Duane Utech, Owner, UpDog Yoga
Duane (and his late mom, “Babsee”), began studying yoga with his first teacher, Brij Mohandas Chhabra, at the Bharatiya Temple in Troy, in the mid-90’s. Since then, he has traveled and studied extensively, and is proud to include as his “teachers” Michael Johnson, Stephanie Howarth, David Swenson, David Life, Sharon Gannon, Ana Forest, Jonny Kest and Jenna Aviva Lee, among many others. A “drop-out” of the high-pressure automotive corporate world in 2008, Duane now devotes all his time to practicing, teaching, running UpDog, and caring for his adorable yogi-in-training, Clifford.

Her teaching efforts are to provide a holistic approach to yoga which includes asana, pranayama, meditation, philosophy, ayurvedics and nutrition.

She is heavily influenced by contemporary teachers who include Angela Farmer, Erich Schiffmann, Donna Farhi, Judith Lasater, Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil. 
 

Tracy Flynn, has been a yoga enthusiast since 1990 when she walked into the practice room stressed out and with a mind run wild. She walked out a changed person and hasn't stopped practicing since. She began teaching in 1999 when she left the corporate world in order to more fully integrate her passions with her daily life.

Her current favorite practices are viniyoga and kundalini yoga. Viniyoga emphasizes movement following the breath and individual adaptation of yoga postures, and her teaching follows this lineage. Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan is called the "yoga of awareness." Other strong influences have been Iyengar yoga and hatha yoga as taught in Rochester for many years by her mentor, Mariana Smith.

Tracy has 500-hour teacher certification with the internationally-known viniyoga teacher, Gary Kraftsow, with whom she has studied since 2000. She began yoga therapy training with Kraftsow in March 2010.

While seeking out teachers Melissa found UpDog Yoga and the teachings of Michael Johnson which resonated with her spirit and so she instantly signed up for his teacher training. Based in Ashtanga and vinyasa, Melissa continues to seek out wonderful teachers and follows the teachings of Sharon Gannon, David Life, Seane Corn, and Shiva Rea. She really loves a flowing vinyasa style and in her classes emphasizes the unity of body, mind and spirit created through pranayama, asana and meditation.

Peggy Klauer, ERYT, Peggy brings a beautiful balance of intensity and grace by way of breath and postures to each therapeutic class, thus allowing one’s own healing powers to inspire each practice. She teaches with joy and compassion. Her joy has been teaching for ten years and she continues her ongoing studies of the science and philosophies of yoga. Upon leaving her class you will have touched on your freedom ~ inner balance.

Patricia Singh, RYT, began her personal practice of yoga in 1997. She feels her life has been enriched daily since that first time on the mat. She studied with Veronica Zador and began teaching in 2002.

Patricia is a certified Pre-K - 8th grade teacher and has her ZA in early childhood. She teaches in the Rochester Schools. She chose to become a yoga instructor to share the gift of yoga with others. Patricia has a very calming presence and enjoys teaching the Basic I and Basic II classes.

Meaghan Zeoli started her journey of yoga seven years ago and has watched her life and the lives of others blossom. In 2006 she decided to share her love of yoga and, under the guidance of Michael Johnson, became a certified instructor with the Yoga Alliance. She believes that the benefits of yoga are universal, transcending all age barriers. Meaghan has developed classes specific for teens and in 2008 became a Yoga Ed teacher for grades K-8. She has studied at length with Mira Shani and the Venerable Lobsang Chukyi to deepen her study of yoga philosophy. Her wish is that all beings see the beauty inside of themselves and others. Be present to the world around you and you will find clarity.