Guides for the hot room.

Hi my name is Amanda and I am SO INCREDIBLY excited to be a part of the Motto Yoga family!!! I have practiced yoga for years, but fell in love with it when I found Motto Yoga just over a year ago! After many years of battling challenges with my health, I started practicing everyday, not only beginning to feel better physically, but even more so mentally! Yoga created healing for my body and peace for my mind and heart!

I have a strong passion for teaching and sharing the love to learning and growing with others! I am going into my 6th year of teaching, bouncing between first grade and kindergarten! My little kiddos keep me energized and on my toes, but also fill my heart with so much joy and love! I also love spending time with family, friends, and nature and live with my husband and my sweet dog Bear in Gilbert!

Being a yoga instructor was a distant dream, until I took a leap to get my 200 hour certification with Motto Yoga in 2021, one of the best decisions I've ever made! Combining my passions for teaching and yoga has been a dream come true and I can't wait to see you on your mat! Namaste!

I'm so excited to be apart of the Motto Yoga family! My yoga journey started after college where I ran track, followed with marathon running where I was constantly getting injured. A friend who had just opened a studio talked me into giving it a try, and I immediately fell in love with the practice.

Not only did it strengthen my body, but it calmed my mind, and gave me a safe space to grow and develop on and off the mat. To me, yoga is not about being good at something, it's about being good to yourself. Self love and gratitude towards oneself and community, can be a beautiful thing within the yoga practice.

Seven years ago my husband and I took our five children overseas and lived in China for three years. There, I was able to teach yoga to a community of adults, teens, and children in a small setting. It was then, I decided I wanted to help others find this space where they could heal, grow, and connect body, mind and soul. Shortly after returning to the states I received my 200 hr YTT, and the rest is history! Guiding others through the yoga practice has become a passion I will forever be thankful for. I look forward to getting to know and practice with you all!

Hi there! I'm Ava Whitehead! I work as a front desk associate and get to see all of your beautiful faces before your class begins! I am a student at Arizona State University studying at W.P. Carey School of Business. I am always taking on new opportunities to grow and network with new people!

I have been doing yoga since I was a kid but only recently began practicing hot yoga and absolutely love it!

Hi, I'm Erika Shirley, a certified PSC Mat Pilates Instructor with 200 hours of training from Remedy Pilates & Barre. I grew up in gymnastics and played golf in high school, which gave me a lifelong appreciation for body awareness, alignment, and functional strength. I am also passionate about the mind-to-muscle connection and love teaching others how to build strength, stability, and confidence from within! My favorite affirmation is: "You are strong, you are beautiful, you are brave and you are resilient!" Really helps to get through those hot classes!!

I'm so excited to bring my love for Pilates to the Motto Yoga community and to support you on your movement journey.

Hi, I'm Evelin! I'm a mom, occupational therapist, and Pilates instructor in training. I discovered my love for Pilates during my graduate program and have been practicing on both the mat and reformer over the past couple of years. With a background in pelvic health, assistive stretching, and a holistic approach to wellness, I'm excited to share classes that help you feel strong, confident, and deeply connected in your body.

Namaste my friends! 🙏🏽

My name is Fernanda! I was born and raised in Brazil, and for nearly 20 years, the USA has been the place my heart calls home.

The career I chose was in nursing yet my passion is in Yoga, that is where my soul is nourished and where I find the strength, energy, love and understanding that I bring with me to the Emergency Department.

Yoga has been one of the greatest gifts of my life, right alongside my amazing husband, my sweet son, and our furry girl. What began as a way to relieve stress has grown into something much deeper— a journey that has brought me home to myself after decades of feeling disconnected. It's been a wild, beautiful, and profoundly fulfilling journey!

Yoga has become a blueprint for living the life I always dreamed of—one rooted in intention, presence, and self-connection.

I was fortunate and blessed to have done my 200-YTT at Motto, which has been my home since 2021, and now I am thrilled to have it as the place where I can share my love for this amazing practice. This place is so special!

As a yoga teacher, my goal is to create a safe and welcoming space where students can pause and simply be, free from expectations or judgment. I guide my students to mindfully connect with their breath and meet themselves exactly where they are—with loving-kindness, compassion, bravery, intentional movement, and a touch of fun and laughter.

My intention, both in practice and in life, is to live intentionally, eat mindfully, breathe deeply, and speak positively.

May we all learn and grow together through this beautiful practice.

Peace, peace, peace my friends! 🕊️

E-RYT 500 YACEP

I started my Yoga Journey in 2008. I completed a 500-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Certification program. My passion is helping people feel good about themselves and understanding that we all can keep learning and growing; there is always room for more! You can never stop learning.

I'm a licensed massage therapist and have been massaging for over 20 years. Im a proud mother of twins and a grandmother. I live in Queen Creek with my husband and our fur babies.

Hello all I am Hailey D., and I am beyond excited to be part of the Motto yoga family 💛 I started my yoga journey at home in Chicago in 2008 with yin and I became engrossed in this practice, which eventually led me to a studio and then a TT in 2018, I took a hiatus from teaching (not practicing, you may have seen me practicing alongside you at some point 😊) I was practicing at Motto and started teaching again last year when I moved back to IL. Motto is a special space and I am grateful to be able to guide you on your mat. I'll be teaching/subbing yin, journey, warrior, 26+2! Cannot wait to meet you, see you on your mat!

Heather began practicing yoga over 27 years ago. She did not immediately fall in love with yoga! Instead, it has been a journey of small steps and a constant, but quiet, draw back to her mat again and again. Now her yoga practice is her physical, mental, and spiritual health backbone, supporting her through various physical injury recoveries, mental health challenges, and when living in multiple places throughout the United States and abroad. As a lifelong athlete, she has used yoga to heal and recover from several sports related injuries. And as a lifelong human, she has used yoga to calm and energize her mind and spirit over and over again.

Over the years, Heather has practiced vinyasa style yoga, breathwork, restorative yoga, yin yoga, prenatal yoga as well as parent-and-me yoga. Her formal training includes her RYT 200 and a Master's degree in Social Work. Her teaching style has roots in all of these experiences. Heather's firm belief as an instructor is that yoga is for every body, no matter experience level, and that practicing yoga is about honoring our own personal journey. Her classes are physically energizing and mentally calming. This balance is her constant goal for every student, in every class. She enjoys guiding individuals through their own unique yoga practice. Heather's intention for her yoga classes is that all feel welcomed and supported, and that every student leaves stronger in body and mind.

In addition to teaching incredible yoga, Heather enjoys traveling, all sports, hiking, jumping in oceans, chasing birds with her dog, playing guitar, raising amazing children, enjoying time with her best friend husband, and reading questionable historical fiction.

Heather was first introduced to yoga over 30 years ago, when her husband encouraged her to try yoga to alleviate the stressand pain of very long work weeks. Over the years, she found that yoga also helped her to recover from sports and military injuries, and helped her and her son to transform their minds,bodies, and spirits while having fun together. Unfortunately, when life became hard and she needed yoga the most, she did not have the time to get to the studio. This motivated her to get her RYT200, so that she could do yoga wherever she is, and to bring the same peace and balance to others wherever they are. She received her RYT200 from Soul Yoga in Greenville, SC in 2018, and her RYT300 from the visionary Asheville Yoga Center in 2020. Heather holds advanced training and certifications in Veterans Yoga, Trauma Informed Yoga, TRX and TRX Yoga, Somatic Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Senior Yoga, Chair Yoga, Adaptive Yoga, and 26+2. Heather has experience in designing programs for and serving the Veterans and eating disorder recovery and intuitive eating populations, and corporate health and wellness. Heather loves to authentically create a safe and welcoming space for everyBODY where she can help others discover yogic practices to help transform their lives. When she is not in the studio, you can find her working as a supply chain manager, teaching knitting and crochet, tutoring math, volunteering, working out, enjoying the outdoors, and getting silly with her boys.

I'm Holly, a born-and-raised Arizonan who first discovered yoga during the lockdown in 2020—a time when I felt restless, fitness-frustrated, and eager for a new outlet. Growing up as a dancer, I always loved stretching and moving my body to feel more present. However, the physical toll that dance often takes on the body never fully resonated with me. When I found yoga, it felt like the perfect blend of fluid, expressive movement and the strength-building, safety-conscious body awareness I had been searching for.

I quickly embraced a dedicated weekly practice, which eventually led me to complete Cheryl Oliver's 200-hour training at Authentic Yoga in 2022. To this day, I prioritize being a student, constantly learning from my mentors and fellow teachers as part of my weekly practice.

As a yoga teacher, my teaching style is playful, creative and calming—I enjoy crafting intuitive flows or a grounding yin series that guides the body where it naturally wants to go while cultivating mindfulness. I believe everyone deserves to learn how to become attuned to their own physical experience and harness the transformative power of their breath.

Come flow or yin out with me and discover something new about yourself!

Jade Butler was introduced to yoga after a back injury and has now been teaching yoga for 20 years.

Yoga with Jade is a journey through the breath and body, being guided gracefully with clear & easy to follow instructions. She shares yoga in an artful, compassionate, & safe way. "It's my intention to make the lifelong benefits of yoga accessible to everybody!"

Hi! My name is Jennifer. I have been practicing yoga for over 20+ years now and recently took my passion or obsession for the practice and received my RYT-200 Yoga Alliance certification. Starting in 2021, I will begin my path to my 500 hour certification! I am an AZ girl, born and raised. I live in Queen Creek with my husband and our 3 children. I am extremely honored and blessed to be able to share, encourage and lead others through their own journey with movement and breath. Come meet me at your mat!

Hello - my name is Joe. My wife introduced me to yoga 10+ years ago and it has been a part of my busy lifestyle ever since. I discovered that practicing yoga enhanced and improved my other regular athletic activities of mixed martial arts and weight training. More importantly, yoga helped relieve the mental stress from my career as the owner of a commercial construction company. It has given me a sense of calmness, purpose, and grounding. This has been a game changer in helping me raise two teenage boys in today's crazy world.

In 2021, I completed my 200 hour YTT at Motto so that I could have an opportunity to share my passion for yoga with others. I hope you'll join me in a class soon and receive the self care and healing benefits offered through yoga practice.

Hi! I am a Hot Mat Pilates instructor at Motto Yoga. Currently I am also teaching pilates at Reformed Pilates, along with coaching a competitive pom team.

My goal is to create an encouraging environment where clients feel supported to challenge themselves, build strength, and improve both mental and physical wellbeing through movement.

Outside of teaching, you'll usually find me outdoors with my dog or staying active in new ways. I'm so excited to be part of the Motto community and to share my love of movement with others!

Namaste, sweet yogis!

After experiencing the transformative power of my own yoga journey, I became certified to teach in 2021 with a 200-hour training at Motto Yoga. In 2023, I completed a 300-hour certification with Cheryl Oliver, earning my 500 RYT. Deepening my understanding of yoga philosophy has enriched my practice and teaching.

When I'm not on the mat, I'm spoiling my family! My husband and I are parents to 4 children and 2 Goldendoodle pups. We are the proud owners of a small local restaurant, Grill 61 at Springfield Golf Resort. We live life fully, staying present and enjoying every moment together!

My intention as a teacher is to create a safe, inclusive space for all students to grow and heal through yoga. I believe yoga is for every body, mind, and spirit, and I hope each class leaves you feeling peaceful, strong, and inspired. It's an honor to guide you on this beautiful journey!

E-RYT 500, YACEP

Kelly has been practicing yoga since the early 2000s. With a background in social work, she was quickly drawn to the healing benefits of the practice. She completed her 200 hour training in 2014 and went on to complete her 300 hour at Dave's Ashtanga Yoga in 2016 under the direction of her teacher, Cheryl Oliver. Kelly enjoys teaching many different modalities of yoga across the valley, including private sessions and small groups. She is privileged and honored to contribute her time and experience to yoga teacher trainings as well. Kelly's love of travel led her into a partnership with a retreat business in which she helped establish, plan and host yoga retreats across the world. Kelly is most passionate about Ashtanga Yoga and has a daily practice in Ashtanga vinyasa. She is continually taking workshops and classes to improve her knowledge of yoga.

Hello my yogi friends! My name is Kendall and I'm so excited to be here at Motto. Although I'm new to teaching, my yoga journey started about 10 years ago when I first discovered 26&2 in Southern California, where I was born and raised. I practiced hot yoga on and off throughout the years and fell back in love with it while living in Flagstaff. My fiancé and I moved to Gilbert and I started looking around for a new studio to call home. I took a leap of faith and joined Motto's 200-hr YTT, which turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. I'm constantly growing, learning, and evolving from all of the amazing teachers and students here at Motto. My favorite part about teaching yoga is having the opportunity to make someone's day a little bit better each time they step onto their mat. I can't wait to practice with you soon!

Hi! I'm Natasha and I'm excited to be on this journey with you. I found yoga in 2015 where I fell in love with a yoga sculpt class I had gone to with a co worker. After tearing both ACLs and meniscus while playing soccer I was looking for something both mentally and physically challenging for myself…. Yoga sculpt was it! A couple years passed of being a student on and off again, and in 2019 I took the leap into YTT at CorePower Yoga earning both my 200 hr certification and 50hr sculpt specific certification. From there I taught Power Vinyasa classes and Yoga Sculpt.

I am a California native and moved to Arizona in early 2022 with my husband, daughter and dogs. (While pregnant with my second daughter.) We love living here in AZ and haven't looked back! You can typically catch me trying new restaurants or coffee shops, baking, at the gymnastics gym, golfing with my husband, in a pool or park with my family, or watching a soccer game. Go PHX Rising and Arsenal!

Vanessa was born and raised in Brazil and started modeling at 16 years old. Modeling brought an opportunity to travel the world, and with that the love for yoga was born. She has been practicing for over 20 years, in such exotic and exciting places such as Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Greece and Spain. She got her 200 hr. E-RYT with LifePower, followed by other certifications with YogaFit for Yoga for Seniors, Pre-Natal Yoga, and several others such as Yoga Nidra, Body Pump, Barre, Aqua, AFAA certifications just to name a few.

- She has been teaching for the last 7 years all over the east valley, for all types of Yoga! She recently finished her 300 hour teacher training under the amazing Authentic Yoga with Cheryl Oliver in Scottsdale.

- She is a mother of 5, she still works as a model represented by Ford Models in Arizona. Yoga keeps her sane, and young! She believes Yoga is of joy (often cracking jokes in between intense poses!). and can heal more than just your physical body. She believes she is a better human, a calmer spouse, a more patient mom - all because of Yoga!

Owner of Motto Yoga!

Taryn helps run Motto Yoga's social media, front desk, calls, website and custom shirts!