OUR AMAZING STAFF | Source Yoga

OUR EXCEPTIONAL STAFF

Erin Joosse

owner, co-founder, and studio director


Through Source Yoga, Erin has found the expression of her life’s passion and mission. She began her exploration of mindfulness in high school when she experienced walking meditation in a class called “Eastern Thought.” Having a profound experience of feeling connected and whole, she began an earnest study of yoga and meditation that led her to her teaching path.


Certified to teach yoga in 2000, she began to teach full time, and began to explore yoga as a path to physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. She teaches mindful yoga, which is a yoga class which incorporates mindfulness practice and meditation. In Erin’s class, you will focus on alignment and breath, as well as awareness of your mind and emotions as you move through your yoga practice. In Mindful Yoga, each posture or each flow between postures becomes a meditation. It is a physical practice, but embodies the wholeness of your being.


Erin is a Certified teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the University of California at San Diego Mindfulness Based Professional Training Institute. She teaches Mindful Yoga, Meditation, and MBSR. Erin creates the vision and direction of Source Yoga, mentors teachers, and oversees the yoga and mindfulness programming at the Source Yoga studios.


Shari Larson - Source Yoga Studio Manager

Shari Larson

studio manager


Shari came to yoga to deal with headaches and pain related to whiplash injuries sustained as a teenager. She found that yoga not only helped with the pain but also brought a sense of calm and balance to her life. She believes that if we connect with our bodies we can uncover what nourishes and sustains us so we can increase the longevity of our practices. All her classes honor individuality and the fact that there is no one way to do a posture. Her passion is slower practices that allow time to really explore the body and breath.


In addition to her RYT 200, Shari has completed over 200 hours of additional training in Yin Yoga and a 200hr Kundalini teacher training. There is always so much more to learn!!


You can also see Shari behind the desk in her role as studio manager where she is committed to supporting students and teachers so they can focus on what they love, YOGA!

Christine Hills - Source Yoga Education Coordinator

Christine Hills

education coordinator


opportunitiedc laSri Krishnamacharya has said that there is an ocean which lies between atha and iti; the first and last syllables in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Within this ocean there is no haste; simply a natural unfolding unique to each individual. The traditional teachings of yoga—this ancient art and science that is just as relevant in our lives today as when it first began—is the inspiration for Christine’s personal practice and the reason she continues to share yoga with others.


Christine received her 200-hour certification from Pacific Yoga Teacher Training in 2003. She is continually grateful for the ability to share what she has gathered from her teachers (and teachers’ teachers….), passing along the lessons of yoga to students of all ages and stages on their own unique path.


Christine is the Education Coordinator for Source Yoga, supporting our teachers, scheduling and planning classes, workshops and educational opportunities at Source Yoga. 

Tamiko Nimura - Source Yoga Social Media Coordinator

Tamiko Nimura

social media coordinator


Tamiko is a freelance writer, community journalist, and public historian. She just published her first book, ROSA FRANKLIN: A LIFE IN HEALTH CARE, PUBLIC SERVICE, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (2019). She started taking classes at Source 12 years ago, and started her social media/newsletter work for Source Yoga in 2011. Tamiko first thought of yoga as a physical workout, but is happy that it’s become a necessary “mental housecleaning” too. If you have previously taken classes at either of our studios in North Tacoma or University Place, you have probably practiced right alongside Tamiko - and if you follow us on Facebook you’ve probably read many of the heartfelt articles she has shared over the years. We are honored to have Tamiko as part of the Source Staff.

Liz Dobson - Source Yoga Studio Administrator

Liz Dobson

studio admin/social media


Liz’s love for yoga began and continues to grow at Source Yoga. She was introduced to Source through Prenatal Yoga and then became very occupied for a few years with her son (now 8) and daughter (7). In 2015 she dove in a little deeper and took her first Intro to Yoga series and became hooked on the physical asana practice. She felt at peace while in community practice and thankful for what she was able to take away with her off of the mat after each class. After her mom passed away, Liz attended the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Liz was a student of the 200 Hour Source Yoga Mindfulness Based Yoga Teacher Training and graduated in December 2019. In January she joined the Source staff behind the scenes supporting Shari and students from the University Place front desk.


Prior to discovering her love for yoga, Liz spent 20 years working as a Pharmacy Technician, worked at a veterinary hospital, fostered dogs and she enjoys snowboarding, camping and spending time outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, supporting her kids in BMX and continuing on her path of self-study and mindfulness.


Liz’s passion is in sharing all she is continuously learning through her daily yoga practice and from her teachers on and off the mat – with friends, family & community.


Alli Ewing - Source Yoga Instructor

Alli Ewing

Alli is a yoga teacher and trainer passionate about empowering people to discover their own ability to find healing and connection from within. She was inspired by her background in Special Education, her Peace Corps service as a Heath Education Volunteer in Tanzania, and work with youth in foster care to integrate methodologies that promote and empower individualized healing and address harmful power dynamics.


She completed her 200 hr teacher training in Taoist Yoga and has completed her 300 hour advanced Teacher Training in Trauma Center-Trauma Sensitive Yoga – an evidence based methodology developed specifically for facilitating yoga with individuals who have experienced chronic abuse, neglect and treatment-resistant PTSD. She has been offering trainings in the States and internationally since 2010.


Alli has additional experience facilitating yoga with children with special needs, refugees, pre/postnatal/birth trauma, LGBTQ+ youth, and youth in residential treatment and foster care. In addition to yoga, Alli loves to travel, bake chocolate chips cookies, see live music, attempt to keep indoor plants alive, and spend time wit her family. You can find out more about Alli’s Trauma Sensitive Yoga Offerings with Safe Space Yoga Project here.

Allison Muir - Source Yoga Instructor

Allison Muir

Allison fell in love with yoga when she realized that what is true for her on the mat is true for her in life.   After 13 years of dedicated practice, she deepened her study of yoga by participating in an Anusara based two year long immersion and teacher training at Seattle Yoga Arts in Seattle, WA.  In November 2013, she received her 200-hour Yoga Teaching Certificate and registered with Yoga Alliance.


Inspired by the beauty and grace in life’s rich connections, Allison’s class sequences are crafted around themes connecting asana, pranayama and meditation. Poses flow from one to the other allowing students to explore how practicing with healthy alignment can improve their physical, mental and spiritual experience on and off the mat. Allison is not only passionate about yoga, but also about teaching.  She has taught English for over 15 years and feels there is nothing more fulfilling than teaching what you love. It is with overwhelming gratitude that she teaches yoga.

Bonnie Loghry - Source Yoga Instructor

Bonnie Loghry

When Bonnie attended her first yoga class, after years of increasing pain from scoliosis, she felt as if she had finally come home. A graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, Advanced Studies Teacher Training Program, she is also a certified Yoga for Scoliosis Teacher, and Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist.

 

Practicing yoga with a strong emphasis on alignment and breath work, she has been able to successfully manage her own chronic back pain and now focuses her teaching on helping others do the same.


Bonnie has a Master’s degree in public health and is an active a member of the Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices Group of the American Public Health Association. She brings enthusiasm, a sense of exploration, and a healthy dose of humor to all her classes.

Julia Bathe - Source Yoga Instructor

Julia Nathe

Julia Nathe received her RYT 200 teacher certification from Three Trees Yoga in 2014. She has been teaching kid’s yoga around the South Sound since 2014, recently creating and leading a Girls Empowerment Series at Source Yoga in 2017. Julia has been working with children for 10 years. She has worked with the Children’s Museum of Tacoma, YMCA, Source Yoga Family Program and more. She has a passion for working with children and creating safe and sacred space for all children to blossom and grow.

Karen Peters - Source Yoga Instructor

Karen Peters

Karen started practicing yoga in college as a way to help with physical pain from long hours of training to be a professional cellist. At a time when she couldn’t hold herself up in downdog, Karen found strength and confidence in practices that focused on the internal systems of her body (organs, endocrine, skeletal, etc.) These experiences led her to train for 300 hours with Embodied Flow, a school of yoga that combines yoga and somatic study. She is currently studying in a 500 hour program with Body Mind Centering to become a Somatic Movement Educator. 


In her Somatic Yoga Class, Karen invites practitioners to take anatomy off the page and into our bodies so that we become the subject matter. With an anatomical and developmental focus, Karen weaves yoga classes rooted in self exploration and encourages diversity of experience, interpretation and embodiment. Karen loves playing music with her band, Her Treehouse, and in her solo project. She is happiest outside, on walks, and laying under trees. 

Kelly Valenzuela - Source Yoga Instructor

Kelly Valenzuela

Kelly Valenzuela became a certified yoga teacher in 2000 through Mount Madonna Institute in Watsonville, CA and a certified Viniyoga teacher through Whole Life Yoga in Seattle, WA in 2012. A self-proclaimed Viniyoga “convert”, Kelly transformed her practice and teaching approach when Viniyoga helped her heal her own chronic injuries and she saw the benefits it could offer her students. In addition to being a long time student of yoga, Kelly has also studied meditation in the Yoga, Buddhist and MBSR traditions and weaves these teachings into her asana classes. Kelly believes yoga and mindfulness provide a beautiful pathway to connect with our bodies, quiet our minds and live in greater alignment with our hearts.

Kyra Wiens

Students describe Kyra Wiens’s classes as mindful, dynamic, and joyful. She offers flows that emphasize movement and transitions, integrated with both novel and traditional postures. She gives clear steps for beginner yogis and toward arm balances and other challenging forms to allow students to progress with confidence. Drawing on physical therapy and yoga anatomy, she invites students to safely expand their range of motion and strength so that they may move effectively in daily life. In addition to over 500 hours experience teaching yoga, Kyra is a professional Ironman triathlete, Air Force wife, and bonus mom to one beautiful teen.

Lori Ferry - Source Yoga Instructor

Lori Ferry

Lori’s yoga journey began just a few years ago and she continues to be beyond amazed by the abundance of study available to anyone who has the passion & courage to explore all that yoga has to offer.  She feels very blessed to guide as a 200RYT Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master.  Her passions towards Mindfulness Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga as well as Energy Healing work flows intuitively in her daily life and loves to share this passion with others during her classes. She continues her journey in yoga therapy training, Trauma Release Exercise, MBSR and other healing modalities. With her own daughter as a military veteran she has deep compassion for supporting our Community-in-Service and feels very privileged to guide individuals on their own journey towards vitality and joy. Lori joyfully invites you to explore your curiosity in yoga, and is always open to hear your own heart song. “Thank you for allowing me to be your Guide… the light within me bows & salutes the light within you”.

Megan Holt - Source Yoga instructor

Megan Holt

Megan’s curiosity of movement and function brought her to her first yoga class in college. After a long pause she came back to yoga in 2008 while pregnant with her second child and has been a Source Yoga community member ever since.


With a background in competitive swimming and martial arts she is frequently amazed at how challenging yet relaxing and restorative yoga can be. “Yoga can be so humbling and at the same time so reassuring and self-affirming.”


A recent graduate of Source Yoga’s very first Mindfulness-Based Yoga Teacher Training 200 hour program, she has also participated in Source Yoga’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program.     She is a firm believer in the benefits of regular meditation and quiet contemplation.


Megan’s wish for her students is to feel more at home in their bodies. Her classes focus on alignment with breath and meeting students where they are right now, in this moment, wherever that may be. She is grateful for the opportunity to engage with the Source Yoga community in a whole new way and looks forward to a lifelong journey of learning through yoga.

Melissa Paz - Source Yoga Instructor

Melissa Paz

Melissa finds that her yoga practice is a constant unfolding and cultivation of patience, compassion, acceptance, and self-reflection. It provides her the sacred in everyday life and the ability to settle into whatever arises. She believes that through commitment, willingness, and inner wisdom we can all come to know ourselves as graceful, empowered beings living life to its fullest.


Melissa is co-founder of Source Yoga, and has been teaching since 2001, and teaches a fluid hatha yoga class focused on body awareness and the breath as way to stay present. You will discover on your mat, the sacred and the playful to find freedom and connection to your inner wisdom, and leave her classes feeling nourished, relaxed, and grateful.


She has a BA in Modern Dance and is certified in both Ananda yoga, a gentle spiritual practice, and in 2008 received additional certification from Pacific Yoga in Seattle, WA with instructors, Theresa Elliott, and Kathryn Payne. She is both a Certified Health Coach and a Mastery Transformation Coach and works with both private clients and groups and leads workshops for purpose driven women seeking a healthy relationship with their money, work, and family so that they can live their desired lifestyle and serve from a place of wholeness and ease. Melissa is deeply grateful to be a mother of two young boys, a wife to a supportive husband and enjoys dancing her heart out whether in a Zumba class, her living room or on a stage.


Miranda Knox - Source Yoga Instructor

Miranda Knox

Miranda has been an on and off again Yoga Teacher since 2007. Clearly, there’s something to this practice. Teaching is sometimes her full time job, sometimes not, but it’s always the way she finds community. Her original teachers were in San Diego, CA where she used to live. Then, she traveled to Costa Rica to study yoga. She’s completed 200 hour trainings in Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and most recently began training in the Baptiste style in 2017. One of her favorite teachers is Katelin Gallagher who teaches Shamatha meditation from the Tibetan Buddhist lineage. Miranda’s style of teaching has come full circle from vinyasa to gentle yoga to an eclectic, accessible to most, flow yoga again. In class Miranda likes to bring humor, kindness, presence and the option for self study. Her intention is to offer a tool of healing to others. Outside of class Miranda is a Massage Therapist, Pilates Instructor, newlywed, and mom to a little girl and two dogs.  

Nicole Reed - Source Yoga Instructor

Nicole Reed

Nicole Reed taught in Pre-K and Elementary Education for 10 years before becoming a stay at home mom 6 years ago. She began practicing Yoga in 2010 to recover from running injuries, and then discovered restorative yoga and mindfulness meditation in 2014 once she became a mom of 2, and found these slower practices brought centering and calmness to her life.


Nicole is thankful for the guidance she received from Source Yoga where she recently graduated from the Mindfulness Based Yoga Teacher Training. She is specifically interested in helping others (especially families!) learn how to access their capacity for calming themselves through Yoga and Mindfulness Practices and practicing mindfulness in nature through Mindful Nature Walks.


Rosie Townshend - Source Yoga Instructor

Rosie Townsend

Rosie took her first yoga class back in the early 1990’s at the local community center in her hometown. Though she didn’t know much about yoga, the noticeable changes in her mind, body, and spirit were immediate after each class and she knew she was hooked.


Rosie believes that yoga will always meet people where they are. She is committed to making yoga accessible to everybody and her philosophy is that anyone- no matter age, size, or ability- can do this practice. Rosie strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone she works with will be able to participate, no matter where they are in their practice. She encourages students to work from where they are, by offering modifications for poses and loves showing students how they can use props to enhance their practice. Additionally, she invites her students to leave criticism and judgement about their practice at the door and to instead explore their practice with a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness- to focus on all the wonderful things their bodies can already do and to realize that they are enough, exactly as they are in that very moment.


Rosie completed her 200-hour RYT certification in June of 2018 and is currently working toward her 500-hour RYT certificate. She is also a certified Yoga For All instructor, which enables her to work with people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities.


Tiffany Speir - Source Yoga Instructor

Tiffany Speir

Tiffany Speir is a dancer and musician who fell in love with yoga in 2004. She has been teaching yoga since 2005 and is certified by the Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level. Tiffany studies with Stephanie Adams-Ruff and Adi Vajra of Jaya Yoga and is an ambassador for SAYF, the Safe Asana Yoga Foundation. Tiffany teaches technique focused on empowering individualized practice that lets students maximize their physical potential while minimizing risk of injury. In addition to vinyasa flow, she incorporates breath techniques and Yoga Nidra into practices to provide a well-rounded experience that helps increase self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Yoga For Everyday People

Source Yoga is a place to simply be, accept ourselves as we are in this moment, and connect with our innate wisdom.

Through the cultivation of present moment awareness through yoga and mindfulness practices, we discover and nurture our inner resources for self-care, ease, peace of mind, and compassion.

We welcome students of all ages and abilities. Join our warm, welcoming community in a supportive and non-intimidating environment.