Studio Staff

Ajit Joshi

Ajit Joshi, RYT-500, is grateful for his parents' gifts to him – being exposed to yogic philosophy, meditation, Ayurvedic cooking, and asanas that he has deepened as an adult. As an initiate of the Sri Vidya tradition of the Himalayan Institute, his view on Yoga is informed by avid reading of Yogic philosophy under his teachers Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, and successor to Swami Rama of the Himalayas and Panditji's senior teacher Yogarupa Rod Stryker, the founder of ParaYoga, through which Ajit completed the 500 hour ParaYoga Master Training. His background also includes study of the Bhagavad Gita in the Advaita Vedanta tradition under DC Rao. Ajit draws upon his studies in ParaYoga (i.e. Tantra), to illuminate one's full potential (physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual) that includes all facets of Yoga (asanas, pranayama, meditation, philosophy, Yoga Nidra, visualization, mantra). Ajit has studied yoga with senior teachers in the Anusara tradition, has studied Sanskrit with Panditji and Sandra Anderson, speaks Marathi, one of the languages of India, fluently, completed a Master of International Affairs including a Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship in Hindi/Urdu at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations including the political economy, history, and sociology of South Asia at Tufts University, held a Fulbright Fellowship to India researching sociological and cultural aspects around women's health, completed a several week pilgrimage to the Ardh Kumbh Mela in January 2007, and has previously practiced Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY) Meditation. Ajit also holds the title of Reiki Master Practitioner in the Usui Reiki System of Natural Healing.

Betsy Poos

Betsy Poos, Anusara-Inspired RYT, keeps the good vibes flowing at Capitol Hill Yoga as co-owner, studio manager and teacher. Her playful classes share Anusara Yoga’s heart celebrating approach through a joyful exploration of breath, alignment and compassion. Betsy took her first yoga class shortly after moving to Capitol Hill in 1999 and immediately fell in love with the strong movement on the mat and the peaceful spirit of yoga that leaks off the mat. She completed the Living Yoga Program in 2005, Willow Street Yoga Center teacher training in 2009 and furthered her prenatal teacher training with Mary Barnes in 2010. Betsy thanks her teachers John Friend, Suzie Hurley, Kate Miller and Elizabeth Goodman, as well as her students, her beloved husband Jason, family and friends for their support and upliftment along the journey. To learn more about Betsy visit www.yogawithbetsy.com.

Christina Alon

Christina began practicing yoga and pilates 10 years ago to compliment her usual running and gym workouts. She was immediately hooked by both its physical and mental benefits. Shortly after relocating to the DC metro area, she had her "aha" moment and began working towards her yoga teaching certification and eventually her Pilates certification. Christina is certified through Power Pilates of New York and is a student of various forms of yoga, especially vinyasa flow. Her classes are challenging yet accessible for students of all levels.

Denise Alston

Denise Alston is a certified 200-hour Kripalu yoga teacher whose six years of teaching experience and 15 years of practice have brought her health, peace, and joy. Through her teaching, she seeks to open the way for her students to find the same. She continues to grow her practice through workshops, particularly with ParaYoga master, Rod Stryker, and the study of the writings of Swami Rama and Pandit Tigunait of the Himalayan Institute. A long-time resident of Capitol Hill, she is also happy to share her practice with her neighbors at the Sherwood Recreation Center.

Erin Carnahan

Erin Carnahan received her Pilates mat certification from the Physical Mind Institute/Body College in Washington, DC. She enjoys teaching because she loves to see her students grow stronger, develop better body awareness, enjoy greater ease in movement, and enhance their lives through their practice.

Jennifer Mueller

Like so many, Jen first came to the yoga mat because of an injury, seeking nothing more than to feel better and balance her body for running. She comes back to the mat because yoga invites her to embrace her body and mind with all its imperfections and then to look beyond them to the greater Self. Jen brings a sense of joy and playfulness to her classes - both the adult and kids classes (certified Itsy Bitsy Yoga instructor)- and hopes to offer her students the sense of freedom she finds in yoga. Jen is in the process of completing her yoga teacher training at Willow Street Yoga Center. Off the mat, Jen has been living on Capitol Hill for more than a decade and is honored to be the mother of a 2 year old.

Kahlil Kuykendall

Kahlil (200-RYT) is a joyful and encouraging teacher whose daily yoga practice includes Kundalini and Hatha yoga. Kahlil is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, certified in 2007 through KRI (Kundalini Research Institute), an advanced study course as taught by Yogi Bhajan. She is also certified as a Hatha yoga teacher having trained in 2001 with the Indian Institute of Yoga. Her teaching style and methods have evolved since 1992 with personal practice and training. She believes that yoga is for everyone and her goal is to provide students with a well-balanced and grounded yoga base, and the experience of being guided from within.

Inspired by the birth of her three children, Kahlil is a certified Pre-Natal yoga teacher who creates an environment where pregnant women gather safely in an ancient circle of belonging. By opening the heart and trusting our intuitive powers as women, her classes are playfully graceful spiritual experiences of sharing the dance of life, close to nature's rhythms. She also enjoys teaching yoga to children and is a certified Yoga for Youth, Yoga Ed. and Radiant Child yoga teacher. She volunteers and teaches yoga weekly to juvenile detention youth between the ages of 13-18 years old; and also works within the DC public schools teaching yoga to students in grades K-8. Kahlil lives with her three children Zawadi, Zaki and Zuri; and her husband Stanley.

Kate Miller

Kate Miller has been teaching yoga for over twelve years and is a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher.  With a gift for teaching to all levels and physical conditions, Kate encourages her students to affirm and honor all that they embody.  She feels that if we can learn to live from a place of acceptance and awareness, change and development are truly possible.  Kate’s teaching style is playful and well suited for any level of student.  She holds a gift for weaving words of inspiration and spirit into her clear, direct instruction.  Kate also works as a professional birth assistant (doula) and offers retreats and trainings throughout the world.  Kate recently received a Masters in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. Learn more about Kate at www.redmoonyoga.com.

Marianna Adams

Marianna Adams has been a yoga practitioner for 19 years and a yoga teacher since 2000. After a basic teacher certification in the Kripalu style she became entranced with the Anusara style and has continued her advanced training with master Anusara teachers Moses Brown, Betsey Downing, John Friend, and Jenny Otto. Her prenatal yoga teacher training was with Mary Barnes, an Anusara-trained teacher in NYC. When not practicing or teaching yoga, Marianna lives in Annapolis, MD with her husband and has her own business in evaluation & consulting for museums.

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller, Anusara-Inspired RYT, began her practice of yoga to take the edge off of living in New York City, upon moving there 10 years ago.  It was once again yoga that chose her path, taking her from NYC back to Washington, D.C., her hometown, to study how to teach yoga to others.  After graduating from Willow Street Yoga's  Anusara Teacher Training in 2005, Naomi has come to the conclusion that choosing yoga was the best choice she ever made.  She continues her yoga study with John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, Amy Ippoliti and Sianna Sherman, focusing specifically on the Therapeutic benefits of yoga, as well using yoga to help an already healthy body even more fit. Naomi brings lightness and play to all her classes, encouraging students to invite a healthy dose of laughter into their practice. She is inspired by the joy her students bring to their mats and considers teaching yoga the best gig ever.

Stacey DeGrasse

Stacey DeGrasse, Anusara-Inspired RYT, is thrilled to be co-owner (along with two fabulous partners) and yoga teacher at CHY. She brings a sense of compassion and open-heartedness to her classes as she seeks to empower her students to recognize their full potential both on and off the mat. She began practicing yoga in 1997 when a dear friend gave her a session of yoga classes as a gift, and then she was inspired in 2005 to spread the gift of yoga to others. She completed the 400 hour teacher training program at Willow Street Yoga Center in Silver Spring, MD taught by Suzie Hurley, Moses Brown, Jenny Otto and Joe Miller. Stacey thanks the numerous teachers that she has had along her path, which includes her students. Particularly, she expresses gratitude for those who have contributed greatly to her practice: Elizabeth Goodman, Suzie Hurley and Joe Miller. Stacey’s classes focus on physical alignment, connecting with the breath, and encouraging students to extend the practice of yoga into their daily lives.

Tara Lemerise

Tara Lemerise, Anusara-Inspired, took her first yoga class in 1999 and from there, yoga became an essential part of her busy life. Since completing teaching training at Willow Street Yoga in 2005, she continues to study Anusara Yoga and is dedicated to helping her students find ways to connect their practice on the mat to their lives off the mat. Her classes are fun and rejuvenating, and always taught with clear, patient, and encouraging instructions. For more info about Tara, check out her website: www.yogataraonline.com