Faculty & Presenters

Kristin Cooper, ERYT500

The Director of 200/500hour Kunga Yoga Teacher Training School is Kristin Cooper, ERYT500. Kristin teaches several of the required 500hr modules, along with a group of highly experienced guest faculty who teach nationally & internationally.

Kristin’s teaching background includes teaching full time since 1999 and training hundreds of yoga teachers nationally and internationally since 2003. She has worked with children, seniors, and students living with cancer and HIV, and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Kristin has worked privately with celebrity clients Katie Holmes, Ashley Judd and Cheryl Hines, and is founder and training director of the Wilmington Yoga Center and Kunga Yoga School. She travels as a teacher trainer and percussionist for Shiva Rea, working as a mentor for Shiva’s Prana Flow 500hr Teacher Training. Kristin is also a guest presenter for various teacher trainings in the U.S and has assisted the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health Teacher Trainings.

Her training background includes several trips to India and Thailand, with ongoing study in Thai Yoga Massage in the Lek Chaiya tradition, Ayurveda, and yoga along with studies in vegan living and macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute. She has enjoyed the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle since 1994 and shares her love of all things plant-based with passion! Her primary vinyasa studies began with Shiva Rea in 2000 and have continued for many years, and she has completed a wide range of trainings and certifications including Kripalu yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Kundalini, YogaDance, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Advanced Pranayama, Meditation, Ayurveda, Kids Yoga, Therapeutics, Non-Violent Communication, and studies in bodywork and nutrition. She enjoys incorporating many teaching methods and theories into her trainings and feels that all forms and philosophies inform one another and have the same goal of union, or “yoga”.

Kristin has contributed to Yoga Journal and is the creator of Rhythmic Flow Yoga w/live drumming and founder of Kunga Journeys international volunteer service retreats. Kunga Journeys are led by Kristin and her percussionist husband, Loren Gulak & the Kunga Drummers. The Kunga team is grateful for the opportunity to use yoga as a platform and tool for collaboration, education, connection, and fundraising for underserved children around the world. For info on Kristin and upcoming service events, please visit:
www.kristinyoga.com

Katie Serino, ERYT500

Katie Serino is an experienced registered 500hr Yoga Alliance teacher. She holds certifications in Kunga Yoga, Pilates, ACSM personal training, Silver Age Yoga and a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. She began practicing yoga in 2000 and received her 220-hr certification from The Wilmington Yoga Center in 2004. While traveling and living in Southern California, she completed her 500-hr certification with trainings in Advanced Forrest Yoga(Santa Monica), Anusara(Carlsbad, CA), Iyengar(San Diego, Bali), Ashtanga Yoga(San Diego), Vinyasa Yoga(San Diego), Anatomy and Physiology(San Diego) and Therapeutic Yoga(San Diego). She has worked privately with Brittney Spears, taught yoga at Rancho La Puerta, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Bali and Australia.

Her primary teaching influences include Kristin Cooper, Ana Forrest, Gerhard Gessner, Carolina Vivas, Tias Little, Gurumukh, and many many more amazing students, teachers and friends from around the world.Yoga is Katie’s passion. She believes it is what keeps her balanced and helps her grow more and more each day. Her inspiration is the people she meets along her path that teach her lessons, touch her heart, and come into her life for a moment or a lifetime.Katie enjoys living close to the ocean, seeing new places, and meeting new people.

Heather Lilly, RYT500

YLTT Coordinator
Heather Lilly (goes by “Lilly”) received her 500hr ISHTA Yoga certification in 2003. After teaching over a 1000hrs of group classes, private sessions, and yoga festivals in NYC, Pennsylvania, and Raleigh she joined the Wilmington Yoga Center family in December of 2009. Lilly comes with a background in dance, movement, and theatre that all inform her teaching. Lilly was drawn to yoga after September 11. Her journey began in the aftermath of a tragic event as an act of service to self; however the path has taken her to a place of peace, joy, and desire to serve others. Her intention is to spread this spirit of yoga as service to help inspire healing throughout the world. She is incredibly grateful to the many wonderful teachers with whom she has had the privilege to study and is honored to be a part of the WYC teacher training program.

Mary Barwick, RYT, PT

Mary’s formal yoga training began at Kripalu Yoga Ashram where she briefly lived and studied Bodywork (1989). Next she obtained her license in Massage Therapy from the Florida School of Massage and Hydrotherapy in Gainesville Florida (1991). In 1994 she continued her studies and became a Phoenix Rising certified Yoga Therapist. She practiced massage and yoga therapy in Blowing Rock, North Carolina 1991-1995 and started the first Yoga program at Appalachian Statue University in Boone, NC. In 1997 Mary finished her postgraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and became a licensed Physical Therapist. Since 1997 Mary has settled in Wilmington where she continues to teach yoga, practice massage therapy, and works full time as a physical therapist in an outpatient orthopedic setting. In the past 10 years Mary has continued her education taking and teaching courses (yoga, anatomy, injury prevention, manual therapy skills) for both the local medical and yoga communities Her main focus recently has been integrating yoga as clinical tool to assist patients with therapy goals as well teaching yoga participants the importance of understanding basic anatomy/physiology and injury prevention.

Stephanie Ellis, RYT200

As an experienced instructor Stephanie has been sharing her love of yoga as a journey towards awareness since completing her first teacher-training program at the 200-hour level in 2001. Since then she has enjoyed delving into several different styles and levels with her teaching including Basic, Gentle, Vinyasa, Kundalini, Pre-Natal and Kids Yoga. Stephanie is also a massage therapist and brings her knowledge of anatomy and physiology to her yoga practice. She believes in the healing and energizing effects of yoga and is enthusiastic about helping others share their love of yoga as instructors through our teacher training programs.

Nancy Hayes, RYT500

Nancy is a certified and Yoga Alliance Registered yoga teacher at the 500 hour level (RYT) with over 25 years of teaching experience. Since 1984, her primary focus of study has been in the Iyengar method. Nancy’s study of yoga is ongoing and includes teacher training with internationally known Yoga instructors throughout the country and includes course work at The Iyengar Institute of San Francisco, The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY and Unity Woods Yoga, Bethesda, MD. Nancy combines a gentle approach to Yoga with more vigorous methods of practice for physical and mental harmony. Nancy’s classes are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and are suitable for men and women of all ages.

Larry Hobbs, ERYT200

Since 2001 Larry has dedicated his life to the study and teaching of yoga, giving up a career of 32 years at the local DuPont plant to begin a full time teaching lifestyle in 2002. Larry’s path has lead him to study with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, also known as Guruji, founder of Ashtanga yoga. Larry has also studied with Pattabhi’s grandson Sharath Rangaswamy in Mysore India. To further his studies Larry makes yearly visits to Crestone, CO at Shakti Sharanam and studies with his US Ashtanga teacher Annie Pace, one of the few female Ashtanga teachers in the world certified by Guruji. Other notable and certified teachers with whom Larry has studied are Tim Miller, David Garrigues, Richard Freeman, and Kino Macgregor. There are so many more non-Ashtangi’s with whom Larry has studied including Dharma Mittra, and he thanks them all for what they have given him through their knowledge and dedication of what it means to be a yogi. Larry’s true love is Ashtanga Yoga. His hope is to one day be authorized by KPJAYI in Mysore India. Through yearly visits back to Mysore, Larry continues his Ashtanga training with his Guru’s guidance and Sharath’s.

“I believe the fruit of your practice is in the effort and you should always give 100% on that given day. And just showing up to practice is 90% because you made the effort. You will always be challenged in my classes but in a compassionate way. You may even laugh if you have the time. I wish to thank Kristin Cooper and Loren Gulak of Wilmington Yoga Center for their trust in my ability, and I am honored to have taught for them over the past years.”

Heather Till, ERYT500, CYT

Heather Till brings to her teaching a life-long passion and study of movement and dance and has enjoyed sharing this passion with her students for the past 10 years. She is a Professional Yoga Therapist with the School of Integrative Yoga Therapy where she has served as an assistant and mentor for teachers in training. She is certified in the Khalsa Way Prenatal Yoga, Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield, Pilates and Reiki. Heather has also trained with Itsy Bitsy Yoga and holds a BS degree in Psychology. She is one of the original co- founders of the Wilmington Yoga Center teaching cooperative and has enjoyed being a co-facilitator of the Wilmington Yoga Center Teacher Training Program since 2004. Heather has worked with the Healing Arts Network through New Hanover Regional Medical Center offering yoga therapy for patients with cancer and ante- partum women on bed rest. She has always been drawn to a deeper understanding of the body-mind connection and stories we carry in our bodies. This interest inspires her approach to yoga as gentle and heartfelt, emphasizing mindfulness and moving with the breath to create awareness, release deeply held tensions and open to our body’s natural healing resources. Heather greatly enjoys teaching students of all levels and abilities throughout southeastern North Carolina. She is registered with the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and is a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

Laura Golden, ERYT200

Laura’s very first Jivamukti yoga class in 1991 transformed her life by awakening the Divine Essence that rests within each and every one of us, patiently awaiting this moment. For this and all of the subsequent joy and expansion she has experienced through the various yogic disciplines, she is eternally grateful to the teachers who opened this door for her, and countless others, through their boundless devotion and ceaseless efforts: Deva Das (David Life) and Tripura Sundari (Sharon Gannon), founders of Jivamukti Yoga.

Laura graduated the Jivamukti Teacher Training course in May 2001, the last time the year-long program was offered. She taught at the main Jivamukti center in New York City for several years, and has been a guest teacher at the centers in Munich, Germany, and Charleston, SC. Laura founded and directed Avatar Yoga Retreats, leading yoga retreats all over the world, until leaving New York in 2006.

Guest Teachers rotate annually, so please continue to check our Workshops & Events Page for each year’s special guests.

Our visiting faculty presenters are caring, experienced professionals in their fields with decades of experience, and many are registered at the ERYT500 level. Past & future presenters include

Visiting Presenters rotate annually, so please continue to check our Workshops & Events Page for each year’s special guests.