Ying Yang
I was a model in China for more than a decade. High fashion, glamor, and fitness have been a part of my life since I started modeling as a teenager. I enjoyed the life of a model, but I disliked the stereotyped labels that came with being a model. In order to escape I turned to yoga. Yoga is what became my savior. It gave me the peace of mind I was craving and brought about a conscious transformation in my life. The more I practiced yoga, the more I fell in love with it.

I opened Ying Yoga studio to share my love of yoga with other people and help them see how yoga can be their savior in some way. The highlight of Ying Yoga studio is our non fussy atmosphere and facility that feels like your at home. Our diverse and excellent teachers add ease, humor, and delight to the classes with stories and unique personalities. My vision for Ying Yoga is to create a community about love, yoga, art, and music. Come practice with us! Learn to breathe and move through yoga asanas properly! My goal is for you to leave class super sweaty and feeling like you released a good bit.

Thank you so much to our entire little yoga community! Without each one of you the studio would not exist! So much gratitude in my heart to be able to practice yoga together!

Michelle Bodenstadt
Michelle began her yoga journey over 13 years ago when she attended her first yoga class. Soon after that class, Michelle deepened her practice of healing and helping others by obtaining her Massage therapy license. In the spring of 2018, Michelle began her journey to become a certified yoga instructor. She believes that yoga is essential to the well-being of the body, mind, and spirit for people of all ages. Michelle feels that returning our connection to the breath and allowing for silence are necessary in today’s over-stressed, fast-paced world. Michelle is committed to creating opportunities for each student to slow down, relieve stress, and increase the body-mind connection. She believes yoga is for every person and everybody. If you can breathe, you can practice yoga. She teaches classes that incorporate slow, mindful movements, meditation, awareness of breath, and spiritual development. Before becoming a yoga teacher, Michelle taught at Fit4Mom in Denver, Colorado, where she led moms in a supported and encouraging group fitness class. She is dedicated to helping others find balance and peace within themselves. For some of us, it is the physical body; for others, it is the emotional body; and for many, it is both. The journey of breath and movement can be one of joy. When Michelle is not practicing or teaching yoga, she enjoys massage therapy, listening to music, reading, traveling, walking in nature, and spending time with family and friends.

Rika Parkes
Rika’s journey into Yoga began in 2018. She developed severe postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter. On a whim she signed up for her first vinyasa class ever, and it fundamentally changed her outlook on life. She found that her own practice allowed her to “BREATHE” anew. A dedication to yoga over many months led her to a profound appreciation for the discipline. The more she practiced, the more whole and at peace she felt. Because of the positive impact yoga had on her life, she made the decision to train as a teacher. She was given a scholarship for an Ashtanga-based yoga teacher training in the summer of 2019. Since earning her credentials, Rika has taught at a number of different studios. In every lesson, she emphasizes the importance of controlled breath and correct alignment. She has experience instructing several styles of yoga, including Vinyasa, Power, Hatha, Yin, and Restorative. Using her crystal singing bowls, she provides a relaxing sound bath for her students during final savasana. As a teacher, she hopes that her pupils will leave each class feeling a little brighter and more certain of themselves. Originally from Palm Beach, Florida, Rika relocated to Austin in the summer of 2022. She and her husband have two children, two cats, and a house absolutely full of plants.

Jackie Ey
Jackie Ey began her yoga practice in 2001 while attending Texas Tech University as a collegiate golfer to help strengthen her body and increase her flexibility. Later on, she worked as a personal trainer specializing in corrective/functional exercise realizing how much yoga truly benefits all movement patterns. In early 2013, she completed Jonny Kest’s LifePower RYT 200-hour certification and smoothly transitioned herself into the teaching community. She is currently working on her RYT 500 and hopeful to get an additional degree in nursing.  On the mat, she brings her passion for mind-body awareness, guiding students to discover themselves in a new light, encouraging them that anything can be done with practice and patience. Knowing the importance of proper engagement, she focuses her attention on a strong foundation and core but keeps her practice light and fun.

David Daigle
I am a spiritual, electrical, unlimited being and a seeker of truth. I love yoga and I love connecting. Teaching yoga is a way to have both. Some one once told me the path to enlightenment is through breath and posture. This resonates with me. Yoga has so many opportunities to breath deep and sit up straight. Outside of yoga I work for Travis County as a Firefighter/EMT. It is an honor to serve my community. Yoga and Firefighting do not feel like work. They are something I love.

Amber Fowler
My name is Amber and I thankfully found yoga a little over 10 years ago. I completed my 200 hour teacher training at Black Swan Yoga 6 years ago. When I first began to practice yoga, I only did it for the physical aspect. I was in one or two car accidents growing up that really messed my head and back up. I developed minor scoliosis, my back was in an S shape, I had 3 or 4 vertebrae that stuck out in the middle of my back to the point where I couldn’t lie comfortably on my back, I had constant car sickness and headaches, I had insomnia, I developed a short term memory problem, and consequently depression. I tried going to chiropractors and specials for years to help, but they would only temporarily relieve the pain. After one full year of constantly practicing yoga, my spine was COMPLETELY straight, I had no abnormal pains, no headaches, I could sleep, and best of all I WAS HAPPY AGAIN. By this point, I knew there was a much deeper meaning to yoga than just the physical. I began to have a real connection with the world, myself, and reconnected with God through yoga/mediation. Since then I’ve studied Reiki (level 1) as well as practice massage techniques during yoga to deepen the intensity (depending if you want more spiritual or physical). I know my purpose on this earth is to be a healer and to help others. I am not here for myself. I am merely an empty vessel that He so graciously fills me up SO full that I can’t help but spill onto others. Yoga and meditation can change your life if you let it and I am so honored to be apart of your journey. I love how powerful and moving music can be and I enjoy using that as a tool to spark something on the inside, maybe open something up. I haven’t studied chakras too thoroughly but I have experienced mine opening up and others. It is a very intense and amazing emotional release. And It is totally OKAY (actually encouraged) to cry in my class, I WILL cry with you. I became empathic after I had my baby 4 years ago. It’s a beautiful gift that helps guide me to those in need. So please, if you do not want to be touched/adjusted during class let me know beforehand.

Sandra Cardona
Hello! My name is Sandra Cardona and I taught my first yoga class in 2015. I enjoy teaching power yoga, vinyasa flow, yoga sculpt and yin yoga.  I began practicing in 2003 to relieve a running injury.  Most of my practice, training and learning has been motivated from experiencing an illness or injury. In addition to my 200 Hour Power Yoga certification, I hold certification in Mat Pilates and Barre. 2020 was quite a year for everyone. For me it was a time to reflect and pursue my comprehensive Pilates certification and 300 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training. I get so much satisfaction from training and learning but more from passing the benefits of that knowledge to my students. I teach with an emphasis on alignment and building strength and stability so that the movements are accessible to everyone. This means wherever you’re starting from, you will feel your body become stable and strong in my class. My ultimate goal is to inspire and encourage all students to establish a dedicated practice and journey toward building strong and healthy bodies so they too can enjoy the many and unexpected benefits that come with regular practice. We start with the most essential element of yoga which is breath. If you can breathe, you can do anything.

Simon Apunte
“The path is calling, we need no destination. Love is the path, it has no destination.” – Nomi

Hello :)! My name is Simon! I’m here to spread love and light in this world. My path to Yoga truly started as I opened myself up to the need and want of healing energy. The practice and the work, through all the infinite sources of Yoga, has completely changed my life in the best way possible.

As an Army Veteran, I’ve found a calling to help other Veterans and First responders– by sharing these Yoga practices at no cost.  If I could give one gift to my brothers and sisters in arms, to help save a life, that gift would be Yoga.

Ashley Weber
Ashley’s first career began in 2006 as a post-rehabilitative Pilates Instructor and continues to teach today. Ashley is a native Texan who was introduced to Yoga in 2009 as recommended by her acupuncturist to help with anxiety. She became drawn to the healing elements of Yoga as it addressed calming the nervous system. In January 2016, She completed her 200 hour Yoga Yoga Hatha Teacher Certification and later completed the Yin Yoga, Prenatal, Aerial Yoga, Anatomy and other Advanced Yoga Trainings. She now has 495+ hours of training in Yoga. Ashley has a genuine curiosity for functional movement and how it relates to health and considers herself a lifetime student of learning about the mind body connection. Because of this life long interest, she hosts a weekly show titled Yoga And… Podcast that discusses the intersection of Yoga and Life with different Yoga experts. She feels strongly that yoga can help us all live our best life!

Katie Defalco
Hi my name is Katie, I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. After high school I moved to New York, NY to study musical theater at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I started doing yoga in 2013 after the birth of my first child. I had just moved from Chicago, IL to Raleigh, NC and I was looking for a new routine and way to get back in shape. I had friends that recommend I try yoga. I went into it thinking it would be a great workout with a lot of stretching, which it was, but what I hadn’t expected was the calming euphoric feeling I had at the end of class. In 2015 we moved to Austin and it wasn’t until I found Ying Yoga, and the studios amazing community of Yogi’s in the Fall of 2017, that I knew I needed to integrate yoga into my life as much as possible.

After about two and a half years of steady practice as a student I was excited to be apart of Ying Yoga’s first 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training. I’m excited to share my passion and love of yoga with you! My goal is to guide my classes in a way that allows everyone to walk out of class feeling proud of what they accomplished on their mat and feeling gratitude for their body, mind, and spirit! Namaste.

Tiffany Asha
The most important job I have is building relationships with my students. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” (Maya Angelou). That quote resonates with who I am as a teacher. I pride myself on creating a safe environment, with a strong community, where all students feel welcome, can communicate and express themselves openly, have ownership in the space, and what they learn.

My 17 years in the practice with strong Ashtanga/Hatha roots rings true in the class scope and sequencing – executed in a playful manner and still with a fantastic soundtrack. I’ve taught yoga in a hallway, a swimming pool, a loading dock, a gym, after standardized tests, the park, the beach, and in a traditional yoga studio with a single student and up to 200 students at once. Regardless of wherever you are or how many people are there, relationships and the student experience are what matter.

Since I was a small child I knew two things for sure: I was going to be a teacher, and I wanted to help others. I am so lucky to be able to do both. I absolutely love being a teacher.

Lenzie Schaefer
I was born and raised in Austin, Tx, but just a few years ago we decided to put down new roots here in Cedar Park. I have a 13yr old step-daughter, 12yr old son and now an 8 month old baby boy. I have a background in fitness and personal training, but it wasn’t until my second pregnancy that I realized the true benefits of yoga. Initially I turned to prenatal yoga with the hopes of finding a more gentle form of movement during my pregnancy. I soon found out that yoga wasn’t just about flowing from one pose to the next, but more about being in the moment and creating a connection between my mind and body. Yoga taught me how to focus my thoughts and use my breath in ways that eased my mind and even helped prepare me for labor.

I fell in love with yoga and continued to practice after my baby was born. The more I practiced, the more passionate I felt about it. I want to share that passion with others and teach people the powerful benefits of having yoga in their lives.