Mandy Sergent Glitzer
Mandy is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), Experienced Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) and the owner of Wellness in Motion. Though she’s taught yoga for nearly two decades, Mandy’s goal from her yoga practice has never been to stand on her head. The goal has always been to quiet her mind, check in with herself, and stand more fully on her own two feet. She uses yoga as a way to help her stay sane, as a business owner and mom of two young boys, and as a way to stay pain free even though she has severe scoliosis.
Mandy’s passion in teaching yoga to others is to “meet her clients where they are”. She primarily works with beginner level students and those who are in pain. She excels at making yoga accessible to all regardless of their physical condition. Her group classes incorporate yoga therapeutics and functional movement correctives to help students find ease in every day movement with a balance of strength and mobility. She also offers individual sessions for those seeking a more therapeutic approach.
Mandy is a life long learner and self-professed yoga training addict, always eager to learn more about the body, mind and spirit. Knowing first hand the emotional toll that physical pain can have on a person, Mandy’s work incorporates physical poses as well as mindfulness, breathwork, and yoga nidra to help calm the nervous system and restore a sense of well-being to the whole person.
Allyson Barbato
Allyson began practicing yoga during her studies in Masters in Social Work at Smith College in Massachusetts. Recognizing the benefits of yoga, as well as the marriage of the principles and practices of yoga and psychotherapy, she became a certified in 2009 as a Prana Yoga Teacher. Prana Yoga is born from the Kripalu lineage of yoga, and offers a gentle practice with longer holds to invite a meditative self inquiry, awareness and mindfulness. In addition, Allyson is certified as a Level I LifeForce Yoga ® practitioner, which is a practice to assist in treatment of depression and anxiety. Allyson had a private psychotherapy practice in New York, where she incorporated yoga on and off the mat. New to State College, she is honored to have the opportunity to teach her traditions at WIM.
Sona Briggs
Sona’s love for yoga comes from her own deep personal transformation; healing decade old injuries from a near fatal car accident, weight loss, liberation of anxiety and depression, and an awakening to her truth. Trained in Kripalu and Himalayan Institute based philosophy, she now devotes her life to sharing the wisdom of self-healing with others, believing fully that we all have the deep rooted capacity to take charge of our destiny, heal ourselves and invoke lasting personal transformation in our lives. Sona’s holistic lifestyle including business, energy medicine, yoga, design, music and love of the outdoors are all expressions of this devotion.
Roe Davis
Roe has been involved in fitness since the ‘80’s ‘aerobics’ craze. Starting as a group exercise instructor, leading every phase from boxing to “Silver Sneakers”. During this time she also achieved a Level 1 Mat Pilates instructor. She became an ACE personal trainer in 2004 after her office position ended. . Since moving to the area May of 2017 she has been a part time trainer at Fit for Play. Roe, missing group ex classes found Wellness in Motion by taking Jessica’s PiYo class.
Sunna deForest
Sunna deForest, RYT200 has practiced yoga since 1995. She decided to become a yoga teacher in 2005 out of a desire to share the benefits of practicing yoga with others. Sunna’s experience with yoga infuses her classes, where she weaves alignment principles, breath work and flowing movement through her teaching. Born and raised in Alaska, Sunna has an innate love for the outdoors and enjoys gardening, hiking, biking and camping. She and her husband, Russ, moved to State College, Pennsylvania in 2007. When Sunna’s not doing yoga, she’s teaching second and third grade at the State College Friends School.
Briel Driscoll
As a life long dancer, Briel has always been interested in the human body and how it moves. She began studying yoga in 2009 while she was getting her undergraduate degree in dance at Temple University and has been practicing ever since. Briel received her 200 hour Ashtanga teaching certificate in Rishikesh, India the summer of 2017 at the International Yoga and Meditation Society. It was here that she also developed a strong interest in Meditation and Mantra, which she incorporates in her classes. Briel is also a Reiki Master Teacher, Traditional Western Herbalist, a dance teacher and enjoys exploring how yoga can intersect with these other techniques. She has a passion for photographing yogi’s in natural environments.
Toni Feret
Toni began her yoga journey 10 years ago after graduating from Penn State and accepting her first sales position. Yoga became an outlet to build strength both emotionally and physically while helping to create an even work/life balance. For the past 6 years, Toni has taught a cardio group fitness class inspired by muay tai, boxing and karate as well as a calmer group fitness class inspired by tai chi, pilates and yoga. It was the love of the latter that encouraged Toni to pursue her 200 hour RYT at The Zen Den in Margate, NJ. Toni’s vinyasa is a fun, fast paced flow designed to energize and balance the chakras or physical, emotional and spiritual energy centers.
Chrissy Fritton
Chrissy has always had a passion for health and fitness which has kept her engaged in rec leagues, running for wellness and participating in fitness classes. Additionally, Chrissy coaches youth and Special Olympics sports. As a mother, and preschool teacher, involvement in youth yoga felt like a natural step in her life and career. She is excited to bring her passion for health and supportive early childhood development to Wellness in Motion as a baby-toddler yoga instructor!
Jackie Gardner
Jackie has a graduate degree in Exercise Physiology and was a professional cyclist (road and mountain) many moons ago. Physical activity has always been a part of her life. Jackie found yoga during a very difficult time and it was love at the very first practice. She’s been practicing for over 11 years and enjoys all forms, but finds restorative yoga to be one of the most gentle yet empowering forms. In addition to yoga, Jackie enjoys cycling and spinning, nature, spending time with her son, and thrift shopping.
Trish Golembeski
Trish found peace through yoga while in nursing school and being a working single mother. She was inspired to begin yoga teacher training to help others quiet their mind and help manage anxiety. Trish completed her 200 hour YTT in March 2017 and began her new passion as a teacher that summer.
Maryjoy Gregory
Maryjoy is a 2019 graduate of the 200 hour YTT program at Wellness In Motion. She has been exploring the body-mind-breath connection since 2016. After spending most of her childhood as a dancer, she now enjoys sharing fun new flows with fellow yogis for creative expression and physical fitness. In her spare time, she enjoys the great outdoors by camping, biking, hiking, cross country skiing, and paddle boarding.
Stephanie Koller
Stephanie’s journey into wellness began with her love of movement and dance. As a child she took ballet lessons and participated in high school sports. Then as a college athlete Stephanie played division IV tennis, lacrosse and badminton. After graduating with a BS in Psychology, she decided to combine her love for fitness and working with others. These passions inspired her to pursue both ACE and AFAA group fitness certifications. After spending more than twenty years as a certified fitness instructor, in 2009 Stephanie discovered the healing powers that mind classes provide. She began teaching yoga-based group fitness classes and has continued to expand her personal practice through attending many specialty workshops. As a mind/body instructor, her goal is to help class participants make an internal connection between yoga postures and breathing. This enables them to become more energized, empowered and confident.
Jessica Minelli
Jessica is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and holds multiple format certifications, including PiYo Live. She completed her 200hr Yoga Teacher Certification here at Wellness in Motion and enjoys providing a variety of classes to our community. Jessica’s goal as an instructor is to provide a community experience where class participants feel welcomed, encouraged and inspired. When Jess isn’t teaching, she enjoys being outdoors and participating in activities such as stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and trail running.Jill Wood
Jill has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2019 at Wellness in Motion. She continues her yoga education through various workshops on trauma-informed yoga, functional movement, meditation, alignment based yoga, and yoga nidra. Jill is a movement enthusiast who runs, cycles, swims, lifts weights, and practices yoga to feel good in her body and in her life. She has her PhD in biobehavioral health and women’s studies, and her teaching and research at Penn State focuses on women’s health and sexuality. She has 3 fantastic kiddos, a cute little dog, & spoiled backyard chickens.
Megan Yoder
Megan has been practicing yoga since 2004 and completed her 200 hour yoga teacher certification in 2017 at Wellness In Motion. She enjoys taking various workshops and learning more about yoga through reading and practicing with other yogis. As a yoga instructor, she wants to share her love of yoga with others. She got her associates degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography in 2003, and has been a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer since 2006. In 2017 she got her bachelor’s degree in Health Care Management. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, and volunteering with the children’s ministry at her church.
Kathleen Zdenek
With over 14 years experience in early childhood special education and a life-long passion for the benefits of movement for all ages, Kathleen is continually growing as a yoga instructor. As a long time yoga practitioner Kathleen was eager to grow with yoga and completed the Every Kids Yoga © training in 2011 and was inspired to further her knowledge by completing the basic ChildLight Yoga and Yoga for Tween & Teens trainings as well as graduating with a 200 hour Yoga Teacher certification in March 2017. Kathleen recognizes how much learning takes place when the body is in motion as well as the importance of learning to be still. Within a traditional classroom setting, as well as during yoga classes, she has utilized her knowledge for behavior management, conflict resolution, connection to self and others and to energize or calm student groups as necessary. Yoga for youth has shown to promote gains such as improving attitude toward self and others, increasing body awareness as well as strength and flexibility while also reducing anxiety. Kathleen believes in identifying individual strengths as a means to motivate and inspire all youth to reach new goals, both on the yoga mat and in life.
Guest Teachers
Theresa Conroy
Theresa Conroy spent 26 years working as a Philadelphia journalist. In January 2007, she left her job covering criminal courts for the Philadelphia Daily News to teach yoga full-time.
She earned her 200-hour Yoga Teacher certification in 2005. In 2008, she deepened her knowledge of yoga by becoming a Yoga Therapist with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy school, based in Bristol, Vt. Five years later, she completed a second Yoga Therapy certification, through Inner Peace Yoga Therapy, based in Durango, Co. There she was trained in Functional Yoga Therapy, Yoga Nidra, Ayurveda, and Yoga therapeutics for Anxiety and Depression, Grief, Chronic Pain, Addiction Recovery, Heart Disease and Cancer. She now works as an Inner Peace Yoga Therapy Program Mentor.
She is also trained to teach Adaptive Yoga for Disabilities, which includes instructing those with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, MS, Parkinson’s and other conditions. She is also certified to teach Yoga for Chronic Pain and Core Strength Vinyasa,
For the last seven years, she has received a grant from The Parkinson Council to teach Yoga for Parkinson’s group classes. Theresa also leads teacher trainings in Yoga for Parkinson’s Disease and Yoga for Special Populations.
She is registered with the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT) and is also is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT) and a certified Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner. In 2010, she was named one of the Top 10 Yoga Instructors in the area by Philadelphia Magazine online. In 2014, she was a semi-finalist in Philadelphia Magazine’s Be Well Philly Health Hero competition.
Theresa is a guest instructor for our yoga teacher training program.
Kate Marshall-Chase
Kate Marshall-Chase, a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher (CIYT), began her studies and practice in 1980. She started teaching in 2005 at the Iyengar Institute of Central Pennsylvania. In addition to numerous workshops and teacher trainings with Senior Iyengar teachers Kate has traveled to Pune, India three times to study with BKS Iyengar and his daughter Geeta and son Prashant. With a special interest in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Kate strives to weave practical yoga philosophy into her teaching and life. In 1983, Kate began a long career as a Bodywork Therapist with training at the original Kripalu ashram in Sumneytown, PA.
Jen Yost
Jen Yost has been teaching yoga for over a decade. She earned her 200 hour yoga teaching certification from the Mt. Nittany Institute of Natural Health in 2003, and later became part of their yoga teacher training staff. She also holds a 500 hour professional level yoga teaching certification from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Yoga and Zen awareness practice as taught by Cheri Huber have transformed Jen’s life, and she loves to share these powerful practices.