class, Anastassya hopes to cultivate an environment where students feel welcome to explore their own practice. Her teaching style emphasizes the importance of being present and moving with awareness when on and off the mat. She begins her class with a few minutes of meditation and ends her class with savasana where she likes to incorporate Reiki ‘feel-good’ assists. As a student you can expect to root deeply into the breath and move through asanas with intention.
Training/Credentials:
• 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training- Sangha Studio, Burlington, VT
• First Degree of the Usui System Reiki Healing with Dr. Ellen Albertson

Apryl Larkin

Apryl came to yoga as a runner wanting to avoid injury, but quickly fell in love with the practice. She really fell in love with yoga in 2011 when she moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and met an amazing teacher there who told her that she knew one day Apryl would teach. That planted a seed that came to fruition in 2015 as Apryl enrolled in the 200-hour teacher training program at Laughing River Yoga in Winooski.

Apryl loves the ability yoga gives to build strength in the body and enjoys a Vinyasa practice, powerfully linking breath with movement. She enjoys inverting and arm balancing, but also holding poses to build strength and flexibility. She is so grateful for the many teachers and students who inspire her on a daily basis.

Bridget Workman

Catherine Hamilton

Christie Mainart

Christie has been practicing & studying yoga for over a decade, with an interest in both yoga’s modernized physical practice and its rich philosophies emergent from its numerous ancient sources. She feels that yoga, which was originally intended to unify one’s mind with the divine, remains a living, dynamic, & ever-evolving map with underlying golden threads for self-realization today. Christie believes that the current interest in yoga’s physical practice is a calling from the heart of our culture’s humanity that longs for many things, such as the detoxification & purification of our physiology, a disciplined practice that burns up our stories & stills the rough waters of the mind, to improve our breathing habits for optimal health, & to inspire us to actively cultivate & more fully embody our inherent ability to thrive in well-being. From here, begins our work.

In 2019, Christie completed a 200-hour teacher training with Tirza Dawn at Dhyana Studio in Sebastopol, CA, and in 2023, she completed a Yin Yoga training with Bernie Clark through Yoga International. Each program has played a uniquely wonderful role in helping her more deeply understand the functionality of yoga poses for individuals over merely aesthetics. Off the mat, Christie likes to ponder our place in the Cosmos and muse on the pathless land to Truth while drinking a warm cup of tea.

Emily Souliotis

Emily has been practicing and teaching yoga for five years. She earned her 200 hour teaching certificate through Yoga Vermont in Burlington, and is currently working on her 500 hour certificate. Although Emily loves teaching many styles and levels, her favorite class is a challenging vinyasa! When she’s not teaching, Emily loves spending time with her husband, two little ones, and boxer pup.

Jenny Lowell

Jenny completed her Registered Yoga Certification course in Goa, India at Kashish Yoga School in 2018, and has been teaching professionally in Vermont and abroad ever since. She is certified in multiple styles of yoga, but focuses on Hatha, Vinyasa, Restorative, and Yin. She also received her Tantra-inspired Restorative training certificate in 2019.

In her practice, she links breath to movement with intention and mindfulness. Almost all of her offerings include a Hatha-style warm-up; moving each part of the body slowly to check-in, acknowledge, and wake-up. You can expect to slow down in her class, with time to deepen any posture or try something new. Her classes are all-levels with accessible options to make your individual practice more low-key or more challenging, depending on what your body is asking for at that moment. Join Jenny with an open mind, and finish with an open heart.

Jenny Sugar

Jenny Sugar (you can call her Sugar!) took her first yoga class in 1999 and has been teaching ever since. With a background in Ashtanga, her true passion is for Vinyasa-style yoga because of its playful, energetic, fluid, and challenging nature.

Sugar’s vigorous classes use the connection of your breath to your movements to deepen the connection you feel toward others and to the world. You’ll strengthen and open every inch of your body, and are encouraged to move at your own comfort and ability level, to explore new, challenging poses, and above else, to have fun!

Karl Woods-Lucas

Karl found the practice of yoga in his late twenties. It took him only one class to realize how much he had been neglecting his body, despite years of movement through sports. He became consumed with understanding what it was about yoga that was so effective at nourishing the entire body. Since then he’s completed his first teacher training, taken various anatomy courses and workshops, and has continued to develop his and his student’s personal practices. He’s seen and experienced how yoga, when practiced with specific attention to the minute details of the postures, can remove tension in the body, leading to reduced tension in the mind. He believes in the practice as therapy for the body’s musculoskeletal and nervous system, which then opens up the possibility for deeper, richer experiences of life.

Karl’s goal is to bring the practice of yoga to beginners who are curious or dubious or simply unaware, and to deepen the practice of advanced practitioners. His classes are rich with precise verbal cues to effectively establish and maintain alignment in the bones and muscles, building strength with stability while creating ease in movement.

Kelsey Reed

Kelsey first came to yoga during high school as a way to prevent injuries from other sports, but she quickly realized the benefits of yoga beyond the physical aspect. The physical movements combined with the breathing techniques have been crucial for her stress management. In the summer of 2018, she decided it was time to learn how to share her passion with others and completed her Yoga Alliance certified 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training through Health Yoga Life in Stratton, VT. Kelsey is also a registered nurse and appreciates using the various aspects of yoga to help her patients achieve mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Kerry Fantelli

Kerry Fantelli teaches a vinyasa focused class. When you take class with Kerry, you will be welcomed and challenged. She has a strong alignment focus and incorporates mindfulness practices within her classes. Kerry wants students to find the balance between going beyond their fears and doubts and listening to the needs of their body. Kerry is playful and energetic and her classes often have the same vibration. 

Lindsay Carey

Louise

While volunteering in a small town on the edge of the Sahara, Louise began teaching light exercise classes, mostly stretching and core learned during her sport days for women and girls in the community. Years later while reflecting on what brought her joy, she realized teaching yoga was the perfect step, allowing her to feel the joy of connecting with others and helping them feel more connected with themselves! Louise did her yoga instructor training 200 Hour in Rishikesh India at the Himalayan Yoga Association focusing on Ashtanga and Hatha Yoga. She worked to honor the knowledge and traditions she learned in India. Her classes bring attention to the breath, and welcome to those of all abilities. Expect a fun and calming environment that will allow your mind and body to unwind in with creative and engaging flows!

Malaika DosRemedios

Malaika DosRemedios (E-RYT-500, and YACEP) is a full-time teacher of the Tantric Tradition of Hatha Yoga, group fitness instructor and personal trainer in the Burlington, Vermont area during the late spring to mid fall and lives in Key West, FL during the winters. When not in Vermont she is traveling and teaching all over the globe. In the recent years, Malaika has lead Intensive Immersion Teacher Trainings in Bali, Indonesia and clinics for students and teachers in Sydney, Australia.

She enjoys working with communities, inspiring others into their best selves. She is a community partner, and consultant with other yoga communities globally, helping to fine tune their vision and creates collaborative partnerships with other teachers and studios involving yoga retreats, teacher trainings and events throughout the world. Her life is dedicated to this work and she always feels as though it is just beginning. She and her beloved Yellow Lab “Teddy,” who is a certified Therapy Dog of Vermont, like to volunteer in their free time unleashing smiles to folks in need of personal visits.

Marissa Pappalardo

Marissa (She/Her)
I began my yoga practice as a simple means of gaining physical strength and flexibility. Years
later, I find myself enjoying yoga as a spiritual, physical, and philosophical path. I hope to honor
the complexities of yoga as ancient culture, science and wisdom, as well as acknowledge yoga as
a modern practice that helps me unveil clarity and grounding within.

I am first and foremost a student of yoga, and secondly I am a 500+hr RYT. My classes are a
blend of pranayama, asana, and meditation. In this way, I hope to offer a dynamic, light-hearted,
and wise approach to practicing yoga in a modern context; and I look forward to sharing yoga
practice with you!

Megan Moon

Megan Moon leads dynamic vinyasa flow, offering a fully supported space for students to build their practice safely and freely. She weaves creative asana sequences together with the universal principles of alignment and yoga philosophy to create enriching practices. Megan has embraced many different styles of yoga over the past several decades including Kundalini, Ashtanga, Yin, and Anusara and believes in the power of yoga for healing, health and expansion. Megan received her 200 hour training in Anusara Elements from Tiffany Wood in 2021 and her 500 hour training in alignment based Vinyasa from Honest Yoga in 2018. Megan is also certified in Yin yoga, kids yoga, and hoop dance. Outside of the studio, Megan is a Mom, a DJ, a personal chef, a gardener and a hoop dance teacher.

Natalie Boyle

Natalie (she/her) first came to yoga in 2015, as a way to reconnect to her body after a debilitating herniated disk injury. She stayed with the practice because of the way it made her feel – connected, grounded, present, and certain in her sense of self.

She went on to complete her 200-hr teacher training at Heart of the Village Yoga in Manchester, VT in March 2020. In February 2023, she received certification in Restorative Yoga with Sarah Diedrick at Sangha Studio. Most recently, she attended a yin intensive with Emily Garrett at Laughing River Yoga.

Her flow classes are strong and not too slow, and emphasize the breath and physical sensation as a way to calm the mind.

Noelle Davis

Noelle Davis has practiced yoga for the last 16 years and completed her 200 hour teacher training through Yoga Vermont. Her vinyasa classes focus on being present, listening to the breath as the voice of the body, and having fun. The connection that we all make through breath, movement, and our minds is what inspires Noelle to get on her mat everyday. She believes that through the physical mind we can free the mental mind. Noelle is grateful to be here sharing her love and adventure for yoga, for her teachers who inspire her daily, and most especially for her family, as it is their love that makes living her life blissful.

Paula Palermo

Paula identifies as a teacher. Yoga, art, mindfulness and mathematics both sacred and practical are passions she shares with adults and children alike. Fostering wellness, curiosity and building strength as well as supporting practitioners in developing meaningful and sustainable life-long practices are the goals of her teaching. Expect a mindful practice which integrates breath-body connection, energy, humor and music with Paula.

Rachel Cowan

Rachel found yoga over fifteen years ago, beginning with the fundamental Ashtanga sequence and exploring many other disciplines since. She fell in love with yoga, the union found in practice, one’s ability to quiet the mind, focus on breath, challenge the body, and most of all have fun!

Rachel teaches Vinyasa flow yoga with creative sequencing that will work all areas of the body, focusing on opening the heart and undoing the ways in which we’re hard on ourselves in our day-to-day lives. Rachel hopes that through mindful practice each practitioner will cultivate a sense of awareness and awe within their individual practice, taking time to enjoy. Rachel enjoys intertwining music and philosophy into her teaching, while never taking practice too seriously. When Rachel is not in class practicing yoga, she enjoys being on the water, hiking, art, writing, live music, food, and finding new adventures.

Santiago Mendez

Santiago began his yoga journey 4 years ago taking classes and practicing on his own shortly after moving to Vermont. He grew up in Miami, Florida, but found himself craving a change of pace and made his way north. Since moving to Vermont he has travelled to Portugal to get his 200 hour Vinyasa certification with the Sacred Fig as well as to explore various areas of Europe for two months prior to his training. Santiago loves to travel and expand his capabilities whenever possible. He often finds himself in his free time rock climbing, hiking, mountaineering, sea kayaking, skiing and much more. He is an avid lover of the outdoors and has spent extensive periods of time immersed in nature on outdoor expeditions over the years.

Santi (Santiago’s childhood nickname) finds that the practice of yoga allows him to dive deeper into his own relationship with himself and in turn to the world and those around him. Linking breath to movement serves as a moving meditation for him and there are few things in his life that bring him deeper joy and connection than doing so. Being able to share the love of yoga that he has developed over the years is truly a gift and blessing that has forever changed his life.

Sarah Quinttus

Sarah was first exposed to yoga in the spring of 2011 and quickly fell in love with the practice and its teachings. Growing up playing competitive sports, Sarah endured several injuries which resulted in 5 reconstructive knee operations. Yoga was the only form of rehabilitation that made a lasting impact, and she attributes her daily practice to being able to remain active outdoors, whether it be skiing, biking, hiking or kayaking. 

Although Yoga started as a mostly physical practice for Sarah, it has grown into a way of life, both on and off the mat, and has become deeply spiritual and healing for her. Through living her yoga she has learned the power of intention, positive thinking and remaining present. In Sarah’s class you can expect to be physically challenged, play with your edge and find space and serenity in the mind. Sarah has been inspired by many wonderful teachers on her path and is excited to share the traditions of this beautiful practice with her own students. Sarah is currently working towards her 1,000hr IAYT certification in Yoga Therapy.

Sara Swartz

Sara completed her 200 hour yoga certification in Embody Yoga at Yoga Center Amherst in 2005. She is currently working towards her 500 hour certification. She has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 20 years.

Sara takes a structured yet light-hearted approach to teaching. She aspires to create a safe, nurturing space that will bring you to your edge while allowing you to have fun and express yourself fully. A lifelong lover of movement, Sara will encourage you to approach your practice from a new perspective. Her classes are grounding and centering, yet dynamic and powerful.

Sara is also a mental health professional and has taught yoga in a variety of clinical settings, including hospitals and community health centers. Her practice is trauma-informed and all-affirming.

When she’s not teaching yoga, you will likely find her exploring the natural beauty of Vermont. She loves hiking, biking, kayaking, cooking, watching birds and spending time with her dogs.

Stacey Sadowsky

Stacey is an avid runner and volunteer running coach who was told by her massage therapist if she didn’t’ find a way to stretch the body, she would not be able to continue running. That comment led her straight to yoga! Though her body calls for a heated, vigorous practice with arm balances and handstands for strength, her passion is teaching beginners who think they can’t “do yoga”. She loves to inspire, encourage and unite through yoga, breath and meditation.

Stacey completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2019 and will graduate with her 300 hour teacher training in January 2021. She is also a certified chair yoga teacher and volunteer teaches at a local senior center. She is also certified in Dharma Wheel and Yin practices.

Victoria Fearn

With a Background in musical theatre, Victoria fell in love with the power of movement at an early age. That being said, after her first yoga class in 2017 she left with a distaste for the practice. Expecting movement alone, she was challenged to go deeper with not just body, but mind and spirit which she later found was the reason she couldn’t stay away for long. Turning to the practice time and time again, yoga soon became a regular part of her life. Victoria found patience, confidence, and gratitude through yoga and strives to help others find the same as she guides you through a practice. Using themes, affirmations, and storytelling to allow others to take up space, move as they please, and lead with curiosity. Finding your inner child along the way during practice allows for a welcoming, kind, creative, and humorous space to be your authentic and beautiful self. In 2021, Victoria took the leap and completed her 200hr YTT certification and in continuing to grow and stay curious with her practice and her teachings!