As an avid dancer in my youth, I was fortunate to discover Bikram Yoga over ten years ago. From the first class, I knew right away that I would always practice this yoga. It is a challenging process, but with time, trust, and dedication, this series is beneficial on all levels. My advice to practitioners is to trust the process. When you're having an off class, just do your best, come back the next day and try again. When you get here and persevere, you will feel fantastic! Every teacher has something unique to offer - we are all here to help. Leave your ego at the door, and trust that you can do anything! Mind over matter! I love teaching this yoga, meeting new yogis and witnessing their transformations.

I have been exploring different forms of yoga for over 30 years. What started as just another way to exercise, over time became a way of life, realizing the infinite gifts yoga gives for both the mind and body. Yoga has helped me through times of growth, times of body transformations, including two pregnancies, times of loss and times of joy. And I feel so grateful to be a part of the Metta studio since its inception. During the Pandemic I decided to commit more to my practice by becoming a certified teacher. In 2021, I completed my hot yoga teacher training with YogaSport. Every time I step into the room as an instructor, I feel so blessed to be a part of others’ practice, and am continually inspired by others. Besides yoga, you’ll most likely find me with family, cooking, being active outside or enjoying down-time in front of a cozy fire. I also work full time as a Healthcare IT consultant, with a BA from Colgate University and an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. I live in West Newbury with my husband, two kids, three cats and any number of wildlife depending on the time of year. I look forward to seeing you in the hot room!

Hi! I’m Barb. If you are old (or new) to Metta you have probably seen me around. And I am super excited to be your yin yoga teacher.
I enjoy a daily “yoga curious” practice that engages a broad range of yoga disciplines. While I started out with a hot “yang” Bikram practice, over the years I developed a particular fascination and appreciation for Yin Yoga. Before I started practicng yin I thought it was a waste of time. (Some would say this presumption was evidence that I needed help balancing excessive yang energy.) But yin isn’t about turning off the lights, lying around on bolsters, and getting blissed out. There are physiological and emotional benefits to tageting layers of tissues in the body that the yang disciplines are not designed to address. The body’s language is slow to speak, and as I engaged targeted fascia and held postures in yin (and the yin side of being) for several minutes at a time, the yang side of my life (and yang yoga practices) began to flow with greater awareness and ease. Developing the art of stillness in yin, and allowing sensations to ripple and pass has brought about an unexpected, passive reshaping for me. Yin communicates assurance that slowing down, settling into stillness, quieting the mind, and “listening” to the body’s intelligence is a powerful path towards stepping into a steadfast orientation towards receptivity and equanimity.

My classes combine Yin Yoga, the scientific application of sound frequencies, and Yoga Nidra -- three curative systems known for their ability to assist central nervous system strenghening and repair, and for cultivating dimensions of consciousness by improving the conductance of energy throughout the body.

In April of 2023, I launched Discover Contentment, a program for recovering people dedicated to loving what is. Discover Contentment (Santosha) combines yoga with group support, personal inquiry (Svadhyaya), and other empirically based cognitive-somatic methodologies known to enhance all stages of recovery. I also presented findings in a preliminary study on Bikram Hot Yoga for the Alleviation of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome in 2017 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School.

Because I am devoted to yoga as a healing path for all people, I serve as a consultant on the Board of Directors for the Breath of Life Yoga and Wellness Center - (BOL) - a nonprofit charitable organization that promotes health and wellness of all Mecklenburg County North Carolina residents, but primarily disenfranchised communities and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

I received a graduate degree from Yale University in 1988 and have been practicing for over 30 years as a licensed cognitive-somatic clinician specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders and their underpinnings in traumatic experiences. I keep a private practice in Exeter, NH.
Find me at www.barbaradugan.life or on IG: barbdugan63

Training:

300 hour Yin Yoga and Qi Gong (current teacher training)
Yin Yoga Level Two Upper Body and Meridians
RYT 200
Reiki Master
Transforming Symptoms of the Lower Four Chakras in Physical Illnesses [Larry Burke, MD, CEHP]
Advanced Sound Healing [Joanne Lijeholm, BS, LMT, BCTMB]
Bringing Trauma-Informed Yoga into Mental Health Clinical Practice [Debra Alvis, Ph.D, C-IAYT, RYT]
Trauma, Attachment & Yoga [A six-month training with Deidre Fay, author of Becoming Safely Embodied and Attachment Based Yoga for Trauma and Recovery (2016)]
Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy: Techniques for Clinical Practice [Authors C Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D & Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D.]

I spent the last 16 years of my professional life in the technology sector helping companies grow their business. I had the opportunity to travel the world, learn from others to navigate the business world, and then assemble and motivate teams globally. This wonderful experience also came with high levels of responsibility and stress, insane working hours and the self-destructing "always on" attitude. Bikram yoga is what kept me going and thriving since 2013. Metta Yoga has been a true sancturary I visited at least twice a week during that time, and increasingly more frequently, to recharge, take care of my body and mind.

Last year, I scaled back from a full-time job to consulting to spend more time with my family in Prague, my husband and two dogs. I decided to get certified in 26 & 2 yoga (former Bikram) to learn more about this wonderful practice and be able to get others experience the powerful benefits of the sequence. I received my 26& 2 e84 training program certification in July 2024.

Kelly has been studying mind/body health for nearly 20 years. Kelly was the Founder and Owner of Yoga Crossing in Waltham, MA, which was recognized as “Best of Boston” for 7 consecutive years, including “best yoga instruction” in Boston. Her yoga certifications include Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Baptiste Power, Kids Yoga, Yoga for ADHD and Autism, Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga, and Hot Pilates. Kelly is the founder of THE YOGASPORT, a Boston-based company offering teacher training and development programs. Her curriculum is certified and registered with Yoga Alliance. Kelly's teaching is accessible to all levels and abilities – professional athletes, busy professionals and people ages 6 – 80. She has been actively involved as a yoga coach in many schools, and is an advocate of mindfulness education to encourage the positive relevance of yoga for everyday life.

Beyond the mat, Kelly is always studying various wellness practices. She is certified in Clinical Training in Mind/Body Medicine as well as Positive Psychology with Benson-Henry Institute. Kelly is also a volunteer research panel member for the IRB at Massachusetts General Hospital. During her free time, she enjoys landscape photography, creatively capturing the beauty within nature. Kelly holds a B.A. from Colgate University and a Masters degree in Sport Psychology from Boston University.

Christina has been a student of yoga for 20 years, and yoga has offered her peace, strength and rest. It has helped her overcome aches and pains that she thought were just part of being a devoted athlete. Over time, her yoga has been life changing and completely transformative. Christina completed her 200 hour teacher training with Tricia Philpott Master Teacher @Empower Yoga Studio. Her training is Baptise, but she pulls from other forms of yoga and is influenced by her teachers on and off the matt. Her classes will purify the mind, be physically challenging, refreshing, and fun-loving. They are appropriate for beginners and for yogis of all levels. Her students are taught to modify poses to meet their own needs. Her students are encouraged to listen to their bodies and follow intuition. She hopes that you leave her classes joy-filled, loved, and supported. Christina is also a Reiki 2 practitioner which brings another element to her teaching.She hopes to bring her love for yoga and that sacred healing space to all that come to her classes. Christina lives in Amesbury with family.

Hi - I'm Briana. I was born and raised in New Hampshire and moved back in September 2020 with my fiancé and dog, Yeti. I have always loved being active, playing sports as a young girl and college student. I realized the power of yoga when I was working through a sports injury. A friend suggested I attend a yoga session with her and I was hooked! I went the next day, and almost every day after that for 3 months. I knew after 6 months I wanted to become a teacher. I realized that over time, without even trying, the yoga allowed me to view myself and everyone around me with softness and compassion. My mental and physical health flourished, and I could move with ease. Since then, yoga has saved my body and mind again and over again. Through injury, losses, and changes all around me. I had no idea when I attended teacher training in 2011 that I would grow so much with this practice, and I love sharing that with those around me. I am thrilled to share my love for yoga, movement, and fitness with all of you!