Peg Oliveira, PhD, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Peg grew up with sports shaping her early life. Captain of her basketball and golf teams, she never lost the itch for both the discipline and freedom found in purposeful movement.
Peg was originally certified as a yoga teacher at Yoga Center Amherst in Massachusetts. Peg became a certified Baptiste Vinyasa Power Yoga teacher in 2007, and has studied with many national teachers. She is also certified as a Thai Yoga Therapy Practitioner by Saul David Raye and maintains a limited group of private yoga therapy clients. Peg’s essay “Mind Over Multitasking: What Would Buddha Do?” appeared in the collection The Culture of Efficiency, edited by Sharon Kleinman.
Peg holds a PhD in Social and Developmental Psychology. She is the Executive Director of The Gesell Institute of Child Development, a nonprofit child advocacy organization that promotes the principles of child development through innovation and objective wonder.
Peg’s yoga class offers a dynamic combination of strength, sweat and soul. Her style emphasizes sound alignment with an unpredictable flow. While challenging, it remains accessible to most beginners.
Courtney Bauer, RYT 500, YACEP
Lillee Chandra is a body educator fueled by more than 20 years of experience in yoga, therapeutic massage and bodywork, competitive sports, and studies in somatic psychology. Her keen intuition, exceptional hands-on, and anatomical acuity for blending the science of assessments with the art of touch, distinguish her as a go-to source for those suffering from any type chronic pain and injury. Amongst fitness and yoga communities, she is a known specialist in postural re-education, pain reduction and management. Clients, students and colleagues have dubbed her “body salvager” for her distinctly diverse ability to restore and rehabilitate as well as vest those capabilities in others.
Lillee is a licensed massage therapist, certified by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), a certified yoga instructor, accredited as lead teacher for trainings and continuing education, and a senior teacher and trainer for Yoga Tune Up® and the Roll Model Method®. She holds a certificate in clinical orthopedic massage through Dr. Joseph Muscolino. Lillee has presented at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Princeton University, the National Endurance Sports Summit, and is a regular guest teacher for Equinox Fitness, Pure Yoga, and YogaWorks training programs. She is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, the American Massage Therapy Association, a certified Yoga Tune Up® integrated teacher, and a contributing author and editor for Tune Up Fitness® training curriculum.
Jen Leavitt, JD, MSW, RYT
Jen enhanced her understanding of business practice by working as a yoga studio manager for four years. She coordinated and managed all aspects of the highly successful West Hartford Yoga (WHY), including wellness outreach efforts to underserved communities. She currently practices juvenile, criminal and probate law at Marshall & Veale, LLC. She continues to teach power yoga and Yoga for Recovery at WHY. Jen also serves WHY in various administrative capacities and supports the current management team.