Nourish your body, mind
and spirit
Learn to align your physical body to move you deeper into emotional balance
and spiritual awakening through practical yogic applications and techniques
as you become a skilled and inspired yoga teacher.
Our Team
CAP CHW, AYT, C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist & Ayurveda Practitioner | Owner of Yogaspirit, Veda Vita and KV Institute
Kim Valeri Povey
Kim is currently a 2024 candidate to become a Certified Ayurvedic Doctor through Kerala Ayurveda Academy. She is a Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner since 2018. In 1994 Kim became certified in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. She continued to follow the path of inner contemplation and direct experience, which comes from a committed Sadhana. This led her to the path of Surat Shabda Yoga, where the innermost teachings of mystical yoga through contemplation of inner sound brought everything together for her teachings.
Ayurveda and all three paths: Iyengar, Kundalini, and Surat Shabda, have influenced Kim as part of Yogaspirit’s teaching. Over the decades, Yogaspirit spread from several locations and is conducted today in New England to Washington State.
The teachings were developed after Kim turned to alternative medicine in the early 1980s. Through meditation, Kim has realized firsthand the power of healing and liberation from chronic pain, which opened the doorway to her mystical journey. Her transformation in overcoming serious near-death injury, illness, and life events has allowed her to learn to release pain and suffering within herself and, in turn, help others. Kim studied with Senior Iyengar Teacher Patricia Walden in Somerville, MA, In the late '80s, and in 1993, Kim took Patricia's first public Two Year Teacher Training program, which was completed in 1995. Kim highly respects the excellent education she received in the Iyengar Tradition, and much inspiration from that time in her life is rooted in her teaching today. Kim has been using yoga to help others and is a Certified Yoga Therapist through the International Yoga Therapy Association (C-IAYT) and the National Ayurveda Medical Association (NAMA).
ERYT-500
Saskia Bergmans
Saskia is a mentor, writer, teacher, and artist. She has been teaching and studying yoga since 1997. Saskia is Dutch, yet she grew up in England. In Europe, she studied with Dona Holleman and Orit Sen-Gupta. In Boston, MA, Saskia completed her 200-hour teacher training in 2004 and her 500-hour in 2007, with Kim Valeri, Founder and Director of Yogaspirit Studios.
Saskia teaches in the style of the Yogaspirit lineage and is part of the Yogaspirit 200hr teacher training faculty. She ran and operated her own yoga studio, from 2003-2010, in Wakefield, MA.
Saskia currently lives in New Haven, CT., with her two daughters. She primarily teaches Energy Management and Restorative yoga and teaches mothers on the importance of prenatal and postpartum self-care. She cultivates learning in her students through the traditions of Yogaspirit lineage guiding multi-level classes from the physical foundation of the body to the healing components of yoga. Saskia holds a safe and sacred space for her students to regain and build confidence in themselves and their bodies.
RYT-500 | Owner of Whitman Wellness Center
Cara Capellini
Cara is the owner of the Whitman Wellness Center and CC Skincare & Beauty. She has been in management in the beauty industry for many years. Cara has always had a dream to open a center that covered body, mind, and spirit and in 2010 that dream came true with the opening of the Whitman Wellness Center.
In 2014, she graduated from Yogaspirit yoga teacher training continuing with her yoga education. Cara completed her 300-hour Advanced Yoga Certification in 2016. She has been and is currently teaching a 200-hour Yogaspirit Certification Program, and a 300 (500)-hour Advanced Yoga Transformational Training through the Whitman Wellness School of Yoga.
Cara loves yoga for how it makes you feel light and grounded all at the same time.
In 2020 Cara completed laser & micro needling training and has added it to her CC Skincare & Beauty Business.
Working with people in all aspects of their well-being is what truly makes Cara happy and fulfilled.
RYT-500, CIAYT | Owner of Divinely Rooted Studio
Kellie Codianna
Kellie also holds a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and a Minor in Fine Art. In her teachings on the mat, Kellie weaves her Psychology wisdom with movement to bring each student back into their body. She is passionate about helping people reduce anxiety through a mind-body-breath connection.
After completing her Yogaspirit Studios 200-hour training 20 years ago in 2013, Kellie continued her wisdom studies with Kim Valeri’s Yogaspirit 500-hour program. The focus of this training was more challenging poses as well as how to work with clients individually in a therapeutic aspect of weaving deep wisdom of Ayurveda, anatomical alignment, centered on breath within the asana practice.
Kellie has also assisted with Yogaspirit’s Ayurveda Spring Cleanse and Fall Rejuvenation 4-day retreats. In 2011, Kellie trained with Kerala Academy for 500 hours for the Ayurveda Wellness Counselor Program and sprinkles Ayurveda wisdom through the asana practices in her classes. She is also trained in Mat and Reformer Pilates in 2012.
She is the Founder of Divinely Rooted Studio in CT where she also leads annual international yoga retreats to Costa Rica.
RYT-200
Gina DeNapoli
For Gina, yoga is both an individual journey, as well as a community practice. Gina began her yoga journey at the age of 5 watching and helping her mother as she taught yoga throughout the United States. Under the guidance of her mother Kim Valeri, founder of Yogaspirit Studios, Gina grew up around the spiritual and physical practice of yoga, but it was not until moving to D.C. to go to college that she began to develop a deeper connection with yoga. Focusing on form and alignment, Gina’s practice offers students the chance to find peace, stability, and freedom from within. By incorporating mindful movement into her sequencing, Gina invites students to foster a personal sense of meditation through movement. Open to students of all levels, those who practice with Gina will find the teacher within themselves, developing a deeper understanding of their anatomy and yogic foundations for life on and off their mats.
Gina received her 200-hour YTT certificate from Yogaspirit Studios through the Whitman Wellness Center. In addition to earning her yoga certification, Gina holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in History Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
RYT Assistant
Ava Desjardins
At the age of 18, Ava stumbled upon yoga and meditation in the living room of a new friend. From just the light in his eyes, she wondered if maybe there was something special about yoga that hadn’t been communicated to her in the Western-style classes she’d taken previously. Fast forward six years, and that first step on the path of yoga has evolved into a devoted spiritual practice, three transformative trips to India, a certification in Ayurvedic counseling, a 200-hour yoga teacher training, and a lifelong friendship with her first spiritual comrad.
For Ava, yoga was the answer to her longing for deeper meaning in life. From its rich history to the physical and mental/emotional effects it elicits, yoga fulfilled Ava on every level. It confirmed and reinforced her holistic perspective on health and wellness, that the body is a divine instrument capable of transforming and healing itself. This perspective grew and expanded over the years, and easily found expression in the field of science. By the time of graduation from Northeastern University in 2020, Ava’s passions for health and longevity culminated in a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience with summa cum laude honors, a few trips to India, and some good experience in teaching her beloved art form to fellow students and to others abroad.
After a few years in the workforce, Ava yearned for her purpose in the world and serendipitously came across a program in the ancient science of Ayurveda. Ayurveda aligned perfectly with her interests in health and longevity and knack for science, and in 2022 Ava received her Ayurvedic Health Counselor certification with Kim Valeri Povey as director of the program. Finally realizing her propensity and passion for healing, Ava took the leap to get her yoga teacher training from her treasured mentor, Kim Valeri, with Yogaspirit Studios.
CYT, AHC | Owner of Yoga Moves
Lori Russell
Lori began her yoga journey in 2003 as a way to complement her training as a triathlete. At the time she was diagnosed with a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome that needed immediate attention. Lori was advised to put on hold all strenuous cardio activity or “ she would die.” Yoga was an approved activity so she immersed herself in yoga books and videos as it was difficult to find a yoga studio in Polson, MT at that time.
Lori loved the transformation she began to see. She felt stronger and more centered. Her balance and flexibility improved and when she was finally cleared to return to her daily activities she had improved body awareness, mindfulness, and no more arrhythmia. Lori and her family moved back to Massachusetts after 13 years of living in Polson, MT, and walked into Yoga Moves, a studio then owned by Mary Ellen Goodsir who was her teacher and mentor. Today Lori is the owner of Yoga Moves and continues following a path of physical, spiritual, and emotional growth.
Lori graduated from the Boston Ayurveda School as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor in 2022 when Kim Valeri Povey was Academy and Clinic Director and brought Yogaspirit Studios’ 200-hour training to Yoga Moves. Lori serves her community of students by allowing each member’s unique and personal experience to come through the practices of yoga and Ayurveda.
LPN, LMT, C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist & Ayurveda Health Counselor | Owner of Indigo Lotus Wellness and Yoga
Suzanne Silvermoon
Suzanne is a transformational healer and teacher who recognizes the multi-dimensional aspects of the human experience. The profound yogic teachings about the inner workings of the mind, coupled with tools of contemplation and integration assisted her in transforming generational trauma into a superpower of understanding and empathy. The yogic life provided a stable foundation, while ecstatic dance and music lifted and inspired her spirit.
Drawing from a deep well of over 40 years of meditation, personal yoga practice, and living a yoga and Ayurveda-inspired life, combined with the wisdom of 27 years as a holistic nurse, she compassionately and wisely guides students and clients.
Suzanne is trained and experienced in several natural healing modalities including Yogaspirit trained, Internationally Certified Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic Wellness Counseling, Certified Panchakarma Technician, Certified Pranic Healing Practitioner, Reiki Attuned, and Certified in Thai Yoga Massage. She is also a Certified Holistic Licensed Practical Nurse, and Licensed Massage Therapist. Supporting individuals with these potent tools, clients learn to free themselves from physical, mental, and emotional binds that hold them back from realizing their beautiful radiant self. Suzanne believes that as each person transforms and awakens, the whole world benefits.
ERYT-500, C-IAYT
Lee-Ann Trigler
Lee-Ann has been a yoga business owner, yoga teacher, and therapist for transformation, and is passionate about embracing the journeys of life.
She discovered her passion for teaching in the educational system as a secondary teacher. Which is why, as soon as she discovered yoga for herself, she knew she had to pursue teaching it to others. And so began her ever-evolving 20-year journey with teacher and mentor Kim Valeri of Yogasprit.
Lee-Ann has been teaching yoga since 1997. As a Certified Yoga Therapist through Yogasprit, she guides and empowers clients to step into their magnitude. Since 2010 Lee-Ann has been and is currently teaching a 200-hour Yogaspirit Certification Program, a 300 (500)-hour Advanced Yoga Transformational Training, and a 900-hour Yoga Wellness Training through the Whitman Wellness School of Yoga.
A happily married woman since 1974 and a dedicated mother to her family, if Lee-Ann is not meditating, practicing yoga, or teaching yoga, you’ll find her at home with her family or driving around with her 125-pound lab, Amigo.
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