William Prottengeier, founder and director of the Minneapolis Yoga Workshop, is a Certified Iyengar instructor. He has been practicing yoga since 1975, and teaching yoga since 1979. He studied with Swami Veda Bharati (Pandit Usharbudh Arya) for 15 years. Williams teaching flows from the Hatha Yoga tradition of B.K.S. Iyengar, with Ramanand Patel as his primary teacher in the U.S. His other major influence are the Vipassana and Advaita Vedanta traditions. Williams teaching weaves these traditions into the practice of asana. His teaching blends and balances concentration and precision in asana practice with mindfulness and compassion in daily living.

William: (612) 253-5115 or mplsyogaworkshop@hotmail.com

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Betsy Ricker has been studying Yoga since 1986 with William Prottengeir. She is certified and continues to study Kripalu Yoga. she also studies with Beryl Bender Birch. In 2007, she was certified to present Yoga Ed's "Tools for Teachers" professional development program. Betsy volunteers weekly at the Courage Center, assisting Matt Sanford's Adaptive Yoga program. Her teachings emphasize the development of compassion and inner wisdom through the awareness of the mind, body and spirit connection.

Betsy: (612) 702-8609 or betsyyoga@earthlink.net

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Laura Kennedy, received certification to teach yoga in 1996 from Mount Madonna Center in California. She continues to study Classical Yoga with Baba Hari Dass at least twice a year at Mount Madonna Center. She has taken pilgrimages to the Himalayas in Northern India and Mt. Kailash, Tibet. She also studies with William Prottengeier. The practice of Yoga has the potential for us to experience the fullness and ease of the present moment.

Laura: (612) 343-8851or casamaya@MSN.com

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Clare Welter has studied yoga with William Prottengeier since 1990 and has taught since 2001. She has also been a certified nurse-midwife since 1997 and practices at Fairview Riverside Medical Center. She offers a prenatal yoga class at Minneapolis Yoga Workshop.

Clare: (651) 646-4656 or clarewelter@hotmail.com

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Maria Gomez-Tierney, MFA, RYT, is a certified Hatha Yoga instructor. Her primary teacher is William Prottengeier. She also has studied with Manju Patabi Jois, Govinda Kai, and Doug Swenson. She has a Master of Fine Arts in performance arts and has been a dancer, choreographer and teacher since 1990. Maria lovingly blends these sensibilities of the body, mind and spirit into her yoga teaching.

Maria: (612) 722-5220 or mtierne2@yahoo.com

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Amy Samson-Burke, MPT, CYT-C. Amy has been studying yoga since 2000 and has been a practicing licensed physical therapist since 1990. She is in the final stages of her training as a certified yoga therapist. She has apprenticed with William Prottengeier and continues to study with him. Amy also works with yoga teacher, Matthew Sanford, in his adapted yoga program at Courage Center in Golden Valley, MN. Her focus has been the incorporating the principles of yoga into her physical therapy practice, where she has witnessed the powerful, transformational changes that are possible with yoga. Amy wishes to share this experience in her Gentle Yoga Class with those who feel they may be  limited from participating in a traditional yoga class.

Amy: (612) 859-4541 or amysburke@q.com
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Velleda Schervee has been teaching for over 25 years. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (Yoga Alliance-500) and a graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute, San Francisco.  Inspired by many years of intensive study with Angela Farmer, founder of Inner Body Yoga, Velleda brings a sense of creative exploration to her teaching of yoga and meditation. She blends philosophy, therapeutics, and humor into her friendly teaching style. Velleda has studied many forms of yoga, bodywork and healing modalities. Her other primary teachers have been Judith Lasater, Yoga, and Emilie Conrad, Continuum Movement. She graduated from the Minnesota Center for Shiatsu and the Acupressure Institute. She continues her study of mindfulness meditation, positive psychology, and Buddhism.

Velleda: (612) 388-6444 or velledayoga@gmail.com
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Christine Ojala has been a student of yoga since 1996. She holds two yoga teacher certifications and a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Minnesota. Her teaching reflects her background in the Ashtanga vinyasa system and the Iyengar yoga tradition. Christine considers William Prottengeier to be her primary teacher and is honored to be teaching in his space. Other major influences include Angela Farmer, Ramanand Patel, and many senior Ashtanga teachers, including Sri K. Pattahbi Jois.

Christine: (612) 804-4493 or christine.ojala@gmail.com
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