Joanna Chipi

Owner of Zen Den Yoga & E-200 RYT

Jo was first introduced to yoga after suffering many physical injuries from being a successful, high level gymnast. At the age of 12, her lumbar spine fractured meaning her gymnastics career came to a screeching halt. With a loss of identity, she was eager to find something that could supplement the discipline, awareness, strength and flexibility that the gymnast lifestyle once offered. Jo was hooked after her first yoga practice. For the years to follow, she sustained a consistent Bikram and Vinyasa Yoga practice, only to realize that there was much more to yoga than the heat, sweat, and physicality. Once the transformative magic of yoga surfaced, she knew it was something she had to share with others. Jo completed her 200 hour teacher training with Jeff Peltz and Rae Lynn Stackpoole at Yoga on York and also became a Certified Child Light Yoga Instructor. Jo has been teaching around the seacoast for several years now and offers an accessible class that’s balanced between movement and stillness; challenge and rest; body and breath. With a belief in love, karma, abundance, and community she encourages others to “take that leap” towards one’s dreams and desires. Trusting in the process has proven to be most pivotal in her life thus far. Jo leads many intensive style classes that make challenging “advanced” poses easily accessible to everybody and she also co-leads an unforgettable week long Yoga and Wellness Retreat in early November at the award winning Blue Spirit in Nosara, Costa Rica.

Holly Pelletier

200 RYT

Holly was first introduced to yoga during her undergraduate studies when some of the girls on her soccer team encouraged her to check out some free classes. She still remembers that first class like it was yesterday and recalls feeling like the least flexible and weakest person in the room. Even though the first class was intimidating, to say the least, Holly stuck with it and quickly developed an ongoing passion and drive to practice more and more. Having an active mind, it was the first time she was actually able to slow it down; yoga gave her a sense of stillness she could not find anywhere else.

Holly completed her 200 hr. Teacher training with Jennifer Walker, a student of Rod Stryker. Studying the specifics of Tantra Vinyasa (based on Hatha), Holly was introduced to many aspects of yoga and studied deeply about topics including Karma, Mantra, and Kriya. She thoroughly enjoyed learning the other aspects to the asana practice she loved so much.

It was about 10 years after that first class that Holly took the plunge and decided to study Chinese medicine and acupuncture. After spending years in acupuncture clinics observing people’s tendencies, their complaints, their pain- she found an entirely other level of depth that she wanted to bring to her yoga classes. She wanted to guide people to feel better longer, more grounded, and more capable off their mats. She began combining acupuncture theory, points, meridians, and adjunctive techniques in her yoga classes, and her classes seemed to come alive. The two go together seamlessly and add so much to the practice.

Holly is extremely passionate about what she does, and feels that being an “acupuncturist by day” allows her to deeply know the intricacies of the body. She guides people to open up mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually through careful and well thought out sequences. She incorporates seasonal change and other Chinese medicine principles that strengthens the body’s natural health and strength. It is not uncommon for Holly to use essential oils on key acupuncture points during class, or to give her students a little acupressure during savasana.