Instructors

Vicky is the studio owner and founder of River Bend Yoga.

Yoga became a way of life for Vicky in 2004 after her second back surgery. While in physical therapy, she discovered that the exercises prescribed for rehabilitation were yoga postures. She researched yoga and became a regular practitioner.

In 2011, she felt a desire for more knowledge. She was inspired to enroll in a 200 hour yoga teacher training program. She graduated in 2012 with her RYT-200 certificate. Vicky started teaching right away, and knew she was on the right path. With the encouragement of her family, she opened River Bend Yoga in June of 2014. Vicky enrolled in an advanced 300 hour training program in 2015 to secure her 500 hour accreditation through Yoga Alliance.

Taking care of the body, warding off injuries, and living mindfully is important to Vicky. She teaches this in her classes. Through focusing on alignment and proper breathing techniques, she always keeps her students’ health and well-being in mind. Her passion is to guide students on how to use the practices of yoga to create healing & integration and to live an authentic and inspired life. Beginning her own yoga journey in her 40’s, Vicky is very much aware of how yoga, meditation and healthy living can help the body and the mind age more gracefully.

In 2020 Vicky opened River Bend School of Yoga, a Yoga Alliance (YA) accredited school. Currently offering 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) and continuing education classes to keep Yoga Teacher current on their credentials. Soon, the offerings will expand to include the advanced 300-hour YTT and an Aerial Certification Program.

Vicky feels incredibly honored to have the opportunity to share these ancient teachings.

Outside of yoga, Vicky enjoys hiking, cooking, vacations with her husband Jim, and spending time with her children and grandchildren seeking adventures and making memories. She is a dog lover and avid reader, enjoys time at home curled up with a book and her rottweiler Remington.

“Living mindfully is the foundation to a happy, healthy, well-balanced life.”

Breann has taught a plethora of fun classes and workshops at River Bend Yoga over the last six years. Her current classes include Beginner Yoga, Buti, Buti Deep, Warm Vinyasa Flow, Aerial Fit, and Aerial Rest and Restore. Other potential pop-ups include Backbend Workshops, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Glow, Parables and Poses, Hanuman Workshops, Body Thrive, Grow Your Flow, Storytime Yoga, Harry Potter Yoga, Yoga for Anxiety, and Sukha Restore.

Breann’s biggest goal is to facilitate growth, whatever that means to each student. Her classes at River bend Yoga are filled with a familial atmosphere. Expect to hear laughter and teasing, while still enjoying space to not be okay.

Her Beginners’ Yoga class focuses on making yoga accessible for all bodies. In her Intermediate and Aerial Fit classes, she will challenge and encourage you. She is also one of the facilitators for River Bend Yoga’s 200 Hour Teacher Training Program.

Breann has earned an E-RYT 200, RYT 500, and a YACEP through Yoga Alliance, as well as an MBA from UMSL. She is a mom to four teenage boys and a wife to the biggest kid in the house, all while being accused of treating the dog as the favorite child. She uses yoga to combat anxiety and to soften her dark art of sarcasm.

Regardless of your body, your background, or your current state of being, Breann encourages you to try yoga at River Bend Yoga. To re-iterate the mantra of our 2020 Yoga Teacher Training Cohort (with multiple tattoos to prove it) “You are enough.”

Amanda’s journey on the yogic path began at 16, when she was suffering from kidney disease. The movement, breathwork, and stillness found in the practice was the profound healing she was looking for. Although incredibly grateful for modern medicine, she was surprised that no professionals had mentioned to her the healing power of even the most simple asanas.

Amanda received her 200-Hour Vinyasa YTT in 2017 in Puna, Hawaii. She learned how to create flow structured classes, guide meditations, and offer several chants.

Outside of class, Amanda deeply enjoys communing with nature. Her favorite place to be is at the very top of any mountain. She is ecstatic to be a guide and facilitator of the innate ability of others to be their own greatest teacher and healer.

Why did you start teaching?

I decided to complete YTT because of how yoga made me feel physically and mentally. I wanted to learn more and be able to share with others, especially the high school students I work with daily. I attended some professional development workshops of bringing yoga and mindfulness into the classroom, and this inspired me to go further.

What keeps you motivated?

Bringing accessible yoga to everyone keeps me motivated to keep learning and teaching. I love trying to accommodate yoga for anyone. Making myself better mentally and physically also keeps me on my mat, practicing new things. The other teachers at RBY also keep me motivated to keep growing in my yoga journey.

What do you love about the studio?

I love so many things about RBY! I love the variety of classes offered and all who teach there. I love the beauty of the physical space of the studio. However, most importantly, I love how I feel when I’m there, both as a teacher and as a student. I know that no matter what crazy things have happened in my day, the second I walk through the door, my mood will immediately change to calm. It’s a feeling of being at home with those who love and accept me exactly the way I am. It’s my extended family who support and encourage me, and project this to all who come through the door. No matter who you are, at RBY, you are enough!

Judy has always enjoyed an active lifestyle. She is an adventurous outdoor woman who enjoys bicycling, hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding. In 2008 Judy went to her first yoga class and immediately made yoga part of her wellness journey.

In 2014 Judy went through her 200 Hour yoga teacher training knowing she wanted to help others come home to themselves. Judy started teaching professionally immediately after graduation and continues on her teaching journey by exploring a variety of classes.

For this 75 minute practice prepare to move beyond comfort and certainty for the sake of growth and aliveness. This power flow in a heated room integrates long holds and fluid transitions. In this class you will transcend the tendency to simply go through the motions as you enter into the fullness of the present moment, welcome grace into your heart, and clear stagnant energy.

Kali began her yoga journey in the beginning of 2021 to initiate healing from mental and physical illness. For this reason, she is passionate about supporting others on a journey of releasing fear and anxiety by creating a space free from obstacles.

Kali completed her 200-hour certification through River Bend School of Yoga in November 2021. Her classes provide an opportunity to stretch, unwind, and release tension by combining breathwork, movement, and meditation. The goal is to provide a good counterpoint to busy lifestyles, so stillness can be found with the divine.

A midwestern girl born and raised, Stephanie spent the last twenty-five years in the southwest desert, traveling, learning, teaching elementary school, and discovering her yoga practice.

While living in Las Vegas in 2013, she started regularly attending yoga classes, workshops, and festivals. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that she expanded her yoga journey by completing her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification through River Bend Yoga’s School of Yoga in 2022. Currently, she teaches recurring classes for adults and KIDS and even dabbles in the occasional workshop.

Stephanie challenges you to meet yourself on the mat, feel restored, and change your perspective. She believes: ‘Yoga is more than just a physical practice; it is a way of living that changes everything.’