YOGA CLASSES
We offer a variety of group and private classes, including yoga for beginners, advanced yoga classes and aerial yoga. We also offer mindfulness classes and belly dance.
Our Yoga Instructors
Our talented tribe of yoga, mindfulness, and dance instructors come from many different backgrounds.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions about the yoga studios at Heart of Salisbury, please don't hesitate to send us a message!
Our Studios
We have two yoga studio spaces that can be combined into a 1,500 sq. ft space, accommodating up to 50 yogis with their yoga mats. Our walls double as gallery space for original artwork exhibits.
We practice the eight limbs of yoga, including the ethical guidelines and personal observances of yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas. We do not use mirrors during yoga because our goal is to help you learn the pose by feeling the sensations in the body associated with each pose and committing them to your mind. Yoga at Heart of Salisbury goes beyond the physical practice, it delivers mindfulness, self-awareness, and with enough practice, we hope to help you build resilience to stress and difficult emotions.
You will not find culturally appropriated items (images and objects with significant meaning to other cultures) at our studio. It is part of our ethics to respect all cultures and religions by not using their symbols in improper ways. We respect the Eastern roots and fabric of yoga by not using its symbols as decorations and by assigning credit to where it belongs. We also respect that individuals have different belief systems and hope to make our classes, workshops, and events, comfortable for all.
Wivianny Dehaas
Wivianny, or as many of us call her, Wivi, is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified teacher, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist.
Wivianny Dehaas
Wivianny, or as many of us call her, Wivi, is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified teacher, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist. As a co-occurring disorders therapist, she used mental health therapy techniques rooted in mindfulness and eastern philosophies. After many trainings in different modalities, she become more interested in studying yoga as a stand-alone practice and realized she enjoyed teaching yoga just as much as providing her clinical services. She is passionate about the philosophy of yoga and incorporates some of her training as a licensed mental health therapist into her yoga classes. Her hope is to help students practice mindfulness and build resilience. She has extensive training in Yoga for Resiliency and Trauma Recovery.
She and her yogi tribe envisioned a space where the Salisbury community could share, practice, and learn more about yoga, wellness, arts, and cooking. Heart of Salisbury is the manifestation of that vision and Wivianny is its Chief Heart Officer. She prides herself in calling Salisbury her true hometown, having lived in Rowan County for almost 20 years. “I may have come from Brazil over 20 years ago, and I still am very much Brazilian, but Salisbury is where my heart is. I am a local here.”
When she is not at the Heart of Salisbury Shoppe or teaching yoga, Wivianny is working at her private therapy practice, actively volunteering in many organizations in Rowan County, cooking, or traveling. She and her husband have two emerging adult children, and a sweet and caring rescue dog.
Vanessa Dumont
Vanessa is an E-RYT 200 and a RYT 500 hour. She received her training from Rolf Gates of Gates Enterprises in Santa Ana, CA. She has training in vinyasa yoga and laughter yoga.
Vanessa Dumont
Vanessa is an E-RYT 200 and a RYT 500 hour. She received her training from Rolf Gates of Gates Enterprises in Santa Ana, CA. She has training in vinyasa yoga and laughter yoga. She has experience in yin yoga, Yoga for Trauma and Meditation and is a certified Yoga 12 Step Recovery (Y12SR) teacher. Vanessa has been teaching yoga for 10 years and has been a student of yoga for 25 years.
She has taught for several surrounding studios as well as private yoga classes and is now co-director of Samadhi School of Yoga in Salisbury, NC. Outside of teaching yoga, Vanessa is a full-time dermatology nurse and enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, adult children, grandbaby, and zen cat.
Stacey Carter
Stacey is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning.
Stacey Carter
Stacey is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. With over 3 decades of teaching riding lessons and horsemanship, she believes that creating a partnership with the horse requires mindfulness, compassion, self-awareness and self-control.
Through the practice of yoga, these skills are enhanced along with improved balance, breathing, strength, and flexibility. When she is not working, helping rehabilitate horses or practicing yoga, Stacey enjoys live music, gardening, and spending time with her partner, son, her exuberant rescue dog, her two self-confident and shy rescue cats, and five horses, including two rescue horses.
Tanya Restar, RN, RYT
Tanya Restar is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher, a Certified Vibrational Sound Therapy Professional, a registered nurse and a mother. Tanya’s philosophy is that yoga is for every body, regardless of age or limitations. She encourages her students to be grateful for where their bodies are today. Tanya continually educates herself on the ways a post can be modified for all abilities.
TANYA RESTAR, RN, RYT
Tanya Restar is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher, Certified Vibrational Sound Therapy Professional, a registered nurse and a mother of 3 human children and 3 dogs and 1 bunny. She turned to yoga in an attempt to manage some personal stress. What she found was not only the stress relief she sought, but found that the practice additionally helps keep her physically well. Tanya’s Yoga Philosophy: Yoga is for every body, regardless of age or limitations.She encourages her students to be grateful for where their bodies are today. Tanya believes and teaches finding the proper alignment in each pose is about honoring, listening and respecting your body. Tanya is a life long learner. She enjoys learning new things and is always challenging herself to find the way a pose can be modified for all ages.
Jim Amaral
Jim is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher who has taught yoga for the past 4 years with a focus on strength and mobility.
Jim Amaral
Jim is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. Jim found yoga after a life altering knee injury. Yoga has allowed Jim to regain both his mobility and strength allowing him to return to his active lifestyle. Jim is a multiple marathon and Ironman finisher. He has taught yoga for the past 4 years locally with a teaching approach that focuses on both strength and mobility.
Jim holds a master’s degree in the Science of Leadership and works for Salisbury-Rowan Utilities as their Water Resources Manager. He is married to a registered yoga teacher and nurse practitioner who practices locally. When not distance training or practicing yoga Jim enjoys beach trips and playing fetch with his beagle Lou.
McDermott Connor MA LCMHC LCASA NCC, 200-RYT
Mac is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher, as well as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Counselor Addictions Specialist with his practice at Heart of Salisbury (See Wellness).
McDermott Connor MA LCMHC LCASA NCC, 200-RYT
Mac is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher, as well as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Counselor Addictions Specialist with his practice at Heart of Salisbury (See Wellness). Trained with over 200 hours of yoga techniques, training, practice, yoga humanities, anatomy and physiology, Mac has a passion for helping individuals and families live their best lives.
ANNE COTE HOFFMAN, MA, 200- RYT
Anne Cote Hoffman is passionate about making yoga accessible for every body as an important element in self-care for the mind, body and spirit. She began practicing yoga in 2012 and was trained at Yoga One in Charlotte in the Baron Baptiste Hot Power Yoga Methodology; she received her 200-hour RYT certification in 2017.
Anne Cote Hoffman, MA, 200- RYT
Anne Cote Hoffman is passionate about making yoga accessible for every body as an important element in self-care for the mind, body and spirit. She began practicing yoga in 2012 and was trained at Yoga One in Charlotte in the Baron Baptiste Hot Power Yoga Methodology; she received her 200-hour RYT certification in 2017.
Born in California and a self-proclaimed Army BRAT (Born Rough And Tough), Anne fell in love with Salisbury when she began at Catawba College. She loves to travel with her family and with students and has led two yoga retreats to Costa Rica.
Anne has been a middle/high school educator for over 20 years and is currently the Career Development Coordinator for Salisbury High School. She is a student advocate and is dedicated to connecting students with internships and learning experiences that follow their career curiosities.
Sunday- 10:00-11:00 AM Mixed Level Vinyasa Flow
Accessible and adaptable for all levels of yoga, this vinyasa flow class moderately moves from pose to pose while connecting breath to movement. Flows through strength, flexibility, balance, and relaxation.
Kristen Fontana
Kristen is a certified 200-hr yoga teacher, graduated from Chakra Flow University in Charlotte NC. Kristen specializes in Vinyasa Chakra Flow yoga, which works through each chakra starting at the root up to the crown - releasing the energy channels and helping you connect mind, body, soul.
Kristen Fontana
Kristen is a certified 200-hr yoga teacher, graduated from Chakra Flow University in Charlotte NC. Kristen is a plant enthusiast and a lover of all thing's nature. Kristen, a mother of 5 children, has been practicing yoga on and off her entire adult life and believes that yoga can heal. Kristen specializes in the Vinyasa Chakra Flow style of yoga that offers asanas that work through each chakra, starting at the root and working up to the crown, releasing the energy channels and helping you connect mind, body, soul.
Ellen Smith
Ellen Smith is a 200 Hour Yoga Instructor, trained with Ganesha’s Yoga and Wellness Studio in Greensboro, NC, with over 13 years of experience. Ellen teaches in the Vinyasa style, but more slowly paced with longer holds for each pose to foster strength, flexibility, and mindfulness.
Ellen Smith
Ellen discovered yoga 13 years ago while attending Appalachian State University and felt the practice was a good addition to her consistent Pilates routine. Eight years ago, her practice grew into the resolution for balancing a busy life working with children with special needs, where she found yoga to be the perfect outlet.
Ellen completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Ganesha’s Yoga and Wellness Studio in Greensboro, NC and is grateful for the guidance and assistance they provided her in her yogic journey. Ellen has been an instructor with Heart of Salisbury since our opening, teaching her classes in the Vinyasa style, but not in the traditional sense. The pace is not fast, but rather slower with longer holds for each pose. Her hope is that in her classes, students will gain a sense of strength and flexibility as they move mindfully from one pose to the next.
Firuza Ficus
Belly Dance Professional, including Egyptian, Persian, Turkish, Tribal and cabaret styles as well as Belly Dance Fusion.
Firuza Ficus
Firuza Ficus is a Belly Dance Professional with Blue Rose Bellydance Studio at Heart of Salisbury, offering Egyptian, Persian, Turkish, Tribal, and cabaret styles as well as Belly Dance Fusion. Firuza has over 16 years of experience in belly dance, and has previously performed with the Raq-A-Bellas and the Rhythmic Essence belly dance troupes. She is currently an active dancer in the Roses of the Realm, a Charlotte-area performance troupe best known for their stage show each year at the Carolina Renaissance Festival. Firuza's classes focus on encouraging dancers to express themselves. She believes that belly dance is for everyone, everybody, and every body.
Firuza has a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Strategic Marketing, and works as a marketing and web design professional. When she is not on stage or teaching, she can be found in her garden or taking her dog for a walk at our local parks.
Sacha Roberts
Sacha is a Mindfulness and Meditation Practitioner with over 12 years of experience providing high-quality mindfulness and compassion practices, dedicated to guiding others in a mindfulness practice that cultivates compassion, inclining us to treat ourselves and one another with greater kindness.
Sacha Roberts
Sacha is a Mindfulness and Meditation Practitioner with over 12 years of experience providing high-quality mindfulness and compassion practices, dedicated to guiding others in a mindfulness practice that cultivates compassion, inclining us to treat ourselves and one another with greater kindness.
Mindfulness is an intentional connection with the present moment that changes how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world. A dedicated mindfulness practice cultivates compassion, inclining us to treat ourselves and one another with greater kindness. Research demonstrates that a mindfulness and compassion practices remodel the brain’s physical structure in ways that build resilience and support well-being.
Sacha became fascinated with the concept of Mindfulness whilst staying at The Mountain Light Sanctuary in Asheville, where she discovered Thich Nat Hahn’s writings. His words “breathing in - I calm my body, breathing out - I smile” enveloped her in such a profound peace, she simply had to have more. Sacha trained at the Charlotte Centre for Mindfulness and now holds certificates in MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and MCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) and has taught Mindfulness to K-5 in the public-school system and at the JF Hurley YMCA. She has taught children’s meditation at the Kadampa Meditation Center and continues her mindfulness journey with retreats at Charlotte Centre for Mindfulness, Kadampa Meditation Centre, The Art of Living in Boone, and the NC Zen Centre.
Whether your motivations are reducing stress, cultivating self-compassion, or achieving peace of mind, Mindfulness Meditation with Sacha at Heart of Salisbury is where you’ll find a community where you can learn to live mindfully and find calm.