Pure Yoga & Fit Barre Instructors

I grew up in the wonderful land of Siberia where from a young age I was involved in outdoor activities such as rock climbing, hiking, ice skating and many others which developed my love, interest and appreciation for nature and active life.  When I moved to the United States several years ago my yoga journey began as I wanted to keep following an active lifestyle. Starting up from attending yoga classes and enjoying the opportunity to learn more about my mind and my body as one complete piece I moved on and started teaching yoga classes and absolutely fell in love with the entire process.  I got Yoga Instructor certification with AAAI-ISMA in 2018. In the beginning of 2019, I completed a 200-hour training course in Tantra Vinyasa Yoga in Peru.  In March of 2020 I have accomplished an advanced yoga teacher training course in New Zealand for RYT500.

Being a yoga teacher has become an absolutely life changing experience for me and made me feel so grateful for all the benefits that yoga is bringing to people’s life. As a base of my yoga classes I prefer active and energetic flow with attention to breath work. My goal is to help students explore and understand their physical body and mind as a union through their personal practice. I like giving students the opportunity of the challenge. I love seeing people improve and become stronger, healthier and more complete inside as they continue practicing yoga. I truly believe that finding the balance and harmony inside of the self is the key to true happiness and Yoga is for sure a right path to reach this goal.

My journey with yoga began in college where I was an active member of the campus yoga club starting in 2008. Upon graduation, I attended the world-renowned Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica during January of 2010 and received my 200-Hr. RYT certification. I founded the ‘Random Acts of Yoga’ class on Ocean City’s beaches during the summers of 2010-11 and began teaching yoga classes at Pure Family Fitness (then Powerhouse Gym) around the same time. I also taught hot yoga at Soul Yoga Studio in Salisbury, MD from 2015-2019 and at Meta Yoga studio in Salisbury during 2019. I’ve continually expanded my knowledge of yoga practices, attending workshops and training in things like acro-yoga, SUP yoga, psychology of the chakras, arm balancing, and yoga nidra, all of which contribute to a unique blend of what I’m able to offer in my classes. Being a yogi has quite literally changed my life. Through fitness and community, I have grown and evolved alongside the other amazing people that I encounter through yoga.

My teaching style blends vinyasa, ashtanga, and hatha yoga to create a ‘power yoga’ fusion. I believe my practice is an opportunity for self-inquiry and reflection, which in turn leads to breakthroughs and growth on and off the yoga mat. My classes are built upon this foundation. I deeply enjoy the creativity and opportunity for discovery that yoga lends to every human being, and I enjoy helping others tap into potential through their practice.

After losing her father almost 4 years ago, Lauren began yoga as a way of coping with anxiety and my emotions. Coming from an avid runners background, she believes in the physicality of yoga and has lived the benefits that the practice can bring to one’s mental and physical wellness.

Recently, Lauren deepened her practice to incorporate chanting and breath work for a more spiritual practice. Being a professional musician also influenced her addition of chanting and Naad yoga, which incorporates vibrations used for a healing effect. Lauren has studied in pranayama, offered by The Art of Living, obtaining her 200 hour teaching certification, and is experienced in teaching various forms of yoga, including Hatha, Kundinini, and Chakra toning with chant. 

Mk found yoga during her senior year in college as an outlet to channel her anxiety. Never wanting a traditional desk job, she felt called to teach from the very beginning. In 2019, she took a leap of faith and signed up for her first teacher training at M.Power Yoga Studio in Baltimore. 

Mk has always had a strong connection with animals and has been known to rehabilitate strays or care for special needs animals. She strives to practice Ahimsa (non-harming) by obstaining from eating meat or buying products tested on animals. 

She received her BA in journalism and public relations from Salisbury University and has dreams of starting her own wellness and self-care brand. Mk incorporates yoga philosophy, intuitive movement, meditation, and astrology into her vinyasa rooted classes to educate her students both on and off their mats.

Kate is a 200-hour trained yoga instructor and a lifelong practitioner of yoga.  She is also a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and draws on that skillset to develop yoga sequences that invoke fun, innovative experiences for her students. Her class style flows between vinyasa, yin, and restorative and focuses on fostering a sense of community. Kate believes that a fun yoga practice experience with a supportive community is a great building block for a robust self-care routine. As a mom of 2 children, 4 fur babies, a wife, a daughter, and a busy professional – she understands life can be chaotic and stressful and aims to provide students with a safe place to practice self-care. 

After 18 years in banking, Alisha left the corporate world to find balance and health for her family and herself. She studied health and nutrition to become a PN1 certified nutrition coach. Alisha quickly found that she truly loved helping others, and became a fitness coach and a certified fitness instructor in three Beachbody programs: Insanity, PiYo, and Core de Force. She later discovered peace, strength, and passion in yoga and became 200-hour certified under Rebecca Sirman, at YogaVibez. Alisha is currently pursuing her 300-hour yoga certification with Judy Heany and Sadie Nardini at Balance Cape May.

Through her own journey to health, Alisha lost 30 pounds, reduced her stress, and became pain-free for the first time in her adult life. She now shares her learnings online, in person, on the water, and in the classroom.

Rebecca first began to practice yoga as a way to counteract inflexibility from years of competitive swimming and long distance running. Wanting to learn more about the discipline, she earned both her 200 and 300 hour yoga teacher training certifications with Kim Manfredi at Charm City Yoga (now YogaWorks) in Baltimore, Maryland. She has also completed over 100 hours of advanced study with Jason Crandell, and holds an E-RYT 500 designation from Yoga Alliance. 

Rebecca’s classes weave yogic philosophy with asana, pranayama, and meditation. Her teaching and trainings honor the history and tradition of the centuries old-practice of yoga, while also recognizing that we exist in the 21st century. She has been yoga leading teacher trainings since 2018 throughout Maryland and Delaware.

Rebecca has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington College and a Master of Arts in School Psychology from University of Delaware. She is an NCSF certified personal trainer. Off the mat, she loves boating, biking, running and paddling, and spending time with friends and family.

Sara’s yoga journey began with a connection to the philosophy and the teachings of yoga. After losing her Mom to cancer, there was a connection, a calling to the yogic principles that brought her peace. Through yoga, the universe and the spiritual journey seemed more fluid. 

Throughout Sara’s life, yoga has been a welcome mat- a place where she turns to recenter and reconnect. She hopes to provide that same welcome mat for her students. 

Sara is RYT 200 certified and trained under Candice Hennessey of Yoga Centric and Chrissy Ehrhart of Zenna Wellness. In addition to her yoga training, Sara has a degree in Psychology, and she has worked in the Medical Device Industry for more than 15 years. 

Sara’s passion is for Vinyasa. Through vinyasa Sara recognizes the potential to cultivate energy, connecting physical movement and breath. Sara’s hope is to provide classes that combine a work-out for the body, mind and spirit and that somewhere along the way we tap into a collective energy where we unite. 

Vance first found yoga after a number of back injuries in 2008 and 2009. During physical therapy, he would use yoga as a change of pace type workout. When Vance did, he always did so at home where he could struggle with difficult poses and try to follow along with what he saw on the screen. Vance says that he always had anxiety about entering a yoga studio because he felt like he wasn’t good enough to practice with other attendees.  That changed in November 2019 when Vance signed for and attended a class in Fenwick Island, DE. Vance quickly discovered that yoga practice is a powerful community of connection and challenges. Through his regular practice, Vance has found an incredible amount of physical and mental benefits including making him a far calmer person.

Vance currently works as a Corporal with the Ocean City, MD Police. Vance has been a Police Officer for the past twenty years and he has worked for both Ocean City, MD Police and Salisbury, MD Police during his career. After seeing the physical and mental benefits yoga provided for Vance, he decided that he wanted to teach yoga to other First Responders/ Public Safety Professionals. Vance completed his 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training thru Yoga- Vibez in Ocean City, MD in March 2021. Since that time, he has also completed Warriors at Ease Training as well as Aerial Yoga Teacher Training. Vance was mentored in the Hatha Yoga tradition by Tana Martin (RYT-500), Vance blends a practice mixed with breath, movement, and mindfulness for an overall feeling of wellbeing. During these sessions students can expect to move, stretch, work of alignment, build strength, and nurture flexibility.

When not on the mat, you can typically find Vance on or around the beach in Ocean City. Vance is an avid dog lover…having two of their own plus fostering for local shelters. Practicing yoga has also tapped into Vance’s creative side as he now serves as the Beautification Chairperson for his neighborhood, the Caine Woods Community Association, and was most recently appointed to the Town of Ocean City Beautification Committee.

Kim found yoga after losing her Father in 2018 & quickly developed a love for the healing and health it provided. Kim is a full time social worker for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities and teaches yoga part time. Combining a passion for social work and yoga, Kim completed a 50 hour trauma informed yoga teacher training through Yoga Centric which led to pursuing a  200 YTT through YogaVibez University. Expect gentle, longer held poses and a slower pace in Kim’s classes which incorporate breathe to movement and a focus on restorative poses through use of props. Kim truly believes in the quote from Sakyong Micham, “The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.”