Teachers

Nicole Landrus has been teaching Forrest Yoga (FY) for over 11 years. Her yoga journey began when she stumbled out of a restaurant into a yoga studio in Denver. She fell in love with the FY style because it gifted her the sensation of feeling into her body in a way she never knew was possible. This gave her the tools and space to begin her yoga journey and heal from trauma and addiction. She took FY Foundation Teacher Training in Santa Monica in 2011 and continued with FY Advanced Teacher Training in 2013.  Other trainings include Street Yoga Teacher Training (for high risk youth and families), Radiant Beginnings (kids yoga), Hatha Yoga, and ongoing continuing education with Cheryl Deer.

Nicole invites all levels of yogis into her classes. FY classes are designed for everyone, and accessible to all bodies and all backgrounds. Each class is created to help students connect to their breath and feel into their bodies on a deeper level. Deepening breath awareness helps bring students closer to their authentic selves and spirit. Nicole brings a fun, light hearted energy to her classes. She emphasizes proper alignment to protect the body and loves giving hands on assists to help move energy, heal injuries and trauma, and increase the quality of breath.

Each time you show up on your mat, you will connect with your body and feel strong, calm, and centered. In class, you learn to honor your edges and develop effective tools to deal with fear and struggle, while also having time to experiment and be creative on your mat. Through inversions and other playful poses, you face challenges and learn to navigate the breath in a supportive and strengthening way.

Melissa started as a Pilates student about 10 years ago to compliment her running, strengthen her core and “other muscles she didn’t know she had.”  She quickly fell in love with the mind / body connection she experienced from Pilates and the strength she gained which helped improve her running!  After taking classes for several years, she decided to become a certified instructor through the Lagree method.

Melissa recently moved to Durango from Dallas, in 2020 and has been a Pilates instructor for 6 + years.  She graduated from college at Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in Marketing.  Melissa has always been passionate about health, fitness and nutrition.  After having a baby and leaving corporate America, she decided to follow her passion for fitness and nutrition and help others reach their health and fitness goals.  Melissa went back to school to become an Integrative Nutrition Coach, Master Sports Nutrition, Certified Personal Trainer and Mindset Coach.

Melissa loves working with others and encouraging them to step outside of their comfort zone, while motivating & helping them to reach their health and fitness goals.

Lauren is a yoga and meditation teacher, certified in Hatha, Vinyasa and Yin styles. She first found yoga asana as a college athlete, looking to balance her training and conditioning with stretching and recovery. However, as her practice grew, and as she was exposed to different styles of teaching, she discovered the clear connection between mind and body, and yoga and holistic wellness. 

Aside from her formal teacher trainings, she has taken courses in the foundations of Ayurveda, women’s wellness in yoga, as well as yoga for stress and anxiety. The latter two are her primary influence in the majority of the classes she offers today. 

In addition to teaching yoga, Lauren is currently studying to be a Nutrition Therapist Master through NTI in order to expand her services in holistic wellness practices. 

When Lauren is not teaching or studying, she’s likely to be found trail riding with her horses, mountain biking/ hiking with her husband and two dogs in the warmer months, snowboarding on winter weekends, or diving deeply into a good book.

Emily is a professionally trained dancer with over 15 years of ballet, pilates and barre experience. Her love for dance inspired her  to pursue a career in health coaching and fitness. Emily incorporates fun and dynamic movements, with strength and empowerment to show every client that they are capable and beautiful.

Jolie obtained her BS & MS in Health Promotion and Wellness from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (yes, she is a cheesehead and only and always a Packers fan). Her graduate work was with the Becoming An Outdoors Woman (BOW) program. She spent many years paddling canoes and backpacking ranges throughout the US and Canada. She still paddles (SUP) and loves lake life. She has traded in her backpacking boots and running shoes for mountain biking though. Jolie loves staying active AND pressing the PAUSE button with mindful and restful movement and meditation. She completed her yoga teacher training with Yoga Durango in 2015 and has practiced yoga for 20 years.

Jolie’s yoga practice and teaching is to seek the uncovering of mindful movement and body awareness and smothering it in “secret sauce”: the awareness of the breath.

Judy has over 10 years experience in leading Vinyasa Flow classes, Yin Yoga, Meditation and Yoga Philosophy classes. She is devoted to creating a sacred space in which you can channel energy towards transformative, life affirming means. This is done through intention, dedication conscious breath, movement and meditation. Her classes are taught safely in an unhurried, exploratory manner with attention to alignment and thoughtful sequencing. She encourages all students to practice, with kindness, compassion, peace and love. Encompassing an appreciation for all life.

Although she had been introduced to yoga years ago in her home state of Pennsylvania, Melissa didn’t practice regularly until after she and her husband relocated to New Mexico in 2012. Melissa began taking yoga classes and initially fell in love with all the physical benefits it provided. Somewhere along the way she realized that yoga was much more. In 2017, Melissa decided to pursue yoga teacher training to really delve in and find out where else it could take her. She learned that yoga supports her health in many ways – physically and emotionally – and quickly realized the importance that pranayama plays in her life both in and out of the studio. She has been teaching yoga classes since 2018. Shortly before the pandemic hit, Melissa received her American Barre Technique certification and expanded her studio experience to include teaching beginner barre classes, as well as a fusion class that merged yoga and barre moves. Most important to Melissa is the sense of community that yoga/studio life brings to her. What she learns in the studio she takes into the world, and she encourages others to do the same.

Melissa has always been drawn to outlets for her compassionate personality, and yoga fits right in! Melissa brings her sense of humor and love of music to the studio. When she’s not in the studio, Melissa loves hiking with her husband, Joe and her Heeler, Jack.

Becca’s passionate personality shines through almost everything that she does in life. She thrives to run in the mountains in the summers and ski in the winters. She soon found the parallel with yoga and running, simply discovering breath to movement. Becca took her first yoga class in 2011. A few years into her yoga journey, she diverged from Vinyasa style yoga to a new style, Ashtanga. She quickly fell in love with the dedication, consistency, and work that Ashtanga yogis have towards their practice.

 The practice provides an opportunity for her to grow and learn from others and a space for self-reflection. Her passion stems from the benefits of healing that she has received from yoga during difficult times. She knows that even through all the chaos that life brings when she steps onto her mat her mind is at ease. Becca hopes to bring this to all of her students and encourage others to step on their mat and find the simple pleasure that yoga provides.  

After falling in love with yoga through music, Kara finds joy in low and slow AND quick and strong flows with rhythm and reason. Finding intention every time she hits the mat, Kara hopes you find your flow with her thoughtful sequencing. 

Alchemedic SonicTree – Steven Veillette is a dedicated yogi and loves to facilitate transformation in others and help them find relief from their stress through his work. Steven has been working with sound therapeutically for several decades.  His sound healing experience started with the path of mantra and has evolved into his current work today with resonance.

  The intention of his work is to raise his clients’ frequency and vibration giving them increased resistance to disease, reducing inflammatory conditions, translating into more day-to-day energy.  He believes that by charging up and tuning in to ourselves we become more available to making our community, country and world a better place. 

  This work came into prominence for Steven as a result of several severe head injuries that had left him in a degenerative state.  Through working with the Gongs and Crystal Singing Bowls he successfully regained his mental aptitude and reversed the downward spiral of his mental, emotional and physical condition.

Tamlin’s love of yoga started as a young girl practicing with her father in their living room. 
In 2004, after the death of her father, she took her first yoga class. She immediately felt at home on her mat and found her yoga practice to be profoundly healing and grounding. 

Since that first class, she has had the great privilege of exploring many different methods, styles and teachers of yoga and in 2011 she completed her 200-hour teacher training through Yoga Durango. 

Tamlin has taught all-levels vinyasa, restorative, Ashtanga, private, and group classes. She believes all people can benefit from the healing powers of yoga and considers it an honor and a privilege to be able to share this ancient technology with her community. 

In addition to yoga, Tamlin enjoys snowboarding, SUPing, biking and hiking with her husband, two children and dog Bodhi as well as snuggling up with her kitties and a good book.