OUR TEAM

OWNER & TEACHER Marisol Armijo Brito is a lifelong resident of Albuquerque’s North Valley and is the owner of Bhava Yoga Studio with over 30 years in the fitness industry. Before becoming a full-time yoga instructor and entrepreneur, Marisol earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. After a 20-year professional career as a process and quality engineer and then as a quality manager in the manufacturing and health-care fields, she purchased Bhava Yoga Studio in 2016. She enjoys helping people discover how to move in their bodies without pain and live a life that feels good. She brings enthusiasm and a sense of humor to her classes, creating an atmosphere that helps students stretch beyond what they think is possible with more ease than expected. She believes that the pure enjoyment of practice is where peace is found. Practicing yoga will help one realize an incredible life that is both satisfying and surprising…. Step into your practice today

TEACHER Pam combines Qigong (traditional Chinese energy work) with Vinyasa Yoga sequencing to create a spacious, energizing Qi Flow to build energy reserves, strengthen immunity, stabilize moods and increase feelings of serenity and well-being. Detailed verbal cues and skilled hands-on adjustments will be offered as options during class to enhance this energetic experience. Pam teaches with compassion, clarity and expertise to students of all levels and abilities. She finds great joy in helping students reconnect with their innate bodily wisdom, grace and healthful potential.

TEACHER Jen Fox weaves three invitations into each of her classes: the body has complete liberation to move; the mind has full permission to think; and the heart has unlimited freedom to feel. With a focus on energetic alignment and organic flow, she teaches in a circle to infuse the space with a sense of connection. Her offerings are drenched in music and inspired by nature, emphasizing the phases of the moon and the elemental qualities of each season. Jen is an RYT 500 Prana Vinyasa® Flow Yoga Teacher and an RYT 200 Instinctive Meditation® Guide.

TEACHER Lori Armijo is a 500 hour certified yoga instructor trained in vinyasa flow, restorative, yin, basics/fundamentals, trauma sensitive yoga and chair yoga since 2008. She loves helping others experience the transformational power of yoga that has changed her life. She is an alignment based teacher and in her classes students learn how to build poses from the ground-up and takes into consideration each student's uniqueness and honors where the student is at the moment. Lori has a vast experience teaching special populations including working in the Prison Yoga Project at the county jail, and the New Mexico Department of Corrections leading a 12-week pilot program at the prison in Los Lunas, and at a recovery center for drugs and alcohol offering yoga and meditation. She studied with Mark Lily, Street Yoga, Adapting Yoga for Trauma Sensitive Populations. Lori invites you to class where she says, "I teach with a spirit of playfulness. It is my sincere wish that each and every student leaves my class feeling empowered, nourished and balanced." Join Lori for class and experience the transformational power of yoga. Her classes are gentle, no experience is necessary.

TEACHER I am a Native New Mexican, my passion is in guiding and supporting others through the healing practice of yoga. As a breast cancer survivor yoga helped me heal, not just physically but mentally and spiritually. I enjoy teaching embodiment based, slower and gentler classes. I believe we are all students of yoga no matter what your limitations may be. My classes are accessible for all levels. Exploration of the breath and compassionate awareness will help guide you through a healing inward journey. Since my Alliance approved 200hr teacher training in 2018 I have studied Yin yoga with Kari Kwinn & Bernie Clark and Restorative yoga with Judith Lasater.

TEACHER I am a registered nurse with a passion for health and wellness promotion. Connecting the physical body and the spiritual body through healthcare and holistic health care, through movement and breathing that is part of our wellness journey.

TEACHER Linda’s inspiration and passion for teaching yoga comes from her personal experience of how the transformative power of yoga sustained her through successful treatment for breast cancer and continues to empower her mentally as well as physically. Linda strives to empower her students to experience how yoga meets them where they are – to make their practice their own. Linda is passionate about sharing the benefits of yoga with adults as well as children and teens, who remind her to cultivate joy, laughter, and playfulness in her own practice. Linda brings her sense of humor, laughter, and playful exploration, along with precise alignment cues into her well-crafted flow-style classes.

TEACHER Franchesca has been teaching at Bhava for 3 years. In her classes, she includes a mix of vinyasa or breath and movement, alignment, and affirmations. Each class is held by your intention. She enjoys helping students feel confident and find their own flow. Appreciating their own practice, she guides her students forward from this base to experience their fullest potential.

TEACHER Dorothy Cuylear is the daughter of Darla Hassall, of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and Otto Cuylear, of the African American people. She is of the White Clan and was born and raised in Las Cruces, NM. She is a 500 hour registered Yoga teacher and she has been teaching alignment based Yoga since 2018. Dorothy leads a practice that aims to embrace Yoga’s roots while also creating a brave space where all students feel welcome, regardless of body type or Yoga experience. She currently teaches a senior chair Yoga class and a CARE (community, awareness, resilience, and empowerment) Yoga class.

TEACHER Amanda Caroline, a forever student and teacher of yoga, is a 200-hour RYT through Prajna school of Yoga. She weaves breath with movement in her flow-based yoga classes, which emphasize awareness, alignment, and strength. She is passionate about cultivating liberated awareness and embodiment through the structure and freedom of yoga. Amanda has been practicing since 2015 and made her dream come true to teach in 2018. She welcomes all levels and is grateful to meet you on the mat. With radiance, life-force, and vitality.

TEACHER Is a nurse, yoga instructor, and energy healer. Stephanie became interested in Eastern and Alternative Medicine when diagnosed with breast cancer. She is now a breast cancer survivor, who underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and multiple surgeries which inspired her to found Pink Prana, a yoga class for breast cancer survivors and supporters. “Yoga not only helped with symptom control, it also helped with my thought process during diagnosis, treatment and recovery. I love how Yoga has given me a sense of control and self-healing. Yoga helped me get back to myself after cancer, and I love to provide a place where people can feel supported in their journey." She is now cancer free for 12 years. Stephanie remains passionate about helping people find their inner peace through movement, medicine, fellowship, and mentorship.

TEACHER

TEACHER Erin began studying yoga in 1995, and has been teaching since 2001. Her work encompasses a variety of modalities, but what ties it all together is basically this: Erin loves sharing tools and practices that invite people more deeply into the experience of being human. Whether that comes in the form of decreasing pain and stress, learning to do a handstand, or getting comfortable with vulnerability...she's into it! Erin's approach to movement, whether it's yoga or strength training, is always about loving bodies first. She's never met a movement or a pose that couldn't be modified for the person doing it, and loves the creative process of customizing exercise to make it accessible, appropriately challenging, and fun for everyone. Erin Hansbrough E-RYT 500 Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist Wellness and Relationship Coach

TEACHER Raquel’s yoga exploration began in 2008 as an addition to her regular exercise routine. Sparked by her nature to seek out intensity in workouts, she found hot yoga and developed a regular practice and the confidence to explore other styles of yoga. This paralleled a transitional healing time in her life, bringing to surface that the struggles we face in this life and in our past, are also our blessings that carry us to where we are today. She believes that each one of us deserves to know what it’s like to love and be kind to ourselves inside and out. Raquel’s intention is to offer an opportunity for her students to take the generous tools that yoga offers to guide the body, breathe, and mind to retreat from everyday life stressors. Raquel enjoys time with family, friends, traveling, nature, and studying, teaching and practicing yoga regularly. In her classes she makes space to heal and reconnect to a more love-filled relationship with life and the bodies that we live in. “Let’s get Zen!”

TEACHER Kira has over 1000 hours of training in Therapeutic Yoga, 50 hours of training in Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy, and 300 hours of training in Yoga Psychology. She is a Licensed Massage Therapist and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in voice and a Master of Science with studies focused on implementing mental health programs within communities and organizations. Kira prioritizes accessibility, simplicity, functionality, and depth through her therapeutically-oriented classes. Her classes are a welcome place for beginners, people with chronic pain or mobility issues, people with chronic health issues, and people over the age of 60.

TEACHER Celia was born and raised in New Mexico and has been teaching yoga since 2015. She is passionate about experiencing the healing nature and transformative power of yoga, both as a student and as a teacher. After obtaining her first yoga certification, Celia began to combine this with her background and experience in Elementary Education and started specializing in teaching yoga to kids and teens. When teaching to adults, Celia focuses on facilitating a relaxing, grounded experience that empowers students to connect to themselves and remember their true nature.

TEACHER In addition to her RYT200 yoga training, Amy holds additional certification in Yin and Yoga Nidra. An Independent Reiki Master, Amy enjoys weaving her experience in energy work, meditation, mindfulness, and her professional background in health/physical education and counseling into her yoga teaching. She teaches multiple-level Vinyasa flow classes creating a space that is loving, inspiring, and supportive. Providing a practice in which students feel confident to grow as individuals, she is committed to being a source of support for others, sharing the many benefits she has received through the practice of yoga with others regardless of their level of experience.

STAFF Mary is a lifelong resident of New Mexico. She discovered yoga 20 years ago and it forever changed the direction of her life. She completed her 200 hour YTT in 2013. She has sturdier Ayurveda and meditation for the past few years. She also loves hiking and spending time with her dogs.

STAFF Alicia joined the Bhava team in 2021, after years of practicing at the studio and beyond. She has since completed her 200 YTT, and continues to expand and explore her practice. Alicia's love of movement, music and spirit is lifelong, and has led her to engage in community, the arts and social change work. In addition to her yoga practice, she is also a Level II Reiki Practitioner, a certified transformational life coach, and the owner of Atlixco Productions, LLC, which serves nonprofits, individuals and businesses to achieve positive community engagement, social change, and cross sector relationships that build towards equity, and the greater good.

STAFF Heather Rupert has lived in Albuquerque since she was 10 years old. She is a mother, wife, artist, lover of music, and friend to all. She began practicing yoga as a way to strengthen her body. Yoga has, in turn, strengthened her mind and spirit as well. She loves being a part of this community and seeing everyone’s smiling faces as they come into the studio.

STAFF Babi discovered the spiritual and physical healing powers of yoga many years ago and has been hooked ever since. Babi is a child of Albuquerque who moved home recently after a very long journey. She is grateful to be home and to be a part of the Bhava community. Next time you come for a class you may see her smiling face there to greet you and sign you in for class. When she is not enjoying all things yoga, she is a freelance small business consultant and art lover.