Yoga/Fitness Instructors

Jennifer Risio

Jenn has been cultivating her yoga practice for over 25 years, which began in a Cleveland, Ohio, gym in 1997, where she instantly fell in love! Life’s journey and ebbs and flows brought her to a much-needed yearlong immersion of yoga and mindfulness on a path to truth, self-love, forgiveness, compassion, strength, and peace.

She completed her YTT in 2009 at Grace School of Yoga in Jamestown, RI, with her teacher/mentor Judy Mclaine studying the teachings of Sri Dharma Mittra. Her roots as a teacher began in Newport, RI, teaching Power Vinyasa, Restorative, and Vinyasa Flow.  Her Vinyasa flow style is an eclectic fusion of so many teachers she has studied with over the years, to honor some: Sri Dharma Mittra, Shiva Rae, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman, Elena Brower, Sean Corne, Wade Morrisette, MC YOGI, Kathryn Budig, Janet Stone, Jason Crandall and many more.

Jenn continues to be captivated by the inner peace and love she experiences as a teacher and in her own personal practice. Teaching is her lifelong passion! Her classes are creative and fun. She guides students to find grace and stillness, strength and agility while igniting breath and movement as one. She believes yoga should encircle freedom, grace, and laughter on and off the mat. Jennifer’s classes encompass a powerful flow, emphasizing strength and lightness, allowing the mind to relax and the heart to shine!

In addition, Jenn is the owner of The Studio in Mattapoisett, MA. She is a Reiki Master Teacher (RMT) whose energy healing is sprinkled into ALL her classes! She studied under the tutelage of Reiki Master Teacher Reinette Fournier of Tenth Gate Yoga in Portsmouth, RI,  completing her Reiki Master teacher certification in 2015. She now leads Reiki Teacher Training(s) at The Studio in Mattapoisett.  Jenn is also a Certified Pilates Instructor (CPI).

Deb Fraine

Deb has been practicing yoga for 20 years and is a registered member of Yoga Alliance having completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Vinyasa Flow Yoga with Donna Pagliarani at the Dharma Connection in Sandwich, MA. “As a yoga instructor my goal is to integrate my knowledge as an outpatient orthopedic occupational therapist into my yoga classes by helping to prevent injury with sequences that stretch and strengthen the core, neck, back, shoulders, quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, shoulders, wrists and hands.”

Joey Machado

Joey received his 200-hour training certification from Kripalu four years ago where he studied with Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman, and Shiva Rea. Joey’s passion is allowing yoga to be accessible no matter the circumstance. He teaches Kripalu yoga, gentle, moderate, power and chair yoga. He is also certified as a personal trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine.  He has been successfully training people for more than 11 years.

Joelene Marinone

Joelene has been practicing yoga for 27 years and teaching yoga for 20 years. She has trained in Reiki ll, energy medicine traditions, and many different types of yoga such as Kundalini, Iyengar, Anusara, Restorative, and Yin, all of which add to her teaching and understanding of embodiment. Joelene believes that yoga truly is a healing practice of mind/body and a wonderful way to spend time with yourself.

Jo Norton

Jo is a life lone fitness enthusiast. She is retired from her corporate role as Global VP of HR and now fully devotes herself to sharing her passion for fitness. Jo has spent years studying body movement., weight training, Pilates. yoga and barre. She has her certification in Pilates and functional aging, and has completed coursework in Physiology and Anatomy UMASS Amherst.

Linda Vivino

Linda has been practicing yoga for 25 years. She has been guided and inspired by many of our own beloved tri-town yoga teachers. Linda practices yoga to live a fulfilled and enjoyable life. She believes if you own your breath, no one can steal your peace. In 2020 Linda received her 200-hour YTT with David Vendetti of the revolutionary Yoga Liberation Front. David Vendetti’s teaching style is “fun and smart stretching, with a little conditioning”. Linda hopes you join her on the mat so you too can feel nourished, refreshed, and balanced.

Carol Lucey

Carol is a 200-RYT receiving her Maha Yoga Certification in July 2017, under the mentorship of Diane Lagadec. She is also certified to teach the Pretzel Kids Curriculum founded by “Robyn Parents,” and received this certification in Nov. 2017. She teaches to all levels and ages!

Carol draws from her life experience and enjoys sharing the practice of yoga with others. Her classes help to generate a peaceful presence on and off the mat. Her hope for her students is to feel this internal peace extend outward as they enter back into their busy daily lives. Yoga has taught Carol this sense of calm and peace, a simple reminder to stop and wants to share with others.

Carol has been an amateur poet since childhood, with a longtime goal of publishing a book of my poems someday.

Susan Amaral, ASCM, FSM, CPI

Shawn Sweet

Shawn is Barre Fitness certified through the internationally accredited American Barre Technique program. Having spent 16 years in dance, Barre has allowed her to stay connected to her roots while inspiring others to find a love for health and fitness.

Shawn has also obtained certifications in Pilates, Yoga, Zumba, Life Coaching, Health and Nutrition, Aromatherapy, Herbal Medicine and Reiki, as well as completed courses in both Mentoring and Mindfulness.

Shawn’s goal is to motivate others to find their best self. She enjoys getting to know her students and watching them gain endurance and strength throughout their Barre journey.

Jesse Jarvis, ERYT, RCYT

Jesse is empowered to bring the physical and mental practices of Yoga into the lives of as many humans as she can reach. As a former corporate employee, she can relate to the everyday office worker and builds her teaching around a well-balanced mental and physical practice with a focus on mindful movement and breath awareness. Jesse changed the course of her life while living in San Francisco in 2016 and decided to quit her corporate job and travel to India to study Yoga. She received her first 200-hour RYT certification as a Hatha Yoga teacher in Rishikesh, India, and has been teaching consistently ever since. She has also continued studying Yoga throughout the years and has most recently completed her 500-hour training with a focus on Ayurveda. In her classes, you can expect an accessible and approachable teaching style, enabling students of all levels to feel comfortable and encouraged in their practice. Jesse is originally from Mattapoisett, lived and taught Yoga in San Francisco, and currently resides in Boise, Idaho.

Kaylee Grodzki

Kaylee began her journey in yoga as a gym requirement in high school. After realizing how important it was for her self esteem, physical body, and learned tools of meditation, she received her 200 hour yoga certification in 2012. She quickly fell in love with Barre and shortly thereafter; realizing yoga and Barre worked hand in hand with each other.

Kaylee moved to Chattanooga, TN with two goals: climb and open a yoga/barre studio with her now husband Cody back in 2015. She received her 300 hour teacher training certification from her incredible mentor and friend, Dolly Kaupp, specializing in ceremony and inner work. She moved back up to Massachusetts to be closer to family and closed her studio after 7 amazing years to pursue her passion for leading teacher trainings and retreats around the country.

With well over 10,000 hours of teaching under her belt, and mentoring hundreds of trainee’s, she looks forward to the cold winters, beautiful summers, and collaborative movement.

Marcia Hathaway

Marcia Knight- Hathaway is a Certified Fitness Instructor with the American Council of Exercise since 1988. She is a 200 hour RYT with the Yoga Alliance as well as a Certified Pound Instructor, Zumba Instructor, and former ChiRunning and ChiWalking Instructor. She has taught at Healthtrax for over thirty five years as well as at Titleist, Anchor Yoga, Lighthouse Yoga, the New Bedford Wellness Initiative, the Dartmouth and Westport COA’s, and private sessions. She has taught a variety of fitness programs including aerobics class, aqua fitness, children’s classes, Pilates, Age- Reversing Stretch, and Walk 15 classes.

Additionally, Ms. Hathaway holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees in English from Simmons College. Ms. Hathaway is an ordained Pastor with the World Christianship Ministeries and the American Marriage Ministeries. She is the author of a book of prayers- A Village Prays- available on Amazon. She leads group and private seminars on topics centering on health, spirituality and motivational programs. She resides in South Dartmouth. Her family of four children range from Massachusetts to California and include four much-loved grandchildren.

 Linda Costa

Linda is a 2020 graduate of the School of Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training program. She has had a personal practice for over 20 years and began her teaching journey in November of 2020 at Journey Yoga and Wellness in Fairhaven, MA. She teaches a powerful vinyasa flow, as well as Yin Yoga. By day she is the Curriculum leader of the Early Childhood program at Greater NB Vocational Technical HS.
Linda is a mother and grandmother. Aside from working in education and teaching yoga, she directs and acts in local theatre troupes. She simply enjoys being in nature… hiking, running, and of course, practicing yoga!

  Cindi Assad

Cindi is a certified Yoga teacher in Ashtanga, Hatha, and YOgalates, and also holds her personal training certification. She is an Ayurvedic Holistic Counselor, and a longtime Vinyasa instructor at Maha Yoga Center, YogaLight Studio, and Bridgewater State University. She currently teaches at serval studios in Southcoast. Her offering also includes personal training and small group fitness classes. Cindi lives happily with her five cats: Monica. Phoebe, Herry, London, and Goose.

Lauren Massalas

Lauren is an Ayurvedic health counselor, yoga teacher, and former RN who worked in the ICU for a decade on both coasts. While working as a nurse, she found that yoga helped alleviate the stress of the job; she pursued her new passion by completing yoga training at The New School of Yogic Arts in Brookline. Her favorite part of the training was a lecture on Ayurveda, which inspired her to complete a 650-hour training on Ayurveda at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires. There, she met Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji, a world-renowned guru, and Jessica Richmond, LMHC, whose lecture on Vedic psychology made a lasting impression. Lauren has been learning from Jessica and Babaji for years and completed their Vedic Psychology teacher training through the Vedic Psychology Institute in 2022. Initially from Mattapoisett, she recently returned with her husband and son. She is fascinated by Eastern traditions, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, feng shui, and martial arts, and enjoys applying healthy Ayurvedic tweaks to fun food like mac and cheese.

Tammy Maxwell

Tammy Maxwell has been married to her high school sweetheart since 1997. Together they raised three wonderful daughters in Brookline, NH. In 2021, after 20 years of living in NH, Tammy and her family relocated to the beautiful South Coast of Mattapoisett, MA.

Tammy started her journey into energy healing after contracting Lyme disease in 2006. After receiving her first Reiki treatment, she was in awe of the physical, emotional, and spiritual shift that took place during that first session. Tammy was hooked and ready to learn the art of this ancient healing technique. This was a life-changing experience for her – one that ignited a passion within to go deeper spiritually. She was inspired to practice Kundalini Yoga and upped her meditation practice after reading some inspirational books by Gabriel Bernstein, Wayne Dyer, and other great spiritual authors. Little did she know how significantly this would improve her life.
Fast forward five years, Tammy completed her Reiki Master certification in 2007, 200-hour YTT at Aerial Moon Yoga in Nashua NH. in 2020, and 200-hour Kundalini YTT through Yoga Farm Ithaca in 2023. She loves to work with individuals that are looking for a better way to improve their overall health on all levels. Let her help you access a spiritual relationship of your own and uncover the power that truly lies within each and every one of us. There are a multitude of ways she can help you, no matter where you are on your spiritual path.

Sandra Orr

Sandra (E-CYT 500+) is a vibrant teacher and student who sees yoga as a practice of finding fluidity and ease through life. She invites students to move their bodies in ways that cultivate a passion of inquiry and observation. She creates a fusion of a curated class and spontaneous play with a deeper understanding of the breath, body and spirit. Sandra received her 200 hour certification from Kripalu School of Yoga, her 300 hour from Troy City Yoga and completed multiple workshops and mini trainings over the years. For the past decade she has shared her passion of yoga to multiple communities both local and international, spanning students from all walks of life. Her classes offer modifications to inspire any curious yogini and have a concentrated focus on alignment for a safe and strong practice. With compassion and tenderness, she guides students to where they can connect to their inner world and tap into the authentic union that is Yoga.

Melissa Teves

Melissa has always had a strong desire to find a holistic career helping others. She has worked as an Occupational Therapy Assistant since 2005 because of its all-inclusive approach to healthcare. Although she has always been active and had a love for yoga, it wasn’t until a car accident in 2015 that she dedicated much of her time to yoga. She found that the healing benefits of a regular practice, coupled with meditation, helped her to heal both physically and emotionally, once again finding that mind-body connection that was lost. She obtained her 200 hr. certification from Raffa Yoga in Cranston, RI. She is a Reiki Master and is currently studying at Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy where she is finishing up her 500hr certification as an Advanced Teacher of Therapeutic Yoga. Melissa plans to continue her journey at Kripalu working towards her 1000 Certification in Yoga Therapy.

Sara DaCosta

Sara has been an educator in some capacity throughout her life. Initially, she began her professional career as an educator and administrator in residential and public schools. Eventually, her path shifted and she became certified in Pretzel Kids Yoga in 2018. The following year she began her 200 hour level training through Yoga Alliance International completing her certification in 2020. Since then she has taught yoga in a variety of settings and studios. Sara holds a certification in both Reiki I and Reiki II infused with Bio Scalar Energy and is actively taking continual energy courses. In 2021 she received her certificate of Trauma – Sensitive Mindfulness with David Treleaven. She is also trained in sound healing and has a great appreciation of vibration and frequency. Sara brings awareness to the mind, body and spirit throughout her practice and continues to learn and grow each time she is on the mat.

Donny Rudnick

Donny’s yoga practice was cultivated for nearly 30 years before eventually completing his 200 hour YTT training at the School of Yoga New Bedford in 2023.  A retired business entrepreneur, he discovered yoga and yogurt in college 50 years ago.  

After taking a long break to start his business and family, Donny rediscovered yoga, to complement his swimming while recovering from 1993  back surgery.

His yoga foundation was established and nurtured by a wonderful Kripalu-trained teacher for over a decade.  Subsequently,  Donny has practiced extensively with  Iyenger, Vinyasa, Sva Ha, Form, and Animal Flow-trained teachers. His YTT program included exposure to Yin, Restorative, Chakras, anatomy, and yoga history.

With his love of yoga and passion for helping others,  Donny’s classes will bring you through a gradual warm-up, to classical postures and a closing savasana.  All done with purposeful movement, to discover your inner strength and confidence, while creating balance and a calming mind.

His compassion, tenderness, and lightheartedness will have you feeling renewed and refreshed.

A lifelong resident of the area, he has been married to his supportive wife, Susan, for 47 years. They have two adult daughters and three granddaughters.  His other passions include sailing, paddle boarding, traveling, and appreciating nature.

Amanda McKim

Amanda has been practicing pilates since 2019 and has recently earned her Mat 101/102 certification through Pilates Instructor Academy. As a previous volleyball player, competitive swimmer, dancer, and high jumper in track, fitness has always been a part of her life.

Since her first pilates class, she was immediately hooked and wanted to share this passion with everyone she knew. She believes in a holistic approach to wellness and feels that the seemingly small movements create the biggest impact on the body, mind, and heart. Outside of the studio, she is a model and student, loves the beach, and a certified dog-lover!