BA, MBA, K-12 Certified Teacher, E-RYT® 500, YACEP®

Julie has practiced yoga for over 30 years. Her background is in Hatha yoga with an emphasis on pranayama. Outside of yoga, Julie is the president of a small foundation that supports the arts and sciences, and she manages several rental properties. In addition, she is a gourmet cook and master baker. A former performing arts teacher at the junior high level, Julie pays close attention to all her students at the same time while creating a classroom environment that is both relaxing and challenging.

Julie joined Barefoot soon after it opened and has been an integral part of the Studio, including teaching a unit on pranayama and breath integration in the 200 hour teacher training program. Always smiling and offering knowledge to those who attend class, Julie currently teaches on-line Mellow Flow classes.

RYT® 200

Kim began practicing yoga seriously in 2013. At that time, she was diagnosed with depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. Yoga is the only therapy that helped manage her chronic diseases.

Kim’s passions are yoga and nursing. She is a master’s prepared RN since 1992. She now teaches a course named Healing Environments. This course teaches nursing students self-care, often a forgotten practice these days. The course also teaches them integrative nursing, which professes that every person is mind-body-spirit, a whole person to be cared for by nurses who understand the importance of healing practices for their patients. Kim is also a certified nurse coach.

Kim knows that yoga is a gateway to healing, no matter your age or diagnosis. She received her RYT® 200 at Barefoot Studio in 2020 and currently leads Restorative, Gentle, and Veterans yoga classes. Nurses are not the only people out of balance and stressed. She hopes to create a space to rest and reboot in her classes.

E-RYT® 200, CAP, CAHC, CPKT, BFA

When Tanja was seven years old, her mother, who had been struggling with mental illness, committed suicide. Thus, Tanja always has been keenly aware of the challenges that people dealing with anxiety, stress, depression, and mental illness face, as well as the limits of western medicine in addressing these problems. Looking for alternative solutions, she started out with yoga, eventually becoming a yoga teacher. While traveling to India to study Ashtanga yoga in Mysore, she took advantage of the opportunity to visit multiple Ayurvedic clinics and practitioners to learn more about this ancient, holistic Indian medical system.

Tanja attended the Kanyakumari Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness Center to become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Ayurvedic Practitioner, and Panchakarma Technician. Further, she views her clients as an integral part of her journey along the path of Ayurveda and yoga—sharing her skills and knowledge with others is the natural fulfillment of that path. Teaching and educating people about Yoga and Ayurveda through lectures, workshops and classes is her calling along with seeing clients in the Tucson-based practice she shares with her husband Bill Price, who is a Panchakarma Therapist.

Tanja Bungardt-Price is an E-RYT® 200, YACEP®, NAMA Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Panchakarma bodyworker (Abhyanga, Svedana, Shirodara), Educator (CEU provider), Professional member of NAMA, Board member of CAC (The Council of Ayurvedic Credentialing), Ayurveda lecturer at University of Arizona Integrative program (IMER), founding member of Ayurveda Professionals of Arizona (APAA), Faculty member (Ayurveda studies at Yoga Teacher Trainings)

She currently is on Barefoot Studio’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training team.

RYT® 200

Coming soon!

E-RYT® 500, RYT® 500, YACEP®

Melissa strives for students to feel amazed by their yoga practice! With this in mind, she meets you right where you are when you arrive on your yoga mat, helping you make a stronger connection with body, mind, and spirit through modification-forward asana (posture) practices, breath techniques, and guided meditation. Additionally, she enjoys leading yoga philosophy-based workshops with a western world perspective.

A former VP, figure skater, and race car driver, Melissa took her first yoga class in 2012 as a way to manage stress and regain flexibility. Yoga delivered! Today, she is RYT® 500 certified with specialized training in yoga philosophy, guided meditation, pranayama, restorative yoga, yin yoga, chair yoga, trauma sensitive yoga, and modification-forward asana practices.

Melissa currently teaches Hatha and Yin classes. In addition, she is on Barefoot Studio’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training team. She is available for private sessions in the Hatha, Gentle, Yin, Chair, and Restorative styles.

RYT® 200

As a Speech-Language Pathologist for over 20 years, Perri enjoys helping and teaching others. When she first began practicing yoga in 2010, she knew she eventually wanted to complete a yoga teacher training program. After completing her 200 hour training at Barefoot in 2019, she started teaching classes right away. She currently teaches Mellow Flow and Booty Yoga.

Perri loves the balance of the physical practice with the spiritual and mental aspects that yoga offers. She appreciates the “work-in” during the “workout” that yoga provides and the energy and strength that are created during each practice.

RYT® 200

Michelle’s yoga journey started in early 2019 on a road trip through the Southwest. While exploring Sedona, she tried a hot yoga class for the first time and was blown away by the challenge of combining heat/humidity and the physical postures. She was hooked from then on and tried out every type of class that was available after returning home to Tucson, AZ.  She loves the way that yoga can bring her into the present moment and out of her head.

Michelle completed her 200 hour certification with Lakshmi Rising in Costa Rica, and the experience was life changing. She studied mantras, pranayama, asana, and meditation as well as yogic philosophy. Her time in the jungle was magical, and she strives to bring that magic to the mat and share it with others.

RYT® 200

David’s yoga path is a little different than most. His 32 year career in law enforcement included assignments in SWAT, Air Rescue Paramedic and Rope Rescue Technician, Police Academy instructor in Defensive Tactics, Motorcycle patrol, and Special Investigations Detective. Participating in a variety of styles of martial arts and competing in open matches left him with numerous injuries. Competing in triathlons, eco challenges and anything else where potential for injury was high compounded these injuries. Realizing this was not a path he could continue on, he began to take yoga classes. The calm and quiet of yoga helped him change the way he treated his body and his mind.

In 2017, he completed Barefoot’s 200 hour yoga teacher training and began leading classes. He expanded his training by taking classes in Trauma Informed Yoga, Chair yoga,  and Yoga Nidra. Today, you can find him leading Body Sculpt and subbing other classes at Barefoot.

Yoga introduced Angelina to self-actualization and healing. Her adolescence was marked by anxiety, depression, and PTSD. At 13, she was introduced to yoga and meditation. At 16, she received her first Reiki healing. All changed her life and helped her realize her purpose: to help others heal and connect with their true nature. In 2015, Angelina received her 200-hour RYT in Ashtanga-Vinyasa and fell in love with teaching. She received her 300-hour RYT in Bhakti in 2017.

From a young age, Angelina was drawn to the energy and beauty of the desert. Following her passions, she moved to Tucson from Long Island, NY, in 2019. She currently teaches Hatha and Mellow Flow classes.

E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®

Yvonne began her yoga journey sporadically at a gym, where it challenged her body but hadn’t connected the way it does today. Then, an invitation to join a meditation workshop at Barefoot came in, and the space and vibe intrigued her. After a few classes, Yvonne was hooked. It felt like home; a space where she was accepted, supported, embraced.

Yvonne lives with a number of ailments that at times can leave her bedridden. Without a doubt, learning to connect breath to body truly began to improve her practice and overall quality of life. The difference she felt from yoga was incredible. But, why did it work?

When Yvonne took the 200-hour teacher training at Barefoot in 2015, she did not intend to teach. However, as the training came to completion, she knew she wanted to share the bliss that can be attained through yoga.

“I have now been teaching for nearly 7 years and am grateful for every minute.”

Yvonne currently teaches Gentle, Hatha, and Fresh Start classes. She also is on Barefoot Studio’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training team.

RYT® 500

A licensed cosmetologist for 10+ years, Nicole is passionate about helping others see the beauty they possess, inside and out. She is blessed to witness the big impact little things can have. To that end, she utilizes her intuition to tailor the emphasis to the unique needs of each class. As a result, she hopes to impart every participant with a sense of their own amazing energy.

“When I was introduced to the life-changing experience of yoga, I truly understood the depth of inner beauty, gentle strength, and the importance of balance. I fell in love. The fact that simple poses and breathwork can transform physical, emotional, and mental states is awe inspiring.”

Nicole believes that yoga provides amazing benefits for everyone, body and soul. She loves to see clients’ transformations, and her journey to assist that transformation continues to expand.

Nicole currently teaches Yin classes. At the end of class, she provides Reiki to assist the healing of all four levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

RYT® 200

Sara started her yoga journey 18+ years ago as an awkward, self-conscious middle school student in Minnesota. Her aunt and uncle took her to an Iyengar studio in St. Paul. Little did she know how much that studio and those experiences would shape the path of her life later on!

As she grew older, Sara’s practice ebbed and flowed. At times, it was a dedicated daily ritual, and at others, only flavoring the edges of her life with little asana or meditation practice. In 2013, she was registered and committed to starting a yoga teacher training in Bend, Oregon when she became pregnant and put her training on hold.

Moving back to Tucson, Sara discovered Barefoot Studio and happily completed her 200-hr YTT in June 2017. Afterwards, she attained certification to teach kids’ yoga. Her personal practice and teaching style ranges anywhere from gentle meditation to funky flow. In her classes, she loves incorporating music and creating a fun, friendly atmosphere. She is dedicated to growing as a yogi and grateful to be able to share the life-altering practice of yoga with others.

Sara currently subs and guides workshops that go beyond asana (poses).

E-RYT® 200

Susan began a regular Yoga practice in 2006, as a vehicle for physical strength, flexibility, and good health. Over time, the enriching benefits of Yoga multiplied and grew to encompass all aspects of her life, and she was inspired to pursue teacher training. She is a 2011 graduate of The Arizona School of Yoga in the vinyasa flow style and a RYT® 200 with  Yoga Alliance.

Susan teaches challenging, nurturing and light-hearted classes locally and out-of-state. Her belief is that in order to grow and change, we must first understand and accept where we are. When not practicing Yoga, Susan enjoys spending time with family, friends and pets, hiking, gardening, kite boarding, stand up paddling, cooking, reading and traveling.

Susan currently teaches Hatha and Gentle classes when she’s in Tucson.

RYT® 200

“Yoga is a breath of fresh air, like a butterfly fluttering in a happy summer day. It is strength and delicateness, wisdom and tranquility, love and compassion.” GG has been teaching ballet and fitness classes since her early twenties, and yoga has become her daily companion since 2010. Her favorite style is flowy and poetic, with a spirit of playfulness. She enjoys the challenge of teaching different styles of yoga, from restorative to power, meeting each student where they are in their practice.

When she’s in Tucson, GG teaches Hatha and subs a variety of other classes.

E-RYT® 500, RYT® 500, YACEP®

Pam began studying yoga due to health issues and experienced an almost magical response in her body and mind. Consequently, she completed yoga teacher training and began to share her practice with others in 2010. Pam is called to teach and study the deeper practice of yoga as a whole. Given that, she developed curriculum for 200–hour and 300- hour teacher trainings and is the owner of Radiant Spirit Yoga and Radiant Spirit Travels.

When not on her mat, her nose is most likely buried in a book. Pam lives in Tucson, Arizona and will try to not bore you with pictures of her grandchildren. She is a passionate yogi who has taught over 10,000 hours both internationally and domestically. She teaches both Yin and Yang yoga in a nurturing and loving manner. Her dharma is to teach and share the practice with whomever is receptive.

Pam currently is on Barefoot Studio’s 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training team.