Teachers
We love our instructors and our instructors love our students.
Autumn Edrington was born into a military family and moved around through the U.S. in her early years. After graduating from Arizona State University with a business degree she began work in Phoenix, AZ for a larger corporation. She knew something was missing from her life but she hadn’t yet figured out what it was.
It was during this time Autumn was introduced to yoga. After her first class she immediately knew she had found something absolutely life changing. The spiritual connection to her soul was immediate and unwavering. She wanted more. As her practice continued to blossom the roots she had been looking to put down were discovered within herself and her personal practice. Yoga was her home.
Soon after her first class she began her studies to become a yoga instructor finishing her 500 HOUR RYT Certification with Dave and Cheryl Oliver.
In 2009 Autumn left her corporate job to continue her passion and open up a yoga studio in Gilbert, AZ. She is honored to pass along the amazing effects a yoga practice can bring to anyone willing to come to their mat.
Her spiritual journey is ever growing. From her experiences, Autumn has created her own Yoga Alliance certified Teacher Training Program and Retreat Company to continue to inspire like-minded individuals and help them along their personal inward journey.
Today Autumn is an E-RYT 500 hour Master Level Yoga instructor who is known for making yoga accessible to new students and experienced teachers alike. She holds certifications in Yin, Sound Healing and Reiki. Autumn is able to meet students where they are at in their practice and assist in cultivating the yogic path they wish to take.
Autumn has found yoga to be life changing but the biggest role of her life will be guiding her two children, Brady and Shay to become compassionate and caring human begins during their short time on Earth.
Gina moved to Arizona in 2014. She was introduced to yoga over 20 years ago while living in California but it wasn’t until a diagnosis of osteoporosis that finally motivated her to start practicing. As a side note she has reversed the diagnosis, after hard work and a consistent yoga practice. After attending her first class she was hooked. She began feeling both the physical and mental benefits yoga has to offer. She dove into researching yoga history, asanas and benefits of the practice. She fell in love with every aspect of yoga. With the intention of growing and deepening her practice, she walked into Yoga Spot on January 2018 after practicing for 3 years elsewhere. Her desire was to gain better awareness and connection to mind, body and soul. She then fell irrevocably in love with hot yoga. Yoga has been life altering for her. No other physical practice or exercise could compare to the ability to lose oneself in the incredible healing process of yoga. She started working the front desk at the studio in October 2019, when she decided to sign up for Yoga Spot's teacher training in January 2020. She earned her 200 YTT certification in May 2020 and began teaching right away. Since then she has also received her Level 1 & 2 Reiki certification, Yin Certification and Sound Healing Certification in 2023. Gina is the Studio Manager at Yoga Spot as well as an instructor. She is an avid practitioner and loves connecting with the amazing yoga community at Yoga Spot. Her desire to teach is deep rooted in wanting to share her love and passion of yoga. Her hope is to share the ability to feel calm and connected to the self, which allows for meaningful changes in our lives, and to strengthen our connection to others. Over time her practice has evolved and strengthened finding her own style. Gina strives to help others make the same discovery of the incredible healing practice, as well as helping others learn and benefit from the amazing power of yoga to transform the body and mind.
Gina and her husband have 4 kids and 4 grandchildren. She also enjoys spending time with friends, exercising, learning, reading and traveling around the world.
Jessica grew up with a love for sports and fitness, playing organized sports throughout her life. She found her path to yoga while serving her country in the U.S. Air Force abroad in Turkey. The first class she took was Pilates, she loved it so much she began recruiting co-workers to take classes. When she returned to the U.S., she began Ashtanga classes in a studio near Washington D.C. She fell in love with the asana, the physical movement of yoga, and decided to take her journey further by enrolling in the 600-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe, Arizona, ultimately graduating in 2015. Through her journey she discovered yoga is much more than physical movement, yoga is a way of living, thinking and cleansing of the mind. It’s a journey of the self, through the self, to the self. Jessica’s life has been transformed through yoga and she wishes to aid others in their path to yoga and self-healing.
I am an Arizona native who loves the outdoors, sunny days and spending time with friends and family. I started my yoga journey in 2007 when I was introduced to Bikram Yoga. I absolutely fell in love with yoga at that time. Yoga helped bring balance and restoration to my body and busy life. I have moved many places with my family, from Texas, to the East coast of Maryland, Colorado, Florida, and back to Arizona, and each time, have looked to expand my yoga practice. In 2020 I decided I wanted to enrich my yoga practice and share with others this love of yoga so I became a RYT – 200 certified and then continued my yoga education to become RYT – 500 certified in April of 2022. My intent is always discovering my true self, living more authentically, and to help guide others to do the same.
My yoga journey began over twenty years ago when I wondered into my first hot yoga class, it was love at first asana. I was looking for a way to exercise that didn’t involve running or biking and what I found was something more than exercise, I found a way to connect with my body to self that I have never been able to before. I eventually found my way to Yoga Spot in 2012 and instantly felt at home. By the end of 2014 I had completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training and then my 500-hour by summer of 2017. Sharing my love for yoga is one of my favorite things to do, watching a student find the same self-connection I found and love for their practice is so rewarding.
If you can’t find me at the studio practice or teaching a yoga class you can find me at home working, decorating or hanging out with my kids and grandkids. My husband and I have three children, and four grandchildren that challenge and inspire us every day.“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – The Bhagaved Gita
Brooke began her yoga journey when she first moved to Arizona in 2007. As an avid runner and college athlete, Brooke always understood the importance of stretching, but it wasn't until a friend dragged her to her first hot yoga class that she began to discover the true connection of mind, body and breath. Seeking a deeper connection to the eight limbs of yoga and inspired to find her authentic self, she joined Yoga Spot's first teacher training 8 years later.
Since completing her 200 hour YTT, Brooke has remained a dedicated instructor at Yoga Spot, teaching both set sequence and flow classes.
Brooke also carries her love and passion for yoga off the mat and into her daily life working with children inflicted by trauma. Encouraging the gentle art of breath work and mindfulness, she hopes every individual will someday grow the same yoga roots she discovered not so long ago.
I found yoga in 2016 and have been passionately practicing ever since. Wanting to deepen my knowledge of yoga and share the beauty of the practice, I received my 200 hour and 300 hour Yoga Teacher Training certification through Arizona Yoga Academy in 2021 and 2022.
I love the feeling of strength and tranquility that vibrates in me after every yoga practice and aspire to share that feeling with others.
I am constantly inspired by all the ways we can play and explore in the poses, inviting our minds and bodies to find edges we didn't know existed. I have a passion for blending asana, pranayama, and mindfulness to encourage others to practice in a way that serves their bodies best and improves overall wellness.
Born and raised in San Diego, Deanna moved to AZ in 2012 with her now husband. They wanted to start a family and pursue careers in things they were passionate about.
In 2012, Deanna got her Personal Training Certification from ACE Fitness. But, she knew she needed to do something more than this. She started practicing at Yoga Spot in 2012, and started working there in 2013.
After tragedy struck her family in 2013, she turned to her mat, and community, for healing and solace. She was overwhelmed with the love and support this space provided. She knew this was where she needed to be.
There was no doubt about it, she would teach yoga. Bringing back to this community, exactly what they had given to her. She graduated YogaSpot's YTT in 2014 and has been teaching ever since.
She's had 2 amazing little boys in that time. Through her pregnancy journey decided to also learn more about pregnancy and post partum fitness. She really enjoys helping Moms to be, and Moms that are, understand the changes in their body, and realizing that they can and will feel good again. Helping them to heal, and move, in a way that feels good.
A few years after, in 2023, while on her own journey of healing past traumas, Deanna got her Sound Healing certification in Sedona. She believes that there is no limit to the amount of modalities we can use to heal our souls, and lift them up.
Her goal as a teacher is to help heal, heal without limitation and to help provide a safe space for everyone. A space filled with compassion, light and love. A space we call our home away from home.
Austin Scates was born in Arizona and started his yoga journey in 2020. "Over time, being a touring/studio drummer presented changes in my mental health and well-being. Introducing Sun salutations, mediation and breathe work guided me back into mind-body and spirit awareness".
With a deep background in music, he has been a songwriter on multiple songs that have reached top 10 on radio, including "Sex, Drugs, Etc." that landed #1 in Alternative for consecutive months and went platinum. He's been playing the drums for 22 years and has recorded on more than 200 records.
Alongside music, drumming and yoga - he spends time with his 11 nieces/nephews, his loving cat Poppy, being in nature, the sun, bodies of water, learning new skills and connecting with people.
Coming soon!
My yoga journey started in September 2010.
Prior to yoga running was my main form of exercise. Running helped release life’s stress and keep my body in good physical shape. Daily running started to take a toll on my body and I developed planter fasciitis and a heal spur. I could no longer run so I decided to take my first yoga class. I loved the heat, the music and the atmosphere of inspiration. I loved the way my body felt. I felt less stressed and more calm. I decided to sign up for my 200 hour yoga teacher's training in the spring of 2013.
I began teaching at Yoga Spot June of 2013. I loved teaching but I had to learn how to let go of being perfect and teach from a place of authenticity. Perfectionism held me back from taking risks, trying new things, fear of making mistakes and people pleasing. As teacher I'm called to hold space for my students. I choose to let go of those fears time and time again and to speak from my authentic self.
In 2015 I started a 300 hour yoga therapy program. My focus was on teaching the mental health side of yoga. I went on to teach in 5 different recovery centers. I completed training with Prison Yoga Project, Yoga for first responders, Yoga for Trauma and Yoga for eating disorders. I realized my passion for creative sequencing while teaching at a dance studio. I love the ability to seamlessly move from one space to another.
I find my greatest joy and purpose for teaching is how yoga teaches me to see my deepest self, love myself and know that I can when challenge comes on or off the mat. When I'm in that space, I can share it with my students. The end result is we all begin to really see, have compassion for ourselves from love and an authentic place.
Life is what you make it, be your own creator - Yoga has been an integral part of this mantra over the past 6 years and let me to become a yoga teacher. As a teacher, my hope is for students to step off the mat feeling more balanced and inspired by what they can achieve through breath and movement.
Hi,I’m Marina. Aquarius. Arizona native. Italian and Swedish. Mother of 2 boys. I balance being a single mom, teaching yoga & sound healing, owning an Etsy store, and working in hospitality. I have a background in fitness and running. My personal yoga practice began in 2019. Yoga has changed the entire trajectory of my life. I’ve been teaching since December 2022 and just completed my 500 hour yoga teacher training in November 2023. I love live music, exploring in nature, practicing yoga, moon gazing, Arizona sunsets and long boarding with my boys. This is my journey.
My first yoga "class" was in high school using my mom's old VHS yoga tapes. I instantly fell in love with the way it slowed my breath, calmed my mind, and helped me reconnect with my heart space. As a dancer, I appreciate the meditative movement that Vinyasa yoga offers. I also love teaching chair yoga and ecstatic dance.
When I'm on my mat, it feels like I'm in a beautiful bubble, flowing through the worries of everyday life with strength and inner peace. I wanted to share that feeling with others, so I obtained my 200-hour and 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training certifications from Arizona Yoga Academy. I am currently pursuing my education and enhancing my skill set to train as a certified yoga therapist.
I know I'm on the right path when people tell me that they feel welcome and loved in my class and leave with a feeling of greater self-acceptance! My classes are a safe space to be playful and free to express yourself!!
Married to my high school sweetheart and together we have five amazing children. I’ve found that yoga, ecstatic dance, and hiking barefoot bring me a sense of balance and help me feel more grounded amidst the beautiful chaos!! Learning is a passion of mine. I'm a piano teacher, reiki practitioner and have been a hairstylist for 20 years. I enjoy researching the many integrative and holistic therapies available. My children call me the Witch Doctor, a title I gladly claim. I gravitate to the more natural options, which makes teaching yoga a perfect fit!
As a former endurance athlete who competed in many marathons, triathlons and even an Ironman, I knew that finding a healthy way to build balance both physically and mentally was going to be important to achieve my desire to be active for my entire life. My yoga journey started in 2012 when I wanted to stay active while I was managing a running injury. I took my first hot yoga class and fell in love. After spending several years as a fitness instructor teaching spinning classes I turned my attention to my new passion, Yoga. In 2018, I got my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification through Yoga Spot's YTT.
Though I grew up “playing” yoga on the Wii Fit, my official yoga journey began in 2016 when I started mopping my studio’s floors in exchange for free yoga. I was in my early twenties when my now best friend invited me to a hot yoga class and I submitted my Yoga for Trade application immediately after because I was completely hooked. Turns out yoga is way more fun in real life than on the Wii Fit!
Every time I rolled out my mat I learned something new. I wanted to continue digging into my practice so in June of 2017 I found myself enrolled in my first 200hr Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training. Since then I have completed three other trainings and I’ve even had the opportunity to guide other students through teacher trainings as well.
Yoga is my creative outlet. I love bringing an element of playfulness and discovery to my classes. My playlists consist of certified bangers and I have no shortage of Milkshake remixes. In every class my intention is for you to leave a little lighter than when you came in.
Kellie was born and raised in Arizona. She walked into her first yoga class over 15 years ago at a local gym. She thoroughly enjoyed the fitness and stretching aspect of yoga. It wasn’t until her first hot yoga class at Sumits Yoga Gilbert that she began to feel the physical and mental benefits of a consistent yoga practice. Kelli has been an educator most of her life, graduating from Arizona State University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. Working with and guiding students and peers has been a positive influence throughout her life. After practicing yoga on and off for several years she decided to take her practice further and completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2014 with Yoga Spot. Overtime, her practice has evolved and strengthened, finding her own style, and providing a challenging and safe environment for students of all levels in her classes.
Every time I come to my mat is a different experience; it is an opportunity for something new internally and externally.
I started practicing yoga in 2015 when I went to my first hot yoga class. During a season of dramatic change, I felt lost, but I found peace on my mat. Practicing yoga became more than just moving my body. At the time I was a single mom and store manager and had little time to myself, but found every opportunity to make it back to my mat. As I continued my practice, I had the desire to learn more and felt the initial pull towards helping others on their journey.
In 2022 I moved to Gilbert with my husband and 3 kids. A few months later I took a leap to switch careers from retail to find more time to live life and be with my family.
I became a RYT-200 through Yoga Spot YTT in 2023 and started teaching in my community right away. I enjoy guiding all levels- experienced yogis and newbies. I especially love the opportunity to open the door for new yogis & create a safe space to practice and explore.
Corrie, certified in 2016, is celebrating her 9th year of teaching, blending her passion for yoga, fitness, and music to create dynamic and healing experiences. Known for guiding students through fluid yet challenging classes, Corrie aims to weave inspiration into each session. Her ultimate goal is to empower others, thriving on being an active part of a supportive community. As an Arizona native, when she’s not teaching, you'll find her enjoying the sunny outdoors—RV camping, paddleboarding, and spending time with her family.
Bio Coming Soon!
Hi I’m Anna! I am truly grateful to be joining the the team at Yogaspot.
In 2010, I was invited to my very first hot yoga class, and I’ll admit, it was a challenge—I nearly passed out! At the time, I didn’t quite understand the hype surrounding yoga. In 2011, I decided to give it another shot and began practicing again. Yet, it wasn’t until 2021 that I found my home base at Yogaspot. It was there, with consistent practice, that I discovered a deeper connection.
Regardless of all the ups and downs of life, yoga became my sanctuary.
In 2023, I decided to further my love for yoga by signing up for 200-hour YTT certification journey under the guidance of Kalina and Autumn. It was a transformative experience, and I am excited to share, connect, and breathe with you on your yoga journey, as I continue to deepen my practice. Let’s flow together, finding strength, peace, and joy on the mat and beyond.
Above all, I cherish my family and love being a mom to two amazing boys. They are my greatest teachers, reminding me daily of the power of love.❤️
Bio coming soon!
Meet Johni, a yoga enthusiast whose practice is more than just a hobby. It's a deep-rooted passion. She's twice completed her 200RYT certification at Yoga Spot and recently completed her studies in Indian philosophies, traditions, and yoga's esoteric side. But Johni's talents extend beyond the yoga mat. She's a dynamic entrepreneur and an expert copywriter renowned for developing high-converting websites and supporting top brands and entrepreneurs to expand strategically.
But what really sets Johni apart is her commitment to community. Johni is actively creating a space in Scottsdale to uplift and empower female leaders to see their greatest potential. She believes that personal growth is directly proportional to business success. A belief that's deeply connected to her yoga practice and how it all began.
Bio Coming Soon!
Kira has been practicing yoga for nearly 20 years (half of her life!) Originally finding yoga through videos from the library in college and practicing informally at home, it wasn't until she took her first prenatal yoga class at a local studio when pregnant with her first daughter that she found a deeper connection to the power of breath and movement. After moving from Chicago to the East Valley, she decided to take her love of the practice and constant pursuit of learning and obtain her 200 Hour RYT certification in 2016. Since then, she has taught in a variety of settings from a hot yoga studio, to a CrossFit gym, to an assisted living facility, for a family literacy program, and even on Zoom during the pandemic to her corporate peers. Kira views yoga as something that should be accessible to all, regardless of ability and loves helping new students find their passion in practice. As someone motivated by music herself, she enjoys curating unique and new playlists for her classes to keep the community connected by the vibration in sound and all of us.
By day, Kira works in project management for a healthcare SaaS company and has four beautiful children with her husband, Brian. She is a fitness enthusiast who balances the yin of yoga with the yang of weightlifting.
Coming Soon!
I love practicing yoga as much as I enjoy teaching it. My teaching journey began in 2012 when I earned my initial 200-hour certification and continued on to get my 300-hour certification. Yoga has given me the opportunity to be in an environment of like-minded people and where I have developed forever friendships. Yoga is truly a lifelong practice. I love the subtle growth in both body and mind that my students and I both experience. Outside the studio, I am a teacher, mom, mom-in-law and grandma of seven. I love crafting, going to the gym and spending time in Minnesota in the summer.
Coming soon!
I love practicing yoga as much as I enjoy teaching it. My teaching journey began in 2012 when I earned my initial 200-hour certification and continued on to get my 300-hour certification. Yoga has given me the opportunity to be in an environment of like-minded people and where I have developed forever friendships. Yoga is truly a lifelong practice. I love the subtle growth in both body and mind that my students and I both experience. Outside the studio, I am a teacher, mom, mom-in-law and grandma of seven. I love crafting, going to the gym and spending time in Minnesota in the summer.
Coming Soon!
