Denise Benitez, Founder(206.440.3191, info@seattleyogaarts.com) has been fascinated by the human body ever since she realized she had one! She has spent much of this lifetime delving into the curious phenomenons of embodiment and consciousness, beginning with candle-gazing at the age of 13. When she found the practice of yoga at age 16, which combined these two great passions, she was instantly and forever in love with its artful and profound approach to movement and being. Along the way, she has dipped into the pools of Buddhism, Iyengar yoga, mountains, dancing, poetry, gardening, love, loss, brain surgery, and they have all been fantastic teachers. She kisses their feet in gratitude.

Denise began formal yoga studies in Boston in 1972 with Carol Nelson, a gifted Iyengar teacher. For the next 15 years, she studied with many other Iyengar teachers, most closely with Judith Lasater and John Schumacher. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, her yoga studies helped her survive a career as an apparel designer in New York City from 1982-88.

In 1988, she moved from New York to Seattle, and took classes with Gail Malizia and Felicity Green, who at the time were two of only a handful of yoga teachers in Seattle. After 15+ years of study, she began to teach in 1988, and took a hiatus from studying with other teachers as she explored more deeply her own personal relationship with the philosophical, spiritual, and subtle energy aspects of yoga.

In 1998, she met John Friend, who opened wide all the doors of yoga Denise had been exploring on her own. John introduced Denise to the Tantric stream of yoga, which emphasizes a life-affirming, creative, devoted, community-centered and fiercely passionate approach to the practice of life and yoga. Since that time, Denise has been honored to be John's student; she is humbly and eternally grateful for his gifts in her life.

In 2001, Denise proudly earned her Anusara Yoga Teaching Certification. She is now the Co-Chair of the Anusara Certification Committee, and helps oversee the mentoring, assessing, and certification of Anusara teachers all over the world. She has found that the Anusara community is a rockin' place to be, filled with dedicated, talented, and caring teachers. Denise has written for Yoga Journal, is a published poet, and writes her own columns for the SYA newsletter and monthly poems for the SYA ENews.

Denise founded Seattle Yoga Arts in 1990. She thinks that being a yoga teacher is a high calling, and takes her student's well-being and development seriously, while also appreciating a good joke and loving to laugh. The greatest students and teachers in Seattle (probably the world) continuously stream to the studio, creating a vibrant, amazing, and big hearted yoga community, to which she is happy to welcome you. 

Desiree Jordan, Studio Manager, (206.440.3191, desiree@seattleyogaarts.com), graduated in 1997 from the University of Washington where she studied Communications & English. Since then, her work history has been in marketing, promotions, and communications and she is thrilled to be able to use her communication skills and marketing background in such a way that benefits the staff and students at Seattle Yoga Arts.

When Desiree decided to stay home with her two young children in 2008, she still wanted to be part of a community outside her home. She never dreamed that it would be such a warm, relaxing, and inspiring place as SYA. The opportunity to work with the Yoga Arts teachers has been a true blessing for Desiree, both personally and professionally. She also enjoys making the Anusara yoga practice part of her week, when she can take a well-deserved break from her kids!

Meg Agnew, M.A. (206.525.9349, mtagnew@comcast.net) is an Anusara inspired teacher who has enjoyed teaching at Seattle Yoga Arts since 1993. With carefully sequenced instruction and a light-hearted approach, Meg encourages students to experience the powerfully affecting principles of Anusara yoga. She believes that yoga is an exploration leading to self-acceptance, healing, and an ever-deepening experience of freedom and Love.

Beth Award (206.949.7084, b_award@yahoo.com) - In 1991, Beth took two summer classes: DOS Programming and Yoga. The computer information didn't stick,but yoga captured her attention from the very first class: she felt taller and quieter (miraculous!). Since 1994, Beth has been a student at Seattle Yoga Arts and how she evolved to wear a leotard to work is still a bit of a joyful mystery to her. What she does know is that the practice of yoga opened her from the inside out. Inspired by Denise and Anusara, Beth left her corporate job to teach yoga in 2003. Since then, she has completed Level I & II Anusara Teacher Trainings with John Friend and is an Anusara-Inspired teacher. Beth offers a warm and compassionate instruction style that stems from her love and enthusiasm for the practice. She continues to be inspired, pulled, and prodded by life in all sorts of directions.

Jane Hitti ( jhitti@comcast.net) took her first yoga class in 1998, looking for a form of exercise to help gain back the flexibility she had lost with years of running, gym workouts and an intense work schedule. She soon fell in love with asana as a gateway to the meditative and spiritual dimensions of this amazing practice. Jane has been teaching yoga since 2007 and is known for her sweet, attentive and nurturing teaching style. She has completed the Anusara Immersion and Teacher Training with Denise and Rainey, has also studied with John Friend, and is deeply grateful to all of her teachers on this path. Her teaching and practice have Anusara as their foundation and are also informed by her love of nature and a wealth of experience related to motherhood and the practice of medicine. She believes that human embodiment, in all of its ever-changing beautiful imperfection, is a fabulous gift to be enjoyed in every moment. From this perspective, yoga can bring all of life’s sweetness right into focus and help us connect with a sense of ease and beauty present within and all around us.

Lisa Holtby, M.A (206.932.2939, www.lisaholtby.com) an Anusara-inspiredteacher, has taught at SYA since 1995.

Lisa wrote the book Healing Yoga for People Living with Cancer (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2004); teaches nationally for CURE Magazine's conferences for cancer survivors; is featured in the television program The Art of Aging; and founded Positive Yoga, a national volunteer event that raised $230,000 for cancer research. Lisa's classes are supportive, challenging, safe and fun.
( www.photosbydebra.com)

Bianca Raffety, LMP (206.391.9834, www.biancaraffety.com) is a long-time student of yoga, having begun the practice in 1990 during a period of profoundpersonal, mental and physical challenge. Through the beauty of yoga, Bianca began a journey of intense transformation, learning through the philosophy and practice how to step onto a path that led to deep compassion and strength. Through her dedication to yoga, she continues to learn what Maya Angelou meant when she wrote, "Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion, compassion, and style."

Bianca believes we all have deep inner wisdom which can be cultivated by the willingness and courage to explore yoga. Her classes are supportive, playful, and encourage curiosity and self-trust. She is graced with the guidance and support of her mentor, Denise Benitez, and other fabulous teachers. She is an Affiliated Anusara Yoga Teacher and a practicing massage therapist.

Elizabeth Rainey, E-RYT 500 (206.499.8255, www.elizabethrainey.com) is aCertified Anusara Yoga Teacher and currently sits on the Anusara Certification Committee, mentoring teachers as they deepen their skills. She sees her extraordinary life as a testament to the transformational power of yoga and its invitation to experience ourselves as whole and holy. Her practice and teaching is infused with her fascination and study of the world’s mystical traditions and her passion for self-exploration. She creates a fun, safe and sacred space for others to nourish their spirit, connect with their bodies and explore their infinite potential. She is known for her humor and clarity and she relishes sharing this beautiful journey called Yoga with others. She teaches public classes and private sessions in Seattle as well as workshops and retreats across the nation and internationally.