CA Yoga Barre was built with the simple intention of creating a space full of kindness, safety, open-mindedness, and community. Having a comfortable studio setting in life is a gift and that is what we’re continuously committed to providing. Our space is built on love, experience, and a strong foundation of breath, movement, and strength. We value the importance of compassion, courtesy, community, commitment, and connection. This is a place where everyone is welcomed with respect, open minds, and open hearts.
I love this life and I’m still learning every day, while not every moment has been easy for me, I am truly thankful for this sense of community and this amazing place I live and work in. I have such gratitude for Yoga being introduced to my life and giving me appreciation, compassion, and understanding of my inner self, people, and community near and abroad. Always growing my sense of understanding and compassion is one of the best lessons yoga continues to teach me.
It has been 9 years of making teaching my full-time job. I completed my first 500-hour training in 2014 and since then have completed 600 more hours of training and taught more than 2000 hours of classes. Teaching in multiple locations in North America including, Los Angeles, Columbus, Miami, Phoenix, Canada, and Nicaragua, taught me this is what I am meant to do and this is where I am supposed to be.
In my first years of teaching yoga, I was also fortunate to discover “Barre” and take teacher training. This brings me back to my roots of growing up as a competitive dancer. I love Barre classes, its soo different from yoga but also soo amazing!!
I am beyond passionate about creating this space for our community. I created CA Yoga Barre and am passionate about the principles it is founded on.
Can’t wait to take class with you and share my passion for life with all of you!!!
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Hello my name is Lauren Hobson! I’m an Arizona native, workout enthusiast, and elementary school teacher! When I’m avoiding grading papers... you’ll find me doing my next favorite activity, teaching barre! After a long love affair practicing barre, I decided to become an instructor in 2014 and have never looked back! What I love most about barre is the amazing strength it gives me. When faced with previous injuries, barre was the best solution to safely strengthen, heal, and tone my body from head to toe. I have been so lucky to be able to share my passion of barre with students over the years, and I look forward to continuing on that journey! Whether you’re looking for strength, healing, confidence, or even just an excuse to have a cocktail after class... I’ll see you at the barre!
I believe the body is capable of so much more than the physical. Through movement and breath, we can communicate, deconstruct, open-up, discover, and empower. Yoga and Barre are a practice of exploration and every day is a new discovery. I was drawn to teaching barre and yoga when my two young uns were younger with the desire to be a better Mom. Sharing Yoga and Barre's ability to center her mind and redirect her energies assisted in the gentle guiding of two young impressionable souls. I have a high respect for taking care of the body and emphasizes form. When not teaching, I enjoy a long joyous relationship with running and calls it her meditation time where she either dreams in fantasy land or gets real with a gut check. All physical discovery and teaching pursuits take second to my husband, two children, extended family and furry friends. This support system has allowed me to continue to be a “work in progress” to which she is forever grateful
My yoga journey began where I grew up - right here in Scottsdale, Arizona. I started practicing yoga at the YMCA while I was in high school. After taking an Ashtanga Vinyasa course in college, I developed a passion for the fluid movement and moving meditations yoga’s asana provided. I lived and practiced in San Francisco for 12 years, where I found my yoga home with heated vinyasa. I moved back to Arizona in the summer of 2019 and joined the CA Yoga Barre community as a student.
After completing my Yoga Teacher Training at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, I was excited to find an opportunity to teach and share my passion with a community that is so close to my heart. My goal is to hold space in my classes that facilitates mindfulness, intentional living and holistic wellness through yoga practice, spiritual education and inclusive community - on and off the mat.
A Detroit native, I have been living in the Valley since 2007. Always being active mostly through cardio and Bikram yoga, I discovered barre classes in early 2017 and was hooked ever since! In October of 2018 I decided to take my love of barre to the next level and begin teaching. I am forever excited to share my love of barre with others while continuing to grow and learn with them and keep my classes interesting and motivating. My other hobbies include running, hiking, reading, and (let’s not forget) pizza – because life is all about balance! As an active family, my husband and I have two young daughters with whom we plan to share our love of fitness and instill in them the mental and physical lifelong importance of movement, mobility, mind-body awareness, and healthy self-confidence!
Working out always seemed like a necessary chore until I found barre. I tried all types of exercise. I took my first class at the very first barre studio in the valley was immediately hooked. I signed up for the unlimited pass that day. Not long after on vacation in Italy, I actually missed working out at the barre! Since I work to support my travel habit and travel is my passion, this was a monumental discovery! I watched my body changing, my strength and flexibility increasing and an overall boost in my mental well-being. Barre changed my life. I starting teaching barre in 2011 and enthusiastically enjoyed sharing my passion for Barre. Barre helps all body types, at any fitness and in all stages and seasons of life. Although having a newborn right at the start of the pandemic kept me away, I am rejuvenated to be back as an instructor and student. Give me that exquisite burn you only seem to find at the BARRE!
After taking my first yoga class 4 years ago, I knew I had found something special. I began my practice with no experience and very little flexibility or mobility in my body. Since then, I continue to fall in love with yoga again and again as it serves as a physical, mental, and spiritual guideline in my life. In September of 2021, I decided to further my practice and completed my 200-hour teacher training. This was one of the best experiences of my life and not only deepened my physical practice but led me to find my true career passion, teaching! I focus on dynamic vinyasa-style classes, integrating breath work, movement, and deep static stretching to help my students find both physical and mental peace.
Yoga has brought me so much more than just a practice – it has brought me a community, friendships, and a form of expression. It has been a way for me to heal as well as test the limits of my body and mind. As an anxious and often frantic person, it has helped me find my center and calm through many stormy moments of my life. I have practiced on and off since high school, but dove full force into my practice 8 years ago. I completed my 200-hour training in 2018 and began to teach later that year. Due to the pandemic, yoga briefly left my life, but I am so excited to have joined the CA community as both a teacher and student! I cannot wait to flow with you and share all the gifts yoga has to offer!
My name is Lauren Skorish and through my Yoga teachings, I create a greater sense of awareness of one's body and self. I have been practicing Yoga for over ten years and experienced an incredible lifestyle shift, as it influenced not only a change in my physical habits but my mental and spiritual ones as well.
Listen to the soothing sound of my voice as I guide you through your own dance of self-exploration, by linking the breath, body, and mind together through a variety of postures and meditations. I will help you find balance and offer tools for both on and off the mat, so that you too may bring a higher level of consciousness to your natural gifts through Yoga. We are given a beautifully powerful body and I believe we should use it to move through the rhythms of life.
Brianna’s personal journey into yoga started in 2018, leading her into exploring great inner and outer beauty and depth of life and the body. It has been her most grounding yet expansive force of self-discovery and awareness. Being an east coast native, she attended her first vinyasa flow in Manhattan, NY after a coworker thought she would be interested in the spiritual nature of the practice. He was SO right! Over the years, this practice and art of yoga has become Brianna’s glue - patching together all her beautiful pieces while bringing in clarity and more decisiveness. With yoga comes great acceptance of the true self and true nature of the spirit. She grew up a dancer and gymnast and yearned for movement practice that felt aligned with her current state of being that incorporated more mindfulness and energetics. Shortly after earning her 200hr YTT and teaching in Brooklyn NY, she moved to Arizona to explore a different way of living. Brianna believes that yoga helps us create intention beyond our mats/physical bodies - seeping and interweaving the greatness we do physically and with our breath into every other crevice of our lives. Intentional movement and breathwork is truly medicinal, spiritual, and enlightening. It brings us closer to ourselves and our purposes in life and helps us achieve clarity in numerous ways. We might laugh on our mats or cry or have a very serious experience. The beauty is, it's always different and always very profound. Brianna encourages you to bring your vulnerability to your mat alongside an open heart and mind. Embrace where you are in each moment! Yoga is unity - is love - is practice - is patience - is fulfillment.
I began to deepen my yoga practice in 2018 when a colleague invited me to the class she was teaching. I quickly fell in love with how powerful the movement felt, building strength in my body and learning to quiet the mind by controlling my breath. After I was introduced to the practice of Kundalini Yoga in Dec 2020, I experienced the healing power of intentional meditative breathing and surrendered to the shifts in my everyday life.
I wanted to share this magic with my community and became a Breathwork Facilitator in January 2022. Continuing my learnings and expansion, it fell in alignment (life, timing to deepen my personal yoga practice with CAYB. I recently finished my yoga teacher training in December 2023 and looking forward to guiding others on their journey of yoga.
Whitney was born in and raised in Minnesota and Texas, before living abroad in Asia for 7 years. Most recently was a personal trainer to the stars in Los Angeles before moving to Scottsdale!
As a former dancer who felt alienated by the stereotypical body shape that was expected, it wasn't until Whitney discovered practices like yoga and barre that she truly felt joy and comfort in movement and hoped to share this joy with her students! She believes that barre and yoga are for everybody and every BODY!
She received her undergraduate and master's degree in Chinese and Education from Trinity University and brings this foundation of thoughtful lesson planning and community building directly into her classroom. After completing her 500-hour yoga certification and teaching countless classes in studios across the country, Whitney led Power, Sculpt, and Barre teacher training in Thailand, Iceland, and California. Whitney loves learning and plans to never stop - she continued her education with Buti and Aerial yoga certifications. She believes that that whether you are a novice or an experienced yogi, you should always show up to the mat as if it were the very first time. She hopes to share some of this passion and excitement for these practices with you and show that whether you just want to build a community, deepen your practice, or become a teacher, it is truly possible with a studio like CA Yoga Barre!
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Alix Gold is an Equinox Master Pilates certified instructor, and certified Group Fitness and Barre instructor, with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports & Exercise Science.
Alix creates a lasting impression on everyone she meets beginning with her creative style and 5’11 stature! Add to this her genuine and caring nature and perpetually calm and happy demeanor, she empowers others with her approach to health and fitness.
Specializing in Pilates, Pre & Post Natal fitness, Spinal Alignment, and creating and shaping a 'flawless booty', each of Alix's classes or Private sessions comes with her positive attitude and focus.
Michael is a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance and was previously a USA Triathlon Level 1 Certified Coach. Michael has experience teaching Functional Mobility, Ashtanga Primary Series, Yoga Flow classes, and Iyengar-based Yoga Wall practice. Michael has trained and competed in Olympic and iron-distance triathlons and has been involved in fitness instruction for over 20 years including being a part-time Triathlon Coach since 2007. Early in his fitness instruction career, Michael taught Spinning™ classes at several local Phoenix area fitness clubs before competing in endurance triathlon.
Michael was hooked on yoga practice after his first yoga class with At One Yoga and has practiced Ashtanga, Bikram, Hatha, and Iyengar yoga over the years. He loves mindful yoga and believes that yoga can be beneficial for all people and that the most important thing is that you start. Start every day. In vinyasa and fundamental classes, Michael focuses on alignment and breath awareness in a thoughtful way to lead you in a practice connecting body, breath, and mind. Together with intelligent sequencing and individualized instruction, Michael will help you deepen your personal practice.
Hello, my name is Alexa Cutler. I am originally from New Jersey, but Scottsdale, Arizona has been my home since 2017. Moving across the country is always hard, but when I stepped into CA Yoga Barre, I knew I was home. I started as a student at CA Yoga Barre and after a couple of years, I decided to take the Barre Teacher training at the studio. Since then, my life has changed drastically; I found my new passion of being a fitness instructor. Barre has transformed my mind, body, and soul for the better, and there is no greater feeling than sharing this with others when I am teaching at the studio. When I am not working in Real Estate, you can find me teaching at the studio! I am also taking the Yoga Teacher training at the studio this fall. I am proud to be a part of this group of amazing teachers and to spread the joys of barre and yoga with others in the valley!
As an Arizona Native, Courtney cherishes the opportunity to teach and inspire people in her hometown. She found yoga about 18 years ago and the practice has transformed her life. Her purpose is to introduce students to yoga in a playful, feel-good way so they can not only establish a yoga practice on the mat but take their practice off their mat and into their daily lives to create a vibrant and healthy lifestyle.
She earned her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification at Dave's Astanga Yoga and her 300-hour Certification at Modern Yoga Scottsdale. She has also completed advanced training with master Ashtanga teachers such as David Swenson, Tim Miller, and Maty Ezraty. She enjoys bringing the community together through teaching at Diamondbacks Stadium, CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, the Fashion Square rooftop, festivals, and Lululemon.
In her classes, she blends movement with breath and uses unique, mindful transitions and insightful alignment cues, while remaining light and inspiring. Courtney also takes pride in working one-on-one with students to strengthen their physical and spiritual practice to attain their goals. When Courtney isn’t teaching, she enjoys spending the with her daughter, helping her husband on his food truck, or hiking with their puppies Leo and Hunter.
