Our Teaching Team
Our teaching team is carefully vetted to ensure that you get among the most experienced, knowledgable, and compassionate instructors in the area.
Lynne Olsen (she/her/hers), RYT-500, CES, M.F.S., C.P.T., Yoga Therapeutic Specialist
Lynne turned to meditation & yoga to counter the effects of a stressful job as a crime scene technician. She became a certified yoga instructor in 2013. Soon after, she made a leap of faith by quitting her job and pursuing the yoga & fitness field full-time. As with most heart-inspired acts, her leap paid off by landing her in the position of owner of Rolling Brook Yoga.
Lynne has been a student of movement and a group exercise teacher since 1991. In 1998, she began personal training after becoming certified with the National Sports Performance Association (NSPA). She is a Corrective Exercise Specialist and recently completed a prestigious advanced teacher training with Yoga Medicine to become a Yoga Therapeutic Specialist. She is available for consultations, personal training and private yoga.
Vicki Bannister (she/her/hers), E-RYT-200
Yoga has been a part of Vicki’s life for over 20 years. In 2009 she completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program at the Yoga Center of Columbia. In 2010 she completed an extensive Yoga Immersion program to deepen her knowledge of yoga philosophy and 2019 she completed an Ayurveda Immersion program. She loves to blend all of these interrelated principles in to her own practice and to share them with her students!
Vicki enjoys sharing her knowledge of alignment based yoga guided by the breath in her classes to promote a stronger, healthier body/mind connection.
Teaching from a place of compassion and an open heart, Vicki believes that everyone can benefit from yoga. This belief led her to complete the Y12SR Training – Yoga of 12-step Recovery Leadership Training in 2016 offering yoga to those on the path to recovery.
Vicki is a Co-founder of Rolling Brook Yoga.
Courtney Lewis (she/her/hers), RYT-200, LMT
As a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance, Courtney loves guiding students to really feel into their body to connect with what's present there. Her classes focus on mindfully moving through the postures (asana) with the breath in order to peel back the layers of resistance so that we can settle our awareness inward, finding stillness and recognizing our deep intrinsic connection to all that is. As a license massage therapist, Courtney offers a real treat during savasana too!
Beth Evans (she/her/hers), RYT-200
After 9/11, Beth Evans stopped sleeping. Desperate for something to relieve her insomnia and anxiety, she turned to yoga. She learned that yoga’s quiet peace and joyful expressions were always present, no matter what life offered. In 2012, Beth completed Anusara Yoga Immersion at Capitol Hill Yoga in D.C. She went on to earn her RYT 200 at the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2014. As a teacher, Beth delights in helping students discover new ways to open to yoga’s grace, freedom, and strength. She’s a fan of sweaty vinyasa practices and balance postures.
Kathy Reid, RYT-500
Kathy received her Yoga teacher certification from the Columbia Yoga Center in 1995 and in 2010 she completed the Avalon 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training to satisfy requirements for the Yoga Alliance RYT. Kathy teaches yoga in the Iyengar style with a strong emphasis on alignment and a creative use of props. Kathy has taught all age groups and has developed a particular expertise in offering yoga to seniors and those requiring a gentle approach to yoga. Her teaching encourages students to develop their own personal practice to gain the full benefits of everyday yoga. Kathy is also a student of Tai Chi and enjoys blending the concepts of these two ancient traditions. Kathy has more recently studied the healing art of sound massage, Reiki, and meditation. She is available for private yoga.
Missy Wheeler (she/her/hers), RYT-500
Missy, RYT-500, first began teaching yoga to children and then quickly wanted to share the benefits and calming effects of it to adults as well. This inspired her to complete the Avalon 200 Hour Teacher Training in 2011 and the 300 hour Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts training in 2021. She also trained through Radiant Child to teach yoga to children and is working toward completing the Pranakriya Kid’s Yoga training. Missy plans on continuing these trainings to complete the RYCT designation. In 2017, she trained with Dr. Fishman and Ellen Saltsonstall and received a certificate to teach Yoga for Osteoporosis. Missy is an Accessible Yoga ambassador and welcomes everyone into her classes. She brings a nurturing style to her classes and builds a safe environment for all students to grow in their practices and receive the many benefits of yoga. She enjoys working with students of all ages!
Bridget Hackley (she/her/hers), RYT-200, Prenatal Yoga
Bridget began taking yoga classes in 2011 as a complement to her running routine. She loved finding new ways to stretch and strengthen my body, and quickly grew to appreciate the physical and emotional awareness that yoga fosters. She completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2016 and gave birth to her second daughter two months later. After several years of working on her physical and mental health post-pregnancy, she pursued prenatal yoga teacher training as well. Her goal is to use this ancient practice to facilitate your own discovery of yourself.
Yogi
Yogi first came to the mat at 2 years of age. A natural born yogi, his gentle and quiet disposition inspires smiles from everyone he meets. In classes, his favorite pose is savasana with an occasional downward facing dog.
Jasmine Hollingsworth (she/her/hers), RYT-500
Jasmine brings a contagious smile and joyful attitude to class week after week! She has personally experienced the transformative power of yoga in her own life, and seeks to help others do the same. She has over 1000 hours of training and over 20 years of experience in the practice of yoga. Jasmine is a Registered 500 Hour Yoga Teacher (RYT-500), Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT), and certified in Advanced Trauma-Informed Yoga. She is also trained and certified to offer yoga and mindfulness to people of all abilities. Jasmine’s teaching integrates her interpretation of yogic philosophy and asana through the lens of her studies in human biology, anatomy, and psychology. While she brings a deep awareness to proper alignment and muscle engagement, she encourages her students to approach each posture with curiosity and explore the poses in a way that is comfortable in their individual bodies.
Stephanie Aldrich (she/her/hers), RYT-500
Stephanie brings an impressive knowledge of proper alignment, injury prevention, and strength building into her classes. She enjoys watching students learn to use breath and movement as a way to find a space of quiet within. Stephanie is a 300-hour certified teacher who continues to find inspiration through learning on a regular basis.
Cara McNamara (she/her/hers) E-RYT
Cara McNamara is passionate about physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and has dedicated most her adult life to finding ways to achieve balanced wellness and loves sharing what she learns. She has practiced yoga for 20+ years and has been teaching yoga for 8 years. She is a long-time meditator and has formal training through the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and the Koru Mindfulness Center. Cara is also trained as an Integrative Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Health. As her daytime job, she serves as an Academic Advisor and Instructor in the Public Health Studies program at Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from George Washington University. Cara lives in Catonsville, Maryland with her husband, two amazing teenagers and loyal dog, Baylee.
Nancy Fallon (she/her/hers), RYT 200
Nancy specializes in teaching yoga & mindfulness to support mental wellbeing. In her “day job” Nancy works as a licensed chiropractic assistant, which has informed her teaching ten-fold in terms of the relationship between physical pain and mental health. In her teaching, Nancy marries the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and yogic philosophy with contemporary sports medicine research to facilitate a deep integration of mind, body, and spirit within her students. Expect a journey of self-discovery: while Nancy’s teaching is gentle and empathetic, she will nudge you to explore the hidden corners of your heart in the name of uncovering the True-Self. Nancy holds additional training in yin yoga, yoga for athletes, and trauma-informed yoga.
Mary Brown (she/her/hers), RYT-200, CPT
Mary Brown has been a NASM certified personal trainer since 2012 and completed her 200- hour teacher training at the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2020. She specializes in working with women, helping them build confidence and strength, and developing skills to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. Mary’s philosophy on health and wellness is largely shaped by values learned through her yoga practice, which you’ll find reflected in her focus on mindfulness, moderation, and self-awareness. She believes it’s important to build strength physically and mentally as one supports the other. She strives to create an environment where all bodies feel welcome, fitness is fun, and how you feel and move in your body is more important than a number on the scale or tape measure!
La Stone, RYT-200
I'm La, a life coach through yoga. External communications for organizations is my career. Inner communications through yoga is my calling. RYT-200 certified, I teach a variety of yoga classes including beginner, gentle, chair, and yin for local yoga studios and corporations with employees worldwide. My worldview has been shaped by traveling North America, South America, the United Kingdom, and Africa. These experiences unite on my yoga mat where breathing, postures, and mindfulness meet. Whether you are happy, grieving, at peace, anxious, younger, older, new to yoga, or seasoned in your practice - join me as you illuminate your path to peace. La is available for private yoga.
Helen Marie Carruthers
Helen Marie Carruthers is a lover of movement and is fascinated by all things body-mind-soul. As a professional dancer for over 20 years, she learned first hand how the body and mind must work together to create true strength, flexibility and resilience. Her understanding of the body was amplified by practicing as a massage therapist for 18 years. She received her Pilates certification through the BASI (Body Arts and Science International) in 2010, and went on to become a Level 3 Franklin Method Educator. Out of a growing desire to give her clients more tools and autonomy over how they feel, Helen Marie became a BodyMind Coach in 2020. All of her work invites the client to embody how they desire to feel, and take action to get there.
She hopes that anyone taking her class will walk away with an enhanced ability to notice and connect with their amazing miracle of a body. She also hopes to share a movement experience that builds strength and fosters efficiency and JOY in movement!
Kelly McDonald
Kelly first found her love of movement through studying ballet through childhood and college. This is where she discovered that each movement is a part of a conversation that the body is carrying on with itself. You need your strong core to hold your arms strong and you need your back and shoulders to strengthen and support your core. Your body is not just the sum of its individual parts but an evolving system that works together to support each individual piece. After giving birth to her second child during the pandemic, Kelly dove deeper into her pilates practice to reconnect with and repair her body. Through this time Kelly was reminded of the love she had initially found as a child and decided to pursue teaching as a way to bring this love back to life for herself and for others. Kelly is currently completing mat certification through The Lab at Pilates House.
Katie Egloff (she/her/hers), RYT-200
Katie earned her RYT-200 from the Yoga Center of Columbia in 2022, where she trained in alignment-based yoga. She was first introduced to yoga when she was a child, occasionally attending classes with her mom, where they both discovered that yoga helped with managing Katie’s anxiety and panic attacks. She reinvigorated her yoga practice as an adult to complement her running habit, and has been practicing regularly since then for both the physical and mental benefits. Through life’s ups, downs, and everything in between, Katie’s yoga practice has supported her well-being and she is eager to share yoga with others. She loves the mix of science and philosophy found in yoga, and she believes yoga is for every body. When she’s not on her mat, she enjoys discovering new music, painting, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. give more information.
Megan Bannister, RYT-200
Megan was first introduced to yoga at a young age by her mother. After years of practicing alongside her, Megan began cultivating her own yoga and meditation practice in college. In 2022, she completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Yoga Center of Columbia. Megan’s teaching philosophy is to build strength physically and mentally through proper alignment, steady breath, and a calm mind. Her classes are an energized exploration of creative sequences to build strength and confidence in body and mind. You can expect Megan to share her deep rooted passion and love for yoga with her students at every class!