Sandy Eby, Certified Instructor
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Before yoga, Sandy was doing several triathlons, swimming, biking and running. While on vacation, she was introduced to Hatha Yoga, which works primarily with the body through postures and breathing exercises. She liked the way it made her feel physically and mentally. The more Sandy did yoga, the more she liked it.
Sandy continued to practice for a couple of years. In 2000, to deepen her yoga practice, Sandy received her basic teacher training at Kripalu Yoga Institute in Lenox, Massachusets. She continued doing yoga, running a little and riding her bike. In 2004, Sandy went back to Kripalu for a weekend seminar. She was introduced to Bikram Yoga that weekend, took her first class, and fell in love with Bikram Yoga.
The closest Bikram Yoga studio to Sandy's home in Oswego, New York was in Ithaca, one hour and 45 minutes away. She started traveling to Ithaca once a week and doing Bikram Yoga in her basement with the CD and a space heater. She was not able to get the room as hot as it should be, but she needed to do Bikram Yoga - she was hooked. Sandy was amazed at what Bikram Yoga was doing for her mentally and physically.
In 2006, Sandy received her teaching certificate with Bikram in Los Angeles, California. She is excited and grateful for the opportunity to share the physical, mental and healing benefits of this practice with others and watch them change their lives through the practice of Bikram Yoga.
Judy Osetek, Certified Instructor
I first heard of Bikram yoga while visiting a friend in New York City. After jogging five miles in Central Park with my friend, she invited me to take a class! Although it was extremely challenging and I wondered if it would ever end, I found myself energized and refreshed by the class.
Upon returning home to Oswego, I couldn't get the yoga class out of my mind and immediately searched on-line for a Bikram Yoga class in the CNY area but was disappointed to find there were none in driving distance. A few years later, my mom started taking Bikram yoga classes in Ithaca and I would occasionally join her on weekends to attend classes there.
Before yoga, I played competitive soccer through college and enjoyed running in races, including half-marathons and triathlons. Growing up, I was passionate about all sports and into adulthood, I continued to crave exercise that was challenging and satisfying to the body and spirit. Bikram yoga offered me a new kind of physical challenge. It has also helped me heal past injuries due to sports and running, leaving me feeling stronger and healthier than before.
I became a Bikram yoga teacher because of my passion for the yoga and the healing and energizing benefits that it provides. The physical and mental well-being that comes with a consistent Bikram Yoga practice is something I will always be grateful for and that I wish to share with others.
I completed my teacher training in Acapulco in the Fall of 2008.
Kripalu yoga is a style of Hatha yoga that focuses on compassion. I’m filled with gratitude for the opportunity to become a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher in June 2020. Thank you to all who have inspired me to continue on this beautiful yoga path! Namaste. Jai Bhagwan
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Debbie Drake, Certified Instructor
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Kathy Schrecengost, Certified Instructor
Kathy first fell in love with yoga after taking her first class as a sophomore in high school.
Over the next 40ish years, she has taught yoga to fellow educators, after school programs and one on one with friends. Fast forward to present day, where after retiring from a career in Special Education, she completed her dream of becoming a certified, bonified yoga teacher! Kathy received her yoga certification from the highly regarded Aura Wellness Center.
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Kathy believes you are never too old (or young) to reap the benefits of yoga. Bad knees? Back issues? Problems with mobility? She’s got you!
Kristen Skinner, Certified Instructor
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I took my first yoga class in 2013 at a celebration at Oswego Middle School. It was on this same day that Judy took me to a Bikram Yoga class at the Kingsford House. I came wearing shorts and a t-shirt and although it was really hard and different from the yoga class I had experienced earlier in the day, I was excited to sweat and work so hard. At the time yoga for me became a passionate hobby and I looked forward to challenging myself each class.
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In 2014, I prepared for high school and this is when my yoga practice really started to take off. It was no longer a hobby. It was something I needed each day. I started to come to my yoga mat, not simply for the challenge, but for the ability to let go and release my anxiety and anything else no longer serving me from the day.
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High school was tough, but I truly believe my yoga practice helped me to find everything I needed to survive and thrive both on and off the mat. My yoga practice has taught me to have an abundance of gratitude for each and every moment and for each and every breath. On my yoga mat, I truly feel “like a flower petal blooming,” and this joy is so powerful that I want to share it with everyone I come in contact with.
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Through our amazing studio, I have found a community that feels like family. Wherever we are, as long as we are together, I feel like I am connected and I am home.
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2020 has been a whirlwind to say the least, but my yoga practice and our community has helped to keep me grounded. One highlight of this year is that I completed my 250 Hatha yoga teacher training through Aura Wellness Center. This has been a goal of mine for a few years now, and I could not be more excited and ready to share the practice of yoga with all of our students.
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Thank you to everyone who is a part of Blossom Yoga Oswego for helping me to discover the gift of yoga that has now become such a major part of my life. Can’t wait to move and breathe together soon! Namaste.
Katie Stout, Certified Instructor
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I took my first Hatha yoga classes in high school, where I learned Sun Salutations and the value of quiet commitment. My sister and cousin introduced me to Bikram yoga (26 & 2) about a decade later. I truly hated that class; I had never felt so worked over in my life! But an injury turned into a blessing: I came back to Bikram a couple years later when I hurt my back farming—two Bikram yoga classes later, and I was back out in the fields with my back feeling great! I have been hooked and loving the 26 & 2 ever since, especially practicing here with my Blossom Yoga Oswego community. After much encouragement, I finally achieved my Hatha yoga 300-hour certification through Aura Wellness. It has been a challenge and a joy.
Meditation and pranayama go hand-in-hand with my yoga practice. I started years ago by using focused, intentional breathing to manage anxiety. From there, I began to study mindfulness, MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction), Buddhist meditation techniques in the Theravada tradition, and Paramhansa Yogananda's Kriya yoga. I recently became a Certified Breathwork Instructor and work to help clients maximize the potential of their breath both inside and outside the yoga studio.
When I am not practicing yoga, I am a full-time homesteader and permaculturist. My husband Andrew (who is a gifted chiropractor) and I own and operate an edible landscaping and design business, Regenerative Property Management.
Infinite gratitude to Sandy and Judy for creating this beautiful yoga community, and for the privilege of teaching with them; infinite gratitude to God for the gifts of yoga and our amazing friends who teach it.
Penny Downing, Certified Instructor
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I was born and raised in the town of New Haven in a very large family. After graduating from Mexico high school, I attended SUNY Oswego where I earned my bachelor's in Secondary Mathematics Education and my master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I continued my education at SUNY Cortland were I obtained my CAS in Educational Administration. My teaching career spanned grades 6 - 12 and lasted over 30 years. The majority of my career was spent at G. Ray Bodley high school in Fulton, where I taught math and was the department chair for 18 years before retiring in 2022.
Since retiring, I have spent a few months each year in Florida, enjoying long walks on the beach, bike riding, and doing yoga. I’ve been a skier since I was ten and continue to enjoy hitting the slopes on those perfect sunny days. When the weather warms, I golf in two golf leagues and take in additional rounds with friends. I also go kayaking and four wheeling. Living in the country and having land allows me to have a large garden where I grow a variety of vegetables that I can and share with others. As an active person, yoga helps me to maintain the strength and flexibility I need to participate in all of these activities.
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My yoga journey began in December of 2017 when my friend convinced me that it would help with my stress from work. At first, I didn’t think I could do those hot yoga classes, but after the first few times, I was hooked. Within the first two months, I had toned my body, lost a little weight, and alleviated some of the aches and pains in my back. Those chest pains from stress that had brought me to the studio had disappeared. I was a yogi for life. I have participated in every 30-day challenge at the studio and continue to practice on a regular basis.
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Teaching is in my blood and after retiring, I decided to continue learning by becoming a certified yoga instructor. In the spring of 2024, I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher training. In the summer I completed a 40-hour flow yoga training and in the fall I completed a 20-hour Yin yoga course. I love all types of yoga and believe each complements the others. Yoga heals the mind and body and I don’t think I would have made it through the tough times without it. I share my love of yoga with everyone and encourage you to join me in the studio.
Leslie Sisto, Certified Instructor
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Leslie is a 26X2 Certified Instructor (Formerly known as Bikram) received training and certification from The Original Hot Yoga Academy led by Ida Ripley in Las VegasNevada. She is also Tier 3 Certified Baptiste Yoga Educator.
This certification enables her to write and present Baptiste Methodology principles and practices. This includes inquiry Dhyana as a tool to self-discovery. Asana, physical practice, as an access to strengthen the body along with the other eight limbs of yoga.
Leslie has taken various other trainings over the years with wonderful teachers and different modalities from Iyengar wall yoga to certification in 96Yin. Breath centered trainings with Robert Mosses and Eddie Stern Yoga Collective. Certification in Qi Gong from Jeff Primack Supreme Science in Miami. Leslie has E-RYT 500, YACEP from Yoga Alliance.
She is also a licensed massage therapist with over 35 years in practice. with specialties including cranio-sacral therapy, deep tissue Swedish myofascial release and Reiki Master. A licensed veterinary technician, her practice includes humans, horses and dogs.
What Leslie says yoga has done for her: "Yoga has helped me overcome various injuries and dysfunctions in my body. Most of us have some sort of pain and discomfort. It is my belief that with time and regular practice these issues can be alleviated. The real prize is the internal journey. The struggles that are placed in front us." What yoga teaches us: It is “doing the work. Having the ability to navigate difficulties with speed ease and grace. I have a regular daily practice and supplement strenuous Yang practices with Yin and slow flow to rest and restore."
