Meet the Heart of Peachtree Yoga Center Teachers

In 2017 Graham Fowler, the founder and owner of Peachtree Yoga for almost 20 years, has graciously decided that I should carry on the tradition of Peachtree Yoga.
I am very humbled and honored by his decision and feel the tremendous responsibility of continuing in the spirit of yoga that Graham has established and sustained throughout the twenty-six years of Peachtree’s existence.
I continue to keep this spirit alive and to do my best to grow the community of people who come together under the roof of Peachtree Yoga Center.
Yoga is a self-study, and so it was with me. When I started questioning my life, probing into the deeper layers of the quest for the meaning of life, that was when yoga opened a door to me, inviting me in. I stepped in, and my journey began. Immediately, I got intrigued and at the same time realized that it would be not a passing interest but something infinitely more profound. Yoga does not reveal itself all at once; you have to discover it as you live it, one day at a time. And so I live!

Another realization occurred pretty quickly: that I cannot contain it, but rather have to share. It is similar to a bottomless container: the more you share, the more you have. And so I share!

Graham Fowler, founder of Peachtree Yoga, has trained and certified over 1,000 yoga teachers. His teaching arises from the depth and breadth of over 50 years of study and practice of the yogic arts. His exploration of yoga began with meditation in 1973 and continued under the guidance of many Indian and Western teachers. By weaving attention to physical alignment in the poses, sensitivity to subtle flows of energy, and improvisation, Graham brings a rare opportunity to explore the deep, subtle, and life-altering potential that Yoga practices offer. For those who want a coherent and progressive meditation path, he offers personal instruction in the effortless practice of Anubhava Meditation.

For Elizabeth Smith (formerly Nix) yoga is her passion and a blueprint for living, and she loves nothing more than sharing this with others. She has studied many different forms of yoga, and respects each and every tradition, but for her the practice of Yoga transcends any one style. More than anything else, it is a way of connecting with Spirit and cultivating the most life-affirming qualities of compassion, balance and trust. In her classes, which are infused with joy and deep insight, expect the dance of vinyasa flow, the focus of held posture, and the stillness and sweet surrender of shavasana. Elizabeth offers her gratitude to those who have guided her and walked with her on this path, who have all graced her with the wisdom of this practice. A special thanks to her very first teacher, Graham Fowler, who she continues to learn from and with. Also, blessings for both Erich Schiffmann and Rodney Yee, who have deeply influenced both her practice and her teaching.

My style/approach to yoga is the same way I approach life…  experiencing the present moment through body, breath and sensation.  Bringing awareness back again and again to the essence & energy of pure potentiality that we each are.

I am trained in the tradition of Hatha yoga and use vinyasa, held poses, pranayama, meditation and energy principles throughout.  Be aware that my classes sometimes take a non-traditional turn through laughter, tapping, shaking, noise and other techniques I’ve picked up along the way.  

My life experience and the people who show up in class both guide my teaching.  Though I am at the front of the room, really the guide is within each one of us.  That to me is one of the biggest gifts of yoga… tapping into your own inner voice and intuition… one breath, one asana, one experience at a time.  Everything we do on the mat prepares us, fine tunes us for our daily life.  And I believe when we are connected to our inner source, our gifts easily come forth.  We learn to live life truly in the flow of our highest potential.    

Training: Peachtree Yoga Center
Certifications: E200 RYT, E500 RYT

Gina weaves yoga’s wisdom and with life’s ever-unfolding process, bringing it alive and experientially embodied through breath, muscle, and bone, creating a rich and magically alchemical experience through her teaching. Dynamic alignment principles, intelligent sequencing, and thematic metaphor infuse her engaging instruction, with a presence that is weighty, compassionate, and inviting. A “pillar of Grace” in the Atlanta yoga community, she is sought out for her charisma and passion, breadth of knowledge, and mastery of alignment-based methodology. For Gina, yoga is a radical practice to bring our truest Self – its steadiness, freedom, truth, and love – into full manifestation. Practicing and teaching yoga since 1999, she is committed to disciplined work infused with laughter and light-heartedness. Gina is an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance.

Betsy Blount (E-RYT500) began her journey into yoga in 1971, at which time she also became a student of meditation and Eastern philosophy. A teacher of body, mind and spirit for 20+ years,  Betsy has studied with numerous nationally and internationally acclaimed teachers and has acquired multiple certifications throughout the years. She brings a relaxed atmosphere of warmth, inclusiveness and fun to her classes. While her flowing style can be challenging and energizing, her hands on approach is supportive and soothing. Taking her students at their own level, she encourages each to do their best in a non-competitive environment. Betsy inspires her students to pierce through the barriers of the personal heart and evolve mentally, physically and spiritually.

Sonya Peedin Kuropatwa’s gentle guidance and loving touch extends from her fascination with the body as an instrument of spiritual and creative expression. Sonya came to yoga after more than 20 years as a classically trained dancer, teacher, and choreographer as a means to further understand the mysteries of the mind-body connection. She has witnessed and guided her students through the wonders of movement, self-awareness, and connection to the Universal. Her belief in the magic of touch as a means of healing and as a conduit for energy informs her teaching style, which relies strongly on imagery, humor, and hands-on interaction. She has completed both the 200-hour and 500-hour teacher training and certification courses through Peachtree Yoga Center under the nurturing guidance of Graham Fowler and Elizabeth Nix, beautifully enriched by study with Sean Tebor, David Kyle, Deborah Quibell, Dr. Michel Angot, and Bhagwan Awatramani. She sends blessings to the teachers, students, and community of artists who’ve so generously shared the knowledge and wisdom that informs her teaching and personal practice.

Tiffany has been on her yoga journey for an amazing 13 years enjoying the enlightenment it’s brought not only to her practice, but to her life as well!

To her, yoga is a lifestyle that helps your inner self shine and spread kindness and love into the world around us. On the mat she enjoys working through her vinyasa practice as well as enjoying a nice restorative class.

She started with a strong love for ashtanga and learned each day that she has a love for all the facets of asana practice. She decided to strengthen her own practice and give back to the community with what yoga has given her by taking the wonderful journey to become an RYT200. Since then she has acquired RYT 500 as well as RCYT (children’s yoga). She has a strong curiosity for teaching kids’ yoga, senior/chair yoga, people with special needs, veterans, as well as overall fitness.

My earliest memory of yoga is practicing alongside my mother as a toddler. Yoga has always been in my world but my own practice only began when I started university at age 18. Since then, yoga has followed me through my studies, building my career, getting married, moving around the world and becoming a mother. It has been an on and off journey, but I have always found yoga welcoming me with open arms when I returned to my practice. For me, yoga, and more recently Ayurveda too, has been a balancing factor in my life. When my work got too cerebral and academic, yoga reminded me to return to my body. When my mothering drew me too much out of myself, yoga reminded me to return. At some point in my youth I considered becoming a yoga teacher, but my journey took a detour through other career and family moves.  I moved from South Africa to Atlanta with my family in 2019. I found PYC thereafter and it very soon became my yoga home. With the encouragement of the amazing community and yoga family I found there, I stepped over some serious imposter syndrome and completed my YTT200 and YTT300 at PYC. I soon realized that I had found a vocation, and I began teaching shortly thereafter. Sharing the practice of yoga gives me a soulful feeling of satisfaction comparable to little else. I am thrilled to be sharing it as I continue my own journey towards Union, and ultimately the stilling of my mind into silence.

Emily Santa Maria believes all Yogis share one kind and loving heart, and she is grateful for every opportunity to create and share a practice that unites mind, body and soul.  With a background in dance, Emily loves to arrange new sequences using a wide range of mindful poses and transitions and presents them in a way that is accessible to all level students.  There is always a new flow running through her head!  For Emily, Peachtree Yoga Center is home.  Emily is a RYT-500, having completed both her 200 and 300 hour training courses at PYC.

Sonya Phillips – E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®

Sonya’s yoga journey started in 2012, and she has been teaching yoga since 2015. She completed the Dahn Yoga BMT course in Cottonwood, AZ in 2015 and started teaching at Namoo Yoga Center in Centreville, VA. She completed her Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) 200 hour training under Cynthia Bialek in Fairfax, VA in 2016, and RYT 500 hour training at Peachtree Yoga Center in 2020. She has completed specialized teacher training in Yin, Restorative, Aerial, Yoga Nidra and Chair yoga. Sonya is also a Mindfulness Meditation instructor. She has experience teaching in studios, fitness centers, corporate and government employee wellness programs, and numerous church and non-profit organizations. Yoga came into her life at a critical time after losing three family members in three years, and caring for a chronically ill husband for several years. Since retiring from 32 years of federal service with the Army and the Department of Defense, she has found her true calling as a teacher and student of yoga. The practice brought balance and put her on a path of self discovery and healing. Her gentle holistic instruction style provides an experience that supports the mind, body and spirit.

RuthAnn Martin  RYT 500

I feel like I have been blessed with a deep joy , curiosity, and love of life since I was a tiny soul.
I grew up on the coast of SC, two blocks from the beach , raised by parents who were early conservationists and stewards of the land and sea. We were taught to see God in Everything.
I felt a connection to that vastness, and I understood at an early age that Spirit was moving nature as it moved in me.
We were active children, and I loved that energy of movement, as well as the pause and reflection afterwards. It felt peaceful and spacious and made me happy.
I found that exact same space in my very first yoga class too. It was a homecoming. I was hooked from class one.
I have taught yoga for 27 years and studied 4 lineages. All have given me a boundless enthusiasm for this beautiful practice. I have been blessed to study with hundreds of incredible teachers and will always practice, learn, be willing to pause, listen, and serve to the very best of my ability.
I look forward to meeting old friends and new as we unravel our beautiful, sometimes messy lives together, we are better together, let’s practice soon …

Tammy has been teaching yoga and other exercise forms since 1981. She began devoting her teaching and deepening her own yoga practice 20 years ago. She received her 200-hr YTT from Lift Yoga in Alpharetta, GA, and her 300-hr YTT – from Peachtree Yoga Center. She is also a NASM certified personal trainer and a Level 1 & 2 Reiki practitioner.

Katy Spiers brings warmth, authenticity, and a genuine ability to connect into every space she teaches. With a background in psychology and decades of leadership experience in global organizations, she creates inclusive environments where students feel both supported and inspired to explore their practice.

Katy believes yoga is meant to be accessible to everyone and strives to create space where each student feels seen and supported. Her teaching emphasizes building and sustaining strength—not only to support the poses on the mat, but also to help students stay active, capable, and engaged in all aspects of life.

She is a Yoga Alliance RYT-500 instructor with advanced training from Peachtree Yoga Center in Atlanta. Katy teaches Vinyasa, Gentle Flow, and Hatha-based practices, with a focus on accessibility, grounding, strength, and restorative balance.

KD is a Yoga Alliance certified instructor, and is passionate about sharing his yoga practice with the community. His classes integrate the use of vinyasa flow, held poses, breath work, and a few non-traditional movements to create an engaging experience. His practice is well-rounded and sometimes incorporates specific themes focusing on mindfulness, developing strength and endurance, and refining alignment and flexibility.

Having spent over 20 years in corporate life, KD is very familiar with the stress in today’s fast-paced world. His intent is to deliver yoga as a foundation and lifestyle to nourish, thrive, and live authentically.

Lauren is a RYT-500 Instructor with a strong focus on safety, breathwork and stretching. She enjoys teaching all types of yoga, especially Yin. She really loves watching the profound effects the practice has on students’ physical, mental and spiritual bodies.

Lauren meets her students where they are, always offering modifications to assist with effectiveness of the posture in the student’s unique bodies.  She teaches with a warm, casual approach, never taking herself too seriously.  She has a B.A. in Psychology, M.S. in Organizational Leadership and many years of Corporate Human Resources experience, which combined with her having lived on three continents by the time she was 21, –  have greatly enhanced her ability to communicate effectively with clients from all walks of life. Lauren lives in Sandy Springs, with her husband Charlie, her two cats and her minchi dog, Chapo.

Hi! Welcome to Peachtree Yoga Center. My name is Maria. You can find me at the front desk and from time to time subbing a class. I have a deep love for animals and nature and also desire to be of service. So, if you ever have a question about the studio or simply feel like chatting, I’m here for that and will do my very best to be of service to you. See ya at the studio!

Rosane first fell in love with yoga when she discovered the healing effect that it had on her body and  mind. Years later, she discovered the joy of passing it on. It turns out that, somehow, teaching deepens her own practice. And she really thinks that her practice deepens her teaching.
Being part of the front desk team at PYC not only brings her joy, but also gives her the opportunity to connect with all of her friends in our yoga community.