Our Instructors

Maryjane Bembenek
Maryjane's passion is seeking knowledge of nutrition, medicine, health, and yoga, contributing to others' well-being. She is a devoted practitioner of Iyengar Yoga, having been influenced by John Schumacher, Patricia Walden, Liz Marx, and Kofi Busia. She is thrilled to share with her students the knowledge gained from her own mat and teachers. Maryjane provides detailed techniques for each asana, highlighting the geometry and alignment of the pose; she encourages the use of props to make each one more accessible. "Yoga is meditation in action," she says. "Allow your mind to be replaced by calmness and santosa (contentment)."

Art Boorman, MA, RYT
Several years ago, when Art started practicing the no-nonsense form of yoga known as YRG ("Yoga for Regular Guys/Gals"), he weighed well over 300 pounds. Serious back injuries had left him unable to walk on his own. After less than two years of consistent yoga practice, he lost half his body weight—and the canes he once needed to get around. A professional educator by trade, Art has a vast personal knowledge of yoga pose modifications and loves sharing yoga with people of all types to help them reach their full physical potential.

Su Choy, RYT
After enjoying 16 years as a college English and Communications Professor, Su became a full-time yoga and pilates teacher, and has never looked back. Teaching and studying yoga since 1996, she graduated from the breath-focused Kripalu school, but has also studied deeply in the therapeutic Krishnamacharya school of India and the alignment-focused Iyengar school. For Su, yoga is a powerful tool for radical self-transformation, which everyone must eventually turn to in order to heal the spirit. While she enjoys teaching yoga to all levels, she considers teaching beginners a gift, and likes to take extra time helping those who are new to the path. She is also certified in Chi Gong and is a black belt in martial arts.

Kathryn Conway, RYT
Kathryn is inspired by the transformative power of yoga and its ability to heal and unite mind, body, and spirit. She believes that practicing yoga has brought her strength, balance, and flexibility—both on and off the mat—and she loves to share these gifts with her students. Kathryn especially enjoys teaching beginners and providing experiences that cultivate peace of mind and greater self-awareness.

Chris Eder, Certified Vinyasa and Hatha Interdisciplinary Yoga Instructor
Chris' yoga journey began in 1999 after he encountered the joys of a pinched sciatic nerve and a diagnosis of adult ADD. A friend introduced him to yoga as an alternative to pain pills and other meds, and he was hooked instantly. Chris has taught in a variety of styles, starting with sunrise yoga during a 2007 Air Force deployment to Baghdad. He has also taught yoga to Wounded Warriors returning from combat as part of the Warrior Resiliency Program and is a graduate of Frog Lotus Yoga's teaching training program. Learn more about Chris here.

Laurie Hyland Robertson, RYT, Certified Pilates Instructor
Laurie first began practicing yoga simply to get an effective, low-impact workout that didn’t exacerbate her knee problems—her first experiences with yoga, in 2001, were fast-paced, fitness-oriented classes that suited her type-A personality. Laurie has since reformed her stressed-out ways, largely through training as a yoga teacher, and she now enjoys meditative classes as well as powerful yoga workouts. She believes strongly in the integrative healing power of both yoga and pilates for everyone, regardless of physical ability or previous experience.

Tom Hyland Robertson, DC
Dr. Tom Hyland Robertson has been practicing yoga for a number of years, and particularly enjoys the physical challenges of the asanas (poses). His extensive clinical study of anatomy and physiology lends a unique flavor to his classes, which often focus on progressively building strength and balance. Dr. Robertson has suffered from serious back injuries in the past, including degenerative and herniated lumbar discs, and he’s reversed the damage from these problems with regular yoga practice (chiropractic treatment, too). With his wife Laurie, he opened Whole Chiropractic Healthcare and Whole Yoga Healthcare in 2007 to bring effective, safe, alternative healing to the Odenton/Ft. Meade/West Anne Arundel communities.

Katharine Mason, RYT
Katharine received teacher training from the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, California, and has deepened her practice with Anodea Judith, Michael Stone, Shiva Rea, Shala Worsley, and others. Her vinyasa classes emphasize strong, continuous, graceful movement, with safe anatomical alignment for a wide range of bodies.

Wendy Resnick, MS, RN, RYT
Wendy is a nurse educator in psychiatry with special interests in nutrition and fitness. She has been a student of yoga for many years. In her experience with kundalini yoga, consistent practice opens the heart and brings change on every level—body, mind, and soul. As a teacher, Wendy shares the transformational possibilities of kundalini yoga with others, helping them to be the best they can be—healthy, happy, and whole.

DJ (Debra) Rosen
DJ studied Physical Education at St Cloud State University in Minnesota and fell in love with pilates while teaching at the school's fitness center. In addition to core-focused work like pilates, DJ's broad teaching experience includes Bosu strength, resistance training, and high/low-impact cardio. She is passionate about all types of excercise and hopes to learn to surf someday.

Robyn Sarcomo, ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
Using a functional strength and conditioning approach, Robyn improves students' core stability, balance, and flexibility. She loves teaching all types of students but finds particular satisfaction in helping people rehabilitate injuries and overcome chronic dysfunction. Staying strong and fit through routines such as her Pilates-Inspired Core Fusion help Robyn enjoy her horseback-riding passion. Learn more about Robyn here.