About the instructors

Allyson Copacino has been an Ashtanga Yoga practitioner since 1999, and has taught yoga, dance, movement and art classes to children in the Portland since 2000. Allyson holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of Oregon and a Masters Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Concordia University. While working as a substitute teacher for Portland Public Schools, Allyson began to incorporate yoga and movement into classrooms and noticed remarkable improvements in her students’ focus and concentration. This led her to gain her certification as a Children’s Yoga Instructor in 2006 at It’s Yoga Kids in San Francisco and an Advanced Children Yoga Instructor Certification course through Yoga with Kate and Rosie in 2008 and Integrated Approach to Wellness 1 with Yoga Calm in 2009. More recently Allyson completed a 200-hour teacher training certification through Yoga Alliance to begin working with ‘big people’, with the intention of brining yoga to school teachers, as well as their students. Allyson’s goal is to combine her dual passion for yoga and education by providing dynamic, creative, and lighthearted classes in studios and schools throughout the Portland area.

Laura Walton teaches yoga to kids and adults of all levels and abilities. Laura has been practicing yoga herself since 2002. When she saw the tremendous benefits that yoga has to offer, she decided she needed to share them. Laura has completed over 800 hours of training in varying styles of yoga, including Yoga Ed’s K-8 Instructor Training, where she became a certified Yoga Ed instructor. She has taught yoga to kids ages 3-18 in numerous after school programs, electives, and summer camps and loves hearing the kids say they “wish they could have yoga class all day”.  Laura has taught classes with MoveYoga for the past 2 years, and has recently moved to Phoenix to work on her Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling.  She looks forward to starting a few MoveYoga classes in Phoenix!

Kirsten Bracht, RYT Kirsten’s yoga classes incorporate many yogic traditions, but are based fundamentally in Hatha yoga.  She began practicing yoga in 2006 and has been teaching since 2009.  Trained in Vinyasa and Viniyoga, her classes encourage recognizing the breath, compassion, patience, a sense of humor, and invite curiosity.   Kirsten has gained invaluable experience teaching yoga to homeless or at risk youth in the community through Streetyoga. Volunteering with the organization since 2008, Kirsten has witnessed the calm, the confidence, the strength, determination, and observation that the youth experience through practicing yoga.  Kirsten has also been involved in teaching youth in schools through after school programs.  In teaching youth or adults, she is passionate about exposing everyone to the benefits of yoga and believes that everyone has what they need inside themselves to be happy, healthy and capable of achieving any goal they set their mind to.

Nadia Delshad, Psy.D is a mother of two toddler boys, certified YogaCalm Instructor and Clinical Psychologist who has worked with children and families for over 17 years.  She has a Master of Science degree in Developmental Child Psychology and a doctorate degree in clinical psychology.  She is currently teaching YogaCalm and social emotional skills to children from preschool through 5th grade at various locations throughout Portland.

Heather Stoken discovered her deep connection to yoga when student teaching High School English, in 2005. She completed a Yoga  teachers training in  2007 and has since taught Yoga in studios and schools throughout Portland, joyfully working with students of all ages. Heather is passionate about teaching children, weaving her experience and love for fun and engaging yoga classes for kids.

 

Colleen Welch earned her Teaching education degree in 2006, then took some time off to explore what she should do next. She found herself taking yoga classes every day during this time, and realized that she longed to share the gift of yoga with others. In 2008, Colleen became certified to teach Vinyasa yoga to adults. But it wasn’t until she began teaching kids’ yoga classes in 2010 that Colleen felt her two passions—teaching yoga and working with kids—had finally found their fullest expression.Colleen is certified to teach kids yoga through Imagination Yoga and Mindful Life Yoga. Her kids’ yoga classes include mindfulness activities, relaxation, and imaginative yoga journeys. Colleen’s dearest wish is to teach her students how to regulate their emotions and find inner peace through yoga, deep breathing, and awareness. Her kids’ yoga classes are fun, engaging, and structured, so that all her students feel safe and successful!Colleen also teaches adult Vinyasa and Yin yoga classes in studios, offices, and online. Off the mat, Colleen enjoys cycling, reading, creative writing, gardening, and making art and music. She especially likes to sing during jam session with friends.