Sandy Eby, Certified Instructor
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
Danielle Florio, Certified Instructor
I started my yoga journey in 2013, going to every class that I could at the Kingsford house and practicing the Bikram 26+2 sequence, sometimes twice a day. The heat was overwhelming and the workout... intense, but I became addicted to the practice- both spiritually and physically. Since then, I have expanded my understanding of ‘yoga’ to include various Vinyasa flows and other styles of meditative movement; I have thoroughly fallen in love with the restorative benefits as I tune into the breath and shapes.
My full-time profession is a high school English teacher. Yoga has become my lifeline to calm my anxiety and clear my mind so I can meet my students’ needs and teach them to be critical thinkers. I also am married to a wonderful man, Chris, who always supports my passions. With his prompting, encouragement and my own unfettered ambition, I completed my RYT 200 hour training in Jacksonville, Florida, under the guidance of Alyson Foreacre and Michael Hibberts (YogaDen Studios). I drove there by myself, stayed for three weeks, and immersed myself in the experience before driving home. My training focused on Vinyasa and Bhakti flows, but I was also able to learn various breathing (pranayama) techniques and meditative practices that have truly opened my perspectives to appreciate the eight limbs of yoga, beyond the asanas (postures).
I am so grateful for Judy, Sandy, my fellow students and the studio we have kept thriving despite all of the obstacles we have faced. I look forward to growing my teaching practice as I move, and breathe, with all of you on the mat. Namaste.
Alyssa O’Brien, Certified Instructor
Alyssa O’Brien was born and raised in New England and currently resides in upstate NY. She received her BFA from Suny Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Upon graduating, Alyssa has had the opportunity to perform as a touring dancer all over the east coast, she has taught and adjudicated with Dance Masters of America, appeared in commercials for Hasbro, and most recently received her AFPA Pilates mat certification to further her love for fitness and Pilates.
Alyssa discovered the importance of Pilates in college and how it benefited not only her dancing, but overall well-being. While dancing professionally, she worked at the front desk of Pilates studios to get to know the ropes and take classes whenever she could. When she moved to NYC, she began training as a Pilates instructor and fell in love with sharing the benefits of Pilates with others.
Alyssa's classes are a fusion of classical as well as her own flare of contemporary styles. She is so excited to be teaching at Sunset Yoga Oswego and is eager to share her love for Pilates with everyone!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Teacher
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.
My meditation journey started many years ago as well. It began 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 currently I am studying Kriya yoga with Ganapatiananda of Awakening Consciousness Ministries; this is a meditation and “right living” discipline from Paramahansa Yogananda’s line of gurus. It continues to mold and change my life in brilliant ways.
When I am not practicing yoga or meditating, I am a full-time homesteader and permaculturist. My husband Andrew (who is also an exceptionally 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.
