Meet Our Teachers

Ann

“My yoga journey started in college but seriously took off after the birth of my daughter, four years ago. Navigating movement in the postpartum world was challenging - I found that I needed something to move my body well, but also something that gave me peace as I adapted into the new, uncharted territory of motherhood. I received my 200 hr training from Circle Yoga Shala in 2020, and am currently a 500hr student there, set to graduate at the end of this year!  

To me, yoga means honoring presence, whether it be honoring your body where it's at each day or giving your full attention to the present moment off the mat. You can find me teaching FIRE on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 530 pm. I infuse strength and core work throughout each class, but offer modifications and progressions so that each student can honor their body. Teaching FIRE helps me get out of my head from an intense day as a surgery nurse, and tap into the breath and body. I hope to meet you on the mat sometime!”

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Elizabeth

Elizabeth Strandberg is a 500RYT who specializes in Restorative, Mobility, and Meditation practices. Her classes foster an environment that ground practitioners into presence through the awareness of their breath and sensation through simple and accessible movements.

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She currently teaches a 75- Minute Restorative Yoga Class every first Monday of the month that focuses on on gentle movement, longer holds, deep breathing & yoga nidra.

Sara Ann

I started practicing yoga as a way to cope with anxiety and to decompress from a stressful hospital job. It changed my life so much that I quickly decided to enroll in teacher training. I completed my 200 hour YTT at Griffin Power Yoga in Jonesboro in 2019 and after the studio unfortunately closed at the beginning of the pandemic, I began teaching donation-based community classes. I visited Sixth House on a whim while still living in Jonesboro and even commuted from Jonesboro in order to start teaching a weekly class at Sixth House until I moved to Little Rock in the summer of 2021 and I’ve been teaching on the weekly schedule ever since. 

For me, yoga is really the only way I’ve ever been able to get out of my anxious, overthinking head and into my body. It’s helped me learn breathing techniques to calm anxious episodes, to challenge my body and build strength, and to have more awareness of my body and posture. As I’ve grown in my practice, yoga has taught me the importance of stillness and presence. 

My classes are all about igniting the fire within you! I teach a vinyasa style flow with upbeat music and vibes. My class might be known to be a little more challenging, but don’t be intimidated because I offer plenty of options and modifications and taking rest when needed is always encouraged. While my students seem to enjoy the creative sequences and the challenges I hand them, I think everyone’s favorite part is the (always optional) nice cold lavender rag placed on your forehead while we rest in stillness of savasana. It truly is the biggest honor to get to share this practice and share our lovely studio space together, I hope you’ll join me soon!”

Shontel

“Hi friends, my name is Shontel Lee. I am a 500 hour trained yoga teacher through Circle Yoga Shala. I began my yoga journey almost 9 years ago. When I first stepped on the mat I was full of anxiety from my job. Yoga has taught me how to be present, how to breathe, and how to take yoga off the mat as well. I truly love holding space and passing these tools on to others. In my class you will most likely hear me say “see what you see, feel what you feel, and hear what you hear”. It’s my most used tool to ground, observe, and just be.

I offer AIR, EARTH, and MOONLIGHT MEDITATION classes. In AIR, expect a fun playlist and playful movements around balance. It’s available for all levels, no matter your experience I always use modifications. In EARTH, expect a mindful and grounding class. Props are heavily focused for comfort and ease. You will definitely hear Garth Stevenson. In MOONLIGHT MEDITATION you will be surrounded by candles in a warm and inviting space. We will start with soft movements before the meditation and end with a short savasana.

Outside of yoga, I enjoy hiking and being outdoors. My husband and I live for our hiking trips, we even climbed Kilimanjaro in 2020! We love traveling and truly believe the saying “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”. Our goal is to reach all 7 continents!”

Sarah Thomas

Sarah Thomas has, arguably, practiced yoga for longer than she has been alive. Her first classes were in utero when her mother took prenatal yoga. When Sarah was old enough her mother became her first teacher, guiding her through the practice of yoga and meditation and starting her lifelong journey to grow and share the art.

Sarah learned the finer points of yoga and further developed her technique and understanding from Sage Yoga. After practicing as a student for several years, she became a teacher herself and taught classes in and around little Rock Arkansas. She has held classes at St. Jude, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, University of Arkansas for Medical Science,Zen Studios. Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, and Sixth House Studio.

Sarah has not limited her teaching to studios alone. She has worked tirelessly to spread yoga throughout her community by volunteering her time. With a heart to serve, she has worked with multiple organizations to provide yoga classes to members of her community. Sarah has partnered with Our House, Dunbar Community Center, Ballet Arkansas, MidSouth Black Expo, Yoga for Tennis, Timmons Art Foundation, Rock Town Yoga, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Sidney Moncrief One team to name only a few. She is also the owner and operator of Yogathon Arkansas.

Sarah also works as a Lululemon Ambassador. In this role, she works within the community to not only promote the company and its brand, but to also help facilitate the mission of investing in people to help them live their best life. As an ambassador, Sarah is an integral part of Lululemon’s efforts to build and maintain a genuine connection and relationship with the community – both inside and outside of the store. By joining with Lululemon, Sarah is able to use their platform to further expand her goal of teaching and encouraging fitness, health, and wellness.

As central to her life as yoga has been, Sarah is passionate about addressing the whole health of the individual. She has an awareness of barriers to health within her city and state. Sarah also works as a health and wellness lifestyle coach. With her certification from the Diabetes Training and Technical Assistance Center, part of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, she assists pre-diabetic, diabetic, and cardiovascular patients in addressing their health in a positive and proactive manner.

Joy

Joy is a Masters of Social Work student who trained at Circle Yoga Shala. She’s interested in yoga as a tool for embodiment, presence, and awareness for improved well-being. Joy lives downtown with her aging dog Peanut, who is also a yogi. 

Sunday night restore is an opportunity to get into your body and out of your mind before the week. We will start with a gentle movement practice, then move into supportive, restorative asanas.

Panchi Bora

“Namaste I’m Panchi Bora Patangia. I’m from India and now Little Rock is my home. I’ve been a spiritual person and yoga has always been a part of my life. I’m a certified yoga instructor from The Yoga Institute Mumbai and Circle yogashala Arkansas. It's been fulfilling to share my practice as a yoga instructor. 

I’ve always enjoyed my time on the mat but fell in love with yoga post having my daughter. I was struggling to identify with my new body post motherhood and yoga gave me mental peace that I really needed and slowly healed me. 

My style of yoga is Hatha yoga more inclined towards traditional yoga style. It’s balancing the energies of sun and moon with breathing techniques pranayam and asanas along with mudras.”

Hannah 

"I first encountered yoga in middle school as a way to exercise and relieve stress and in the years since, the practice has been a source of strength, calm, and community. In 2023, I completed my 500 RYT training and certification through Practice Yoga Austin, with an emphasis in trauma-informed teaching. My approach to teaching yoga is rooted in what I’ve had the privilege of learning from a range of talented teachers. I aspire to create a welcoming space where people can feel present and comfortable in their own bodies. Students can expect mindful, functional movement and slow flow sequences in both my Water and Air classes, with Air classes providing a slightly faster pace and perhaps some more challenging asanas.
Outside of yoga, I love to travel, either exploring locally or further afield, often with my dog Hadley in tow. I also love to create, whether that’s cooking a great meal, knitting a new sweater or pair of socks, or writing."

Cody 

Cody Conway is certified 200hr RYT, trained at circle yoga shala. She is pursuing dual degrees in law and social work and works full time on a grant at UALR. Cody is relentlessly herself and likes deep conversations. Her favorite part of teaching yoga is creating spaces where new students feel safe.

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"yoga came into my life when i was 15. i loved and enjoyed it as a hobby for about a decade. then when i got sober in 2017, i realized how important it really was. it helped me learn how to take care of myself as i healed.

"paradoxically, practicing self kindness gives me strength to handle life on life’s terms. it helps me be more honest about what’s going on internally, and it’s the main way i express caring for my sensitive self. my goal is always to accept and explore who i am in each moment of practice. when i teach, i try to create an atmosphere where my students feel permission to take an attitude of gentleness towards themselves as well." 

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"in restore class, we use props to support the body. class often begins with foam rolling, and then moves into gentle postures held for 3-5 minutes. when the body feels safe, comfortable and cared for, renewal and relaxation are possible. this class is set to soft music with rich textures. students often experience a liminal space between wakefulness and sleep during this practice and leave feeling serene and ready for a peaceful evening and great night’s rest."

Jeffrey

"The first book I ever read about yoga listed several super powers you might attain through regular practice: flight, shrinking, and living underwater. Over the last 12 years I experienced a lot of trial and error where my preferences and lack of persistence were regular problems, but now through very little fault of my own I have a strong personal practice. I studied with the Yoga Circle Shala for my certificate training. They provided the language and foundation I'd been lacking in my practice. Enabling me to start a new practice, teaching. And as is often the case when it comes to openings, so many new and exciting avenues have made themselves known to me since beginning my formal training. While I still have no perceivable super powers, I am more at peace with my life than I have ever been. That's an experiential fact. Come see if you can find your own facts along with some balance and strength with me through Playful Movement and Inquiry."