Dive into the world of Monmouth Beach Yoga & Wellness and discover the dedicated individuals who are the pillars of our commUNITY. From seasoned yogis to passionate practitioners, our team is here to guide you on a transformative journey of health, serenity, and self-discovery. Join us and let their expertise illuminate your path to holistic well-being.
Lisa Matthews has been practicing yoga for close to thirty years.. She turned to yoga to find relief from years of continuous back pain and major surgeries. Through the years she has tried physical therapy and other workout methods but nothing helped her as much as her yoga and stretching. Being on her mat not only helped heal the physical issues but also cleared the mental chatter of her mind. She has studied around the world with many exceptional yoga teachers. As she continued to try different lineages of yoga, one class led to another, and she soon became addicted. Not only did yoga bring profound change, it also brought better health and balance to her life. This encouraged her to continue her path to deepen her practice and move on to the next chapter in her life. In 2011 Lisa decided she was going to take that next step and enroll in the YogaWorks 200 Hour teaching program. Once she became certified, she continued her studies and went on to get her certification in Reiki I & II. It has been her passion to continue this “Amazing” journey, so she decided to retire in 2013 from her successful Corporate Insurance Career of 22 years to pursue her dream and open her very own Yoga & Wellness Center. In 2003 she drafted a business plan with the intention of opening her very own studio. After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, she knew this was the time to help bring health and healing to the Jersey Shore commUNITY.
Lisa has been battling some hereditary health issues and in 2014 had to undergo major surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering. In 2017 she met with a Specialist at Mt Sinai in NYC, who advised her to continue her scopes & scans on a semiannual basis. Then in 2018 had to undergo another major surgery at Robert Wood Johnson. Lisa continues to listen to her doctors and remains positive and proactive. These challenges inspire Lisa to bring more awareness to people to do annual health checkups and find some stillness in their bodies, so they can actually listen and hear what is going on.
Yoga is about HEALTH, HEALING & RELAXATION. You don’t need to be flexible; yoga helps bring flexibility. She believes every “BODY” can do yoga they just need to honor their bodies.She says yoga helps her learn more about herself every day, and she expects Monmouth Beach Yoga and Wellness will be a haven for others as they pursue their own path toward personal expression and connect with their inner peace so they can take it off their mats and into their daily lives. She is blessed that she can do what she loves to do.
“Don’t be afraid of props, they are our friends. The use of props expands your yoga experience by helping you find more space and stability in your poses, they are great teaching tools and help bring new awareness to your body.
~ Lisa Matthews
Mary began her yoga practice in 2007 after retiring from a 20+ year career as a Buyer and Product Development Manager for several National Specialty Retail stores. She credits Yoga with helping her to transition gracefully into this next phase of her life. She completed her 500 hour yoga works advanced teacher training in 2013. She has also studied with Alan Finger, Jillian Pransky, Biff Mithoefer, Cyndi Lee, and Julie Gudmestad. It has truly been an amazing journey as she continues to learn more about herself and the study of yoga every day. Believing that it is important in our busy everyday lives to slow down, center ourselves, and just simply breathe. She enjoys teaching classes that create a safe space for her students allowing them to find this sanctuary in their yoga practice.
In a desperate attempt to change her life, Alysia found Yoga, and it was exactly what she needed. Always on the go at a fast-paced job, Yoga provided the peace, calm, and clarity she was looking for. Shortly after coming to Yoga in 2018, she fully immersed herself in the teachings, starting with Meditation training, then 200, 300, Yin, and Reiki. Now a forever teacher and student of Yoga, she looks forward to learning more, not only to bathe herself in knowledge but also her students. Alysia’s mission is to share her love of Yoga with like-minded souls in hopes that it provides them with the same peace, calm, and clarity it did for her in a time of chaos. Outside of the studio, you can find Alysia enjoying the natural beauties of life. A true animal lover and Jersey girl at heart, she takes advantage of the trails, beaches, and weekend trips as much as she can, and she will never turn down the opportunity for a good meal with a great view!
Julie accidentally ended up in a yoga class after more than 20 years as a serious runner, math nerd, and inflexible klutz. An unlikely yoga student, she was surprised to find that she loved the combination of peacefulness and intensity inherent in yoga practice, and she loved how it complemented her running. Julie completed her 200-hour training with Yogaworks and she strongly believes in focusing on proper alignment while moving with breath. Off the mat, she can be found baking cakes, building financial models, spilling coffee, and tripping over things while out running.
Chrisanne took her first yoga class in 2010 and has been hooked ever since! Chrisanne completed her 200-hour Yoga Works® teacher training in February 2017 at Monmouth Beach Yoga & Wellness. She has since attended various workshops/trainings in continuing education. Yoga has been a big influence in her life and she wants to share her passion for Yoga with others. Chrisanne would like to use the joy of Yoga to inspire her students to live their best lives! Be patient, be mindful, and be kind.
Jamey has been infatuated with yoga since her very first class. As a former dancer, she was drawn to the movement of the classes but fell in love with the mental peace and clarity that the practice offers. Jamey is a Monmouth Beach resident and full-time Special Education teacher and is passionate about bringing the physical and mental benefits of yoga to people of all ages. A true teacher at heart, Jamey considers herself a lifelong learner and is constantly looking for ways to grow in all aspects of yoga and wellness. Her own yoga practice has instilled a much-needed sense of self-love and forgiveness that she intends on spreading to her students. Jamey sees the bright light in all people and is dedicated to helping her students find and cultivate that light within themselves.
Catharine has worked in fitness for almost 20 years. Inspired after working the front desk at a fitness center in college, she began pursuing her own certifications. While her full-time career is teaching high school English, she has a passion for mindful fitness in her free time. She is a seasoned yoga and barre instructor who carefully designs classes with her student’s interests in mind. Her goal is to motivate and inspire all of her students to transform their mindset and overall health through movement. Her thoughtfully designed playlists complement her classes, keeping you focused and having fun. Catharine encourages her students to listen to their bodies, doing what feels good and right for them.
Veronica started practicing yoga to increase her flexibility after years of intense athletic workouts. What she found was not only could she touch her toes, but a certain tranquility blossomed within. Hoping to pass along the fulfillment yoga has brought to her life, she decided to become a teacher. Her classes blend physical alignment and core strength poses in a fluid rhythm. She emphasizes breath awareness and conscious intention to create balance & well-being in the mind & body. It’s about letting your inner light & true self shine through! To let go of fear & trust your inner wisdom. Yoga touches us at different levels & at different times in our lives. Veronica believes each time we practice, we can take what we learn on our mats with us into everyday life.
Theresa became involved with Yoga at the age of 19. It was offered at her local high school. She was hooked immediately because of the way it made her feel physically, mentally, and spiritually. Over the years She took classes occasionally until MBYW opened in her commUNITY. After a long day at work, she would walk into the studio, and it would feel like she was “home.” After class, having all the stress and anxiety gone from her body and mind made her realize the power of Yoga. She has worked as a master’s degree Social Worker with adolescents in a school setting and would often guide them through meditations to help them deal with life’s challenges. The power of Yoga and meditation can be very healing. She completed Yoga Teacher Training at MBYW through YogaWorks in February 2017. It has been a life-changing experience. Her intention is to incorporate the field of psychology with Yoga, as a way of empowering and healing others.
Dana discovered her passion for yoga during a rough time in her life. She was mentally drained and surrounded by negativity. Yoga allowed her to breathe in the positive future and exhale the past. Fourteen years later, Dana practices yoga in her everyday life. She is a new person- physically, mentally, and spirituality. She believes that yoga is a beautiful, sequenced dance, that you share with loved ones, Father Sky, and mother earth. Yoga is LOVE, and that’s all you need.
Dana is also a Certified Sound Healer through Life Changing Energy. During a tough time with the pandemic, she did Color therapy with Dougall Fraser. Dana finished her 200-hour Kundalini training with Ithaca Yoga Farm. She teaches vinyasa flow, energy flow, restorative yoga, yin yoga, meditation, crystal bowl sound baths, and mudras, and uses aromatherapy in her classes. She teaches us to let go, and love ourselves and others. How to connect to Mother Earth, Father Sky, Higher Power and so much more.
Her next adventure is QiGong.
Ken’s yoga journey started over ten years ago. He began exploring yoga for the physical benefits not realizing the spiritual and emotional aspects of a daily practice. Yoga has opened him up to have more balance, strength, flexibility, and clarity each and every day. After five years, he felt compelled to learn more and decided to embark upon teacher training to further expand his knowledge. He studied with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Yee at The Yoga Shanti in NYC and completed his 200-hour RYT Training with Evenflow Yoga in Red Bank. Ken has been teaching for over five years and loves to share his knowledge and wisdom of the practice to help others feel better about themselves. He is experienced in multiple yoga styles and disciplines including Gentle, Yin, Vinyasa, Power, breath awareness, philosophy, anatomy, and sequencing. His dynamic teaching focuses on breath while being in the present moment. Ken’s classes intend to provide mindfulness, balance, flexibility, strength, and stamina in order to reduce stress and anxiety and find inner peace.
