ShabdSangeet
QiGong Instructor
ShabdSangeet’s relationship with nature grew from within at an early age. Spirit in Nature is a guiding force in her life. Curiosity, and, sense of wonder flowed abundantly as she blossomed to become a Botanist, Artist, Orchid enthusiast, Orchid Flower Essence Producer, which then naturally flowed into energy medicine. She’s always had the heart of a healer; wanting to help others heal, body, mind, and spirit while sharing inspiration, and uplifting possibilities.
Do I do the dance of the Tao, or does it dance through me? I am continually learning how to flow with the Chi, and let it flow through me. Chi is the Life Force of Creation.
With my first class, I felt the energy/Chi right away, I knew, this is it, this is what I had been waiting for my whole life! Tai Chi Gung is as profound and life-changing as it is simple. I love sharing Tai Chi Gung with people because they are so happy to gain the benefits, and it simply feels good!
ShabdSangeet Khalsa – Certified Tai Chi Gung Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, Focalizing Coach, Kundalini Yoga Instructor, Flower Essence Producer/Teacher.
Why Tai Chi Gung?
Cultivate more inner peace, mindfulness, and spiritual wisdom in your life,
Can I Join the Class Anytime?
Lao Tzu created a series of warm-ups and 4 basic standing exercises that are the core of every class. These are simple moving and breathing exercises that help students feel the life energy of Nature directly. Almost 90% of students feel it in their very first class.
Whether you have been studying 6 minutes, 6 months or 6 years, you do the simple movements you learned in your very first class. They serve as an outline, and each student connects in their own way.
Because we don’t hold back exercises, and they remain consistent, new students can join a live class any time. You’ll feel right at home.
What Should I Wear?
Comfortable street clothes are fine. The class is done standing up, and it’s so gentle you won’t break a sweat.
Testimonials
Tai Chi Gung has possibly been the best thing I have ever done for myself.
I started Tai Chi Gung in September of 2022. I have medical issues that prevent me from doing strenuous workouts. My doctor had told me I could only walk or swim as my source of exercise when I asked if I could do Tai Chi Gung, and he said, “Absolutely”.
That first Tai Chi Gung class changed my life profoundly for the better. The micro-movements help to work muscles I didn’t know I had, but they do so gently and smoothly. There were no jarring movements, nor did my heart rate increase.
After a month or two I noticed I was moving better, my joints were less painful and were moving smoothly. I had more energy, my outlook improved and I actually gained a half-inch in height. I am now taller than I was in high school which to Tai Chi Gung.
The energy (Chi) is so tangible when I do the movements and so powerful; I feel relaxed, yet connected to the world around me. It is a profound experience and I am grateful I found it. It is something I plan to continue for years to come.” – Angie
“At first, with Tai Chi Gung I noticed magnetic energy between my hands, which increased each time I practiced. I felt a warmth awakening in my hands throughout each day. I felt my breath synchronize with my movement and a heightened sense of balance and coordination as I walked. Tai Chi Gung brings me down to earth and into balance. As a classical musician, I find the Chi reveals to me a new depth of artistry, nothing less than a renaissance, a transmission of divine potential flowing.”
– Alexander
Casey Sagers
Yoga Instructor
Casey Sagers began teaching yoga in 2007. She completed her 230 hour Registered Yoga Teacher certification
through Yoga Alliance in 2011 at Inner Sea Yoga in Johnson City, TN and is currently pursuing her 500 RYT certification at Asheville Yoga Center in NC. Just after her third yoga class, she pursued teaching yoga. Casey believes that yoga assists everyone in renewing the mind, supporting the body, and rejuvenating the spirit. She teaches several types of classes including Vinyasa Flow and Restorative. Her classes are often a creative mix of several styles taught from her heart. Her classes can make your body sweat or guide you into total relaxation. With a healthy awareness of alignment, Casey will encourage you to practice yoga all of your life. She loves to incorporate spiritual truths for life in all of her classes. Occasionally, she also gets to teach Partner Yoga with her firefighter husband, which is her favorite type class! Catch Casey at Breathe on Friday mornings at 8:30am for a Gentle Mixed Level Flow
Lydie Ometto e-ryt500
Yoga Instructor
Lydie Ometto, an experienced yoga teacher who sees Yoga as her walk of life-her passion. She has studied with many of the leading voices of yoga worldwide, and she honors the love and support from all her students and practice ‘buddies’. She is also an Integrative Yoga Therapist and a voice with International Association of Yoga Therapy. Her background as a Physiotherapist, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist (BR) and Energy Work define her awareness and knowledge expressed during her classes, where she also combines her love for nature and the overall Divine creation. Within her teaching an eclectic array of styles are blended in gentle, focused, balanced, harmonious, powerful and flowing movements of all bodies and in particular the ‘subtle aspects of them’. As a leader of national and international Yoga and Healing Retreats, a yoga studio owner for many years, and the director of InnerSeaYoga Teacher Training Programs, she well understands the urgency of understanding and embracing yoga in every aspects of life towards optimizing our overall health and well-being. For more information visit www.lydieometto.com
Kaye Florence CYT 200
Yoga Instructor
Kaye has been a practitioner of Yoga for nearly 20 years. She recently completed the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program through Innersea Yoga. She views the practice of yoga as an essential part of living a holistic, healthy life. She is especially interested in making the practice of yoga available to those who have little experience of yoga or who are just beginning their practice.
Maggie Darden
Yoga Instructor
Maggie Darden completed her RTY-200 (Yoga Alliance) in June 2022. She found yoga when she was 16 and developed a deep connection with the practice of yoga. To Maggie, yoga is about community and developing a deeper connection between the mind and the body. Her deep interests are in yoga nidra, yin, and vinyasa-style practices. She loves the practice of power yoga and connecting to the breath. Maggie brings her kindness and perceptiveness to class and shares that in abundance with her students. Maggie holds a certificate in yoga nidra from My Vinyasa Practice.
Maggie earned a Bachelor's of Social work from East Tennessee State University, a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University. In her free time, she loves hiking, reading, playing with cats, and whitewater kayaking.
Erin Koscinski
Yoga Instructor
Erin recently completed her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification right here at The Breath Studio. She is a Doctor of Osteopathy and began her personal yoga journey 4 years ago. She found herself using yoga daily on her own but also in her practice of medicine to help her patients with chronic pain, injury, and mental health concerns. With that she felt a calling to become a certified yoga teacher to help her own practice expand beyond the mat. Erin’s passion is mediative flow and yin, but has taken a special interest in children’s and pre-natal yoga. She lives on the South Holston and enjoys boating, swimming, camping, hiking, cooking, crafts, and time with her family.
Karī Danielle Carter
Yoga Instructor
Karī recently received her certification for the RYT 200 through Yoga Alliance in June 2022. She found the love of yoga through her practice of real hot yoga that she started in 2019. She works as a PT Technician and also teaches yoga classes every week at an Anytime Fitness gym. Her background and experience in PT gives her intelligence of anatomy that allows her to provide knowledge to others who attend her class. She provides a mindful and gentle slow flow technique to her practice that helps warm up the body, as well as slower paced movements focusing on alignment, strength, balance, and flexibility. In Karī’s free time she enjoys weight lifting, practicing yoga, spending time with her family, friends, and her pets.
Cathy Taylor
Yoga Instructor
Cathy Taylor is a native of the area, growing up in Kingsport and moving to Johnson City in 1974. She graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School and East Tennessee State University. She began a career as a dental hygienist in 1973 is currently employed part time at Tusculum Dental Care. She has been married since 1973 and has a nine year old poodle. Cathy began practicing yoga in 2006 as an adjunct to massage therapy for back pain. She struggled physically for a while, but loved expressing herself through movement. As she began to improve physically, she realized that she had already changed and improved in other aspects of yoga...breathing better, connecting mind and body through movement, freedom of spirit and overall elevation of consciousness.the breathing and the mind-body connection. The desire to teach yoga was soon born. She wanted to help others overcome their struggle on the mat and find that connection of completeness and wholeness that she had experienced. In 2013 Cathy's dream of teaching yoga was finally becoming a reality as she began her training with Lydie Ometto at Inner Sea Yoga. Completing the 230 hour course in January of 2014 she was thrilled to begin teaching at the new Breathe Yoga Center. She continues to learn and deepen her skills through workshops and plans to begin study for a 500 hour teacher training soon. Cathy's favorite style is a vinyasa flow at moderate level with the challenge in connecting asanas, emphasizing pranayama. She likes to include mudra and mantra in her classes to deepen the yoga experience for the students. And laughter is encouraged in her classes!! She also loves private sessions so that full emphasis can be given to what is needed for the individual. In her spare time Cathy loves natures walks, growing herbs and flowers, making candles, practicing qigong and visiting her coastal retreat in Navarre Beach, Florida with her husband and little doggie. Join Cathy for Vinyasa I on Wednesdays at 9:30am and Mixed Level Flow on Saturdays at
9:30am
Betsy Weems
Yoga Instructor
Betsy came to yoga over 14 years ago as a runner with sore legs; she continued her practice because of the many other benefits yoga gave her. In 2014, she completed her RYT 230 hour certification at Inner Sea Yoga so that she could share some of these benefits with others. Betsy began teaching flow and restorative yoga classes at Breathe in 2014; she has also taught aerial yoga at Azure Aerial Arts and flow at Yoga Tree since then. In 2016, she completed a Pre-Natal course through Inner Sea Yoga.
In addition to teaching yoga, Betsy is an adjunct faculty instructor at ETSU. She is the mother of 2 grown sons, volunteers at the VA with her dogs and is an avid crossfitter. She is looking forward to being at Breathe again to teach Yin Yoga on Thursday evenings this winter.
Trini
Yoga Instructor
Trini is a student of life, a dancer at heart, and a lover of nature & movement. She lives with her 3 felines and 1 canine furry all beautiful souls that fill her life with unconditional love. She began dance at the age of 4 and continued through her 20's. Through her lifeTrini has done extensive training in many different modalities of movement, as Movement Medicine, 5 Rhythms, Azul, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Continuum, and she received her 230 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification at InnerSeaYoga in 2014. Dance has always been her passion, her love, and after a hip replacement in her 50's, through the support of a loving friend, Trini started a dance class to bring more movement and embodiment into people's lives. She has now been holding her Soul Medicine Dances for 8 years, a free movement expression-a dance from the inside out, accompanied with soul inspiring music in support of your soul-dance journey. Soul Medicine Conscious Movement practice is held from a safe space where you can 'be who you came here to be and express the unique dancer that is inside of you' . We were born to move and dance! We just need to re-member! Movement is Medicine! No experience necessary. Your body knows how to move and can lead the way!
Sherry Marion
Yoga Instructor
Sherry is a long-time resident of Johnson City, planting her roots here in 1980. Sherry has a beautiful family with her husband, Michael, together raising eight children. She has eight grandchildren and is known to them as ``Lovee.``
Sherry began practicing yoga in 2015 and completed her RYT200 in 2022 under the instruction of Lydie Ometto. Sherry brings her gentle and creative personality to every class she teaches and hopes students leave feeling loved and inspired.
Melissa Glaze
Yoga Instructor
Melissa began studying yoga in 2007 where she did her first yoga teacher training at a yoga commune called Eartheart. In 2020 she took a second teacher training course at Downtown Yoga Center. Over the past year she has taught at both Downtown Yoga Center and Breathe Yoga; as well as teaching yoga in public schools and at the private school she works at. The main styles she practices and teaches are Gentle, Yin Fow, and Restorative Yoga.
Wanda Rowland
Yoga Teacher
Hi! My name is Wanda and I’ve been practicing Yoga for ten years. I have consistently practicing hot yoga for the past year. I’m a RTY 200 hr certified yoga teacher and am registered with Yoga Alliance. My style of yoga is Power Yoga and Flow and yin combination classes. I’m a nurturing yoga teacher that deeply cares for her students and wants them to leave class with peace in their hearts, body and spirit. I have a 17 year old son named Jack a rescue dog named Parker. I love going to UT Vols football games! Namaste 🫶🏼
Rachel
Yoga Instructor
Rachel is a passionate yoga teacher specializing in pelvic floor yoga, yoga nidra, pranayama, and meditation. With her journey starting at the Asheville Yoga Center, Rachel completed her 200-hour teacher training in November 2017 and is now pursuing her 500-hour certification there. Her approach to yoga is deeply informed by her background as a holistic occupational therapist, offering a unique blend of therapeutic and mindful practices tailored to each student’s needs.
Drawing from her expertise in pelvic health and breathwork, Rachel creates a welcoming space for students to explore their bodies compassionately and mindfully. Her classes focus on gentle movements, intentional breath, and deep relaxation, helping students foster balance, release tension, and connect more deeply to their bodies. Whether you're seeking support with pelvic floor health or wish to find relaxation through yoga Nidra and meditation, Rachel’s offerings are designed to help each student discover a more connected and peaceful state of being.
I believe that true wellness is cultivated through the connection between body, mind, and spirit, and yoga is the practice that nurtures this growth. My teaching philosophy centers on the understanding that, much like a garden, we require specific nourishment to thrive, and each person's journey is unique. There are seasons in life, times of growth, times of rest, and times of renewal—and our practice should honor these natural rhythms. With compassion and grace, we tend to our needs, adapting to the changing seasons of our lives. Through yoga, we cultivate self-awareness, embrace our unique journeys, and grow towards a more harmonious, whole self.
