Our teachers

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ERYT500, YACEP 

Owner/Director of Training

Pranayama Teacher 

Ayurvedic Health Educator

After years of attending yoga classes and having two beautiful boys, Andrea became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through Yoga Alliance under the direction of Donna Dyer and continued her training at Three Rivers Yoga Institute where she received her RYT500. She has found that regular practice has helped her become a better mother, wife and member of the world community and she loves to share what she has learned with others.

Andrea teaches with an eclectic mix of styles with a playful and lighthearted attitude. She has studied the Hatha tradition, with influences of Iyengar, Ashtanga, Anusara and YinYang Yoga.   She founded Sangha Center in April of 2010 and has since continued her studies with master yoga teachers and the California College of Ayurveda to further her guidance to students in the community towards increased health and vitality.

RYT500

Julia started her yoga journey in her and her husbands’ martial arts studio under the tutelage of Andrea Kirkham. Julia became a martial artist in 1991 after 20 years of dancing. She had already graduated from the Penn State University with a major in Therapeutic Recreation and a minor in dance. Julia has been employed as a child development specialist, job coach, and an intensive case manager for children with mental health diagnosis.  Currently Julia has been teaching martial arts with a special interest in preschool and school age children for 22 years.

 Julia is proud to have been in Andrea’s first teacher training course (2013) at Sangha Center. Yoga might be a relatively new love but it fits well into Julia’s dance/martial arts background. Julia looks forward to a very long journey down the yoga path and enjoys meeting new people along the way. 

RYT500

Sangha officer manager

Tammy discovered yoga “by accident”, attending her first class during a girl’s night out. After only a few lessons, it became evident yoga was to become a permanent part of her lifestyle. She found the practice helped her to increase flexibility and strength while decreasing headaches and anxiety. Having worked in the health insurance industry for over a decade, Tammy believes yoga fills an important gap in the overall health and wellness plan of individuals. Therefore, in 2013 she enrolled in the 200-hour teacher training program at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness in order to become equipped to share the many benefits of yoga with others.

Tammy’s most influential teachers have been Andrea Kirkham and Libby Black. She feels most connected to the Ashtanga style of yoga, however, she also enjoys practicing SUP yoga on a sunny day. In her free time, you are most likely to find Tammy enjoying a good meal at a new restaurant or researching recipes.

ERYT500

Loretta has been practicing yoga for nearly 25 years but didn't get certified until she retired from teaching health and physical education. She got her 200 hour teacher training at Three Rivers Yoga. She has attended workshops with David Swenson, Doug Swenson, Kali Rae, Donna Fahri, Rachel Rumbaugh, and Rolf Slovik. Her blessings include her husband, two children, two grandchildren, and her Sangha.

RYT500

Liz began to dabble in yoga in 2000 as a part of her dance and movement studies at Allegheny College. She came to the practice in earnest during a stressful first year of grad school in 2006, and it dawned on her that yoga’s role in her life would be more than just a physical exercise. Yoga teacher training experience includes: 200 hour RYT with Joanne Vandenhengel (2009), Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training with Janice Clarfield (2012), Gentle Yoga Teacher Training with Joni Sturgill (2014), Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Richard Gartner (2017) and various other workshops and trainings. In 2017, she completed her RYT500  hour training with Andrea Kirkham at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness. Liz has been teaching various styles of yoga in the Pittsburgh and Beaver County areas since 2009. She plans to continue practicing, learning, unlearning, relearning, reflecting, meditating, breathing, experimenting, and teaching throughout her lifetime.

RYT200

Bailey started her yoga journey back in college when she took Yoga as a gym class. While she loved the class it took a few years and her sister becoming a yoga instructor start her journey back up again. As a birthday present she received a 5 class pass to Sangha and after her first class she hasn't left.  Over the next few years she learned as much as she could about yoga and graduated with her RYT-200 certification from Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness in September 2017.

She is known around the studio as the queen of props because she is trying to lead the charge in taking the stigma away from the use of props. Her wish for new students that may not think yoga is for them is to keep an open mind because even though you may think you are not flexible enough, yoga is a journey and there is so much you can learn about yourself and your body while also learning to touch your toes!

RYT200

Luke was lured into the Sangha yoga studio by his niece and his wife with a five class pass Christmas present and the promise of breakfast afterwards. While the “accidental” level 3 class was a bit intimidating as an introduction, yoga immediately resonated.

Luke became a fixture at Sangha, practicing several times each week and attending workshops. After 3 years of practice and some gentle prodding he began yoga teacher training under the tutelage of Andrea Kirkham and completed his RYT200 in fall 2018. The study of Astangha (the 8 limbs of yoga) solidified the natural connection Luke felt between the asana practice (postures) and the meditative aspects of yoga.

While in college Luke learned meditation in the Soto Zen tradition as part of an eastern religions class. He continued to practice ‘meditation lite’ for the next 30 years. His practice significantly deepened with his yoga practice and the study of the yoga sutras.  Luke completed Meditation Teacher Training with Susan Piver through the Open Heart Project (Samatha) in fall 2018. Luke is not wed to one meditative tradition and believes in working with students until they find a practice that resonates with them.

RYT200

Jenn began practicing yoga in 2001, as a supplement to her then fitness program. In a short time, Jenn felt that the yoga was resonating differently, bringing her an inner sense of calm and balance, not previously known. Years, and many changes and challenges later, yoga is the one consistent practice that remains. Yoga continues to connect her to a strength within. Jenn believes that everyone (and every body – regardless of gender, age, body type) can benefit from a yoga practice, and that the benefits will find the individual where and when one needs it. 

Jenn completed her RYT 200 certification at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness in June 2015, and has continued her studies through various workshops and trainings including trauma informed yoga, yin yoga, yoga for cancer patients, and relaxation and restorative yoga. Jenn looks forward to continuing to learn from (and with) her students, peers, and teachers. Jenn is grateful to be a member of this Sangha.

RYT200

Terry has been interested in health and personal growth 'forever'. Graduating from Jameson Memorial School of Nursing (now: UPMC Jameson) in 1999, Terry has been licensed as RN since then. He began working in home healthcare in 2008. Having added RYT200 and LMT to his credentials, Terry makes himself available to yoga studios, treatment teams, and clients interested in empowerment through information - in personal growth through diligent self-care.

In the yoga studio, Terry leads fun and energetic classes rooted in Hatha fundamentals, conscious breathing, and a deep understanding of anatomy. 

RYT 200

Kristen became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through the Yoga Alliance at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness under the direction of Andrea Kirkham, ERTY500, in 2019. Her personal practice is based on deep spiritual reflection, mindfulness, meditation, and connectedness, as will be reflected in her classes. She is passionate about including all aspects of yoga in her class with focus on practicing breath work, exploring movement and stillness, and discovering relationships between the body, mind, and spirit, allowing for a full mind-body practice. Kristen takes a light-hearted approach to all of her classes, encouraging students to be gentle with themselves. She creates a safe, welcoming, non-judgmental space for her students to move, breathe and honor their own light within.

RYT 200

Sarah was first drawn to yoga about 4 years ago with the promise of being “bendy” and doing “cool looking poses.” She walked in to her first class ready for some easy stretching and breathing, but was surprised at the difficulty of the practice, as well as the commitment of all of the students. And the BREATHING, it’s amazing how he’s to can be to just ..breathe. She had never been in a room of people breathing and moving together in unison. 

She chose to expand her knowledge, completing her RYT-200 through Sangha Center in May of 2021. Those 200 hours deepened her love for the practice even more, and gave her relationships with other people who share that same passion. Now, she hopes to be able to help spread the practice that has given her so much joy, self acceptance, awareness, and even many friendships. 

RYT 200

Brittany went to her first yoga class with work friends in 2016 to try a new form of exercise. While the class helped her feel stronger, there was something else drawing her back to the class. She started to see the benefits of a regular practice, learning to control her breath not just in class, but in her everyday life. She continued to be curious about all aspects of yoga and quickly learned it was so much more than exercise or stretching. Wanting to tell everyone she knew about the benefits of yoga, Brittany decided to become a certified yoga teacher and completed her RYT 200 certification at Sangha Center for Yoga and Wellness in 2021. 

In the studio, Brittany enjoys vinyasa flow and power flow yoga classes. She can be seen with a smile on her face when she's there because to her, all yoga is fun!

RYT 200

Toni has been a resident of Beaver county since 2017. She is a lifelong veterinary technician and advocate for all living creatures. Toni started practicing yoga on and off in 2000. Shortly after moving to PA, she found Sangha Center and began to practice more regularly. Because of the amazing teachers there, she was inspired to enroll in the teacher training program. It was then that Toni began to learn that yoga was much more than the physical aspect alone. She received her RYT200 and with excitement in 2020.

Yoga has helped Toni to learn how to accept herself for who she is, and has provided her with more mental focus along with physical comforts. Everyone’s bodies are different. Through instruction, offerings of modifications, and focus on the movement of the body with the breath, the goal is to help empower each individual to explore what works for them and to find enjoyment and peace in their own practice.

RYT 200

Bio coming soon!